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Catamaran Kriola arrives in Cape Verde for Christmas

Catamaran Kriola arrives in Cape Verde for ChristmasThe catamaran Kriola will be delivered today, November 26th 2010, to its owner, Cabo Verde Fast Ferry (CVFF). The first of two high-speed ferries, built in Singapore. The vessel should arrive in the country between 25th & 29th December, and three days after conducting its maiden voyage on the route Praia, Fogo and Brava.

Cape Verde will have in the first days of January 2011, its first marine unit to operate modern and fast axis Praia / Fogo / Brava / Maio. It Kriola catamaran, built from scratch in the shipyards of the Dutch company Damen Shipyard in Singapore.

According to the vice president of CA CVFF, the ferry will be delivered this weekend the weekend, and, next Monday, 29, begin journey to Cape Verde by a vessel suitable for this purpose. Gregor Nelson moves the boat will be, for security reasons and not only followed for part of the journey by helicopter, from which will be photographed.

This operator ensures that the trip should last between 29 and 30 days, depending on the conditions of seaworthiness. All things considered, the Kriola come to the country between 25 and 29 December, to begin operating in early January 2011. For all it represents and has already been said and written, the arrival of the vessel to Cape Verde is being awaited with much anticipation, especially the islands of Fogo, Brava and Maio are the most affected by isolation.

The inauguration of the transport will be expected to be marked with much pomp and circumstance. That moment will be to show that the dream can be reality, since the will to join. After all, is the first time businesspeople Cape Verdeans living abroad and in Cape Verde to join a major undertaking for the benefit of these islands.

"We do between 2 and 3 days after the arrival of Kriola, the first maiden voyage on the route Santiago / Fogo and Brava. There, the capital of each of these three islands, separate measures to mark the beginning of his career that first drive fast Fast Ferry, which then extend his career for the Isle of Maio, 'says Nelson Gregor.

The businessman stressed that since 1 December, to announce the Fast Ferry fare that will perform for different types of passenger and cargo. Gregor Nelson adds that the company is now selecting 70 members to its staff, following a public tender held for this purpose which was attended by 1,300 candidates. Those chosen must integrate the various administrative departments of the ship and crew CVFF Kriola and Freedom. Rather, it will undergo special training. The goal, remember that the operator is to provide the Cape Verdeans a high quality service.

After all, this first catamaran built from scratch, it's modern and fast, so it has nothing to do with the "junkyards" that have been imported and operate in coastal Cape Verde. After the entry of Kriola, the freedom came between April and May 2011 for this case, connect the Windward Islands. In addition to faster, the new units have a capacity to carry 158 passengers, 20 cars and light trucks in three containerized system.

Alirio Dias de Pina

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Marine Princess Ferry Docked Indefinitely, Cape Verde, Maio

The hydrofoil Ferry Marine Princess remains docked at Praia sea port with no date in sight for the resumption of business. After news indicating that the vessel was paralysed due to the departure of its captain, several A Semana Online sources have revealed additional problems that have combined to keep the embarkation from going out to sea. This is the second time the Marine Princess has been forced to lay idle in the short time it has been operating in Cape Verde, thus dashing expectations that it would help resolve the problematic issue of connections among the country’s southern islands.

Sources close to the vessel's administration claim that, "Operations have been suspended" not only because the captain left for Angola, but also because, after "investing millions of escudos, administrators have been combating archaic procedures that, in addition to being costly, hinder or even render useless the company’s work," said the source.

As such, the administration of Cape Verde Navalis is waiting for a reaction to a memorandum submitted some time ago aimed at doing away with "parasitical" costs and "archaic and anti-economic procedures."

In addition to the lack of a captain, the company is hoping authorities will put an end to these "parasitical" costs that they claim make operations unreasonably expensive. Without mentioning to which authorities the memorandum was actually sent, A Semana Online's source says that the ship will remain docked until these issues are resolved.

The hydrofoil Marine Princess, which had been plying the waters along the Praia-Fogo, Brava route three times a week, is currently sitting at Praia sea port. Connections to the other Leeward Islands were expected to resume during the Christmas and New Year's holiday, but this will no longer happen.

The ships Praia d'Aguada, Sotavento and Sal Rei travel to the islands of Fogo and Brava twice a week, but even so are unable to meet the demand on the part of would-be travellers, who often take advantage of the holiday season to visit their native islands.

Source: ASemana Online - click here.