A bulletin of current news and island events. With this we can keep up-to-date on all of the important issues and happenings in Maio such as: the transportation problem, the new water plant, cable TV, the long wait for land sales, etc, etc...

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CV Fast Ferry, Maio Port Requires Adaption

A little over a month until the arrival of the first Fast Ferry Kriola from Cabo Verde Fast Ferry (CVFF). CVFF is waiting for an adjustment that has to be made to the port in Maio before it can receive the new ferry.
According to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the CVFF company, Andy Andrade, "The port in Maio has to be adapted with a ramp to receive the ferry."

Andy Andrande told the "Voice Djarmai di", a gathering of entrepreneurs and the Dutch Cape Verdeans in Rotterdam, "The CVFF, is sensitive to the problem of maritime connection between Praia / Maio / Praia, could not Djarmai out the project", but Andrade says that "without port adaptation this connection will be impossible." However, he claims to be in contact with the Mayor of Maio, Manuel Ribeiro, and ENAPOR who have been unwilling to resolve this issue.

Note that the ferry Kriola "already done this month and was baptised on October 22 in Singapore should, according to Andrade, arrive in Cape Verde between 24 and 26 December. However, judging by how things have gone, the people maense have to wait a while to see the resolved problem of sea transport.

Article: CV Fast Ferry, Maio Port Requires Adaption

Tremen­dous News - HalcyonAir Flights to Maio and Sal

We would like to inform you that HalcyonAir Airways will start regular flights to Maio Island from Thursday 28th of October 2010.

In the new scheduled there will be four (4) flights a week, Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays with possible connections to the islands of Sal, São Vicente, Boavista and Fogo.

Below is the flight timetable:

1. Segunda-feira / Monday
   • (361) 11:05 Praia - Maio 11:25
   • (631) 11:45 Maio - Praia 12:05
2. Quinta-feira / Thursday
   • (361) 14:00 Praia - Maio 14:20
   • (631) 14:50 Maio - Praia 15:10
3. Sexta-feira / Friday
   • (361) 16:35 Praia - Maio 16:55
   • (631) 17:25 Maio - Praia 17:45
4. Domingo / Sunday
   • (161) 07:30 Sal - Maio 08:05
   • (631) 08:35 Maio - Praia 08:55
5.  
   • (361) 16:30 Praia - Maio 16:50
   • (611) 17:20 Maio - Sal 18:00

With the new flights to Maio the access to the island will be considerably improved.

ED:
Best news for Maio in a long time...

DAMEN delivers first-ever newbuild fast ferry to Cape Verde

Singapore, October 22

Cape Verde marked an important milestone in its history as the ten-island state sees the official inauguration of its first-ever, newbuild fast ferry. The “Kriola”, a DAMEN Fast Ferry 4512, literally represents a lifeline to Cape Verdeans.

DAMEN Regional Director, Friso Visser, commented: “We are very proud to have been chosen to partner with Cape Verde in this unique project and to be able to answer the exact needs of the owner, Cabo Verde Fast Ferry.”

The Dutch shipbuilding group, headquartered in Gorinchem in the Netherlands, is especially delighted to have managed to build the new ro-ro ferry in less than one year and to have even delivered it weeks earlier than planned.

Kriola is expected to enter service by the end of the year and a second sister vessel, the Liberdadi, is due to be delivered early 2011. Other vessels may follow in the future to boost Cape Verde’s sea transportation connectivity.

As well as being the country’s first new fast ferry, the vessel was also funded in a unique way. Cabo Verde Fast Ferry carried out the country’s first Initial Public Offering (IPO) to raise the funds needed. Cape Verdeans were so keen to buy bonds that the IPO resulted in one of the highest stock exchange participations ever.

The Kriola can accommodate 164 passengers and 65 tonnes of cargo and was built at DAMEN Shipyards Singapore, a yard known for its quality aluminium fast ferries, patrol boats, crew suppliers and workboats.

Cabo Verde Fast Ferry President, Andy Andrade, outlined the importance of the new vessel to the islanders.

Cape Verde has always been somewhat isolated because of its position in the middle of the Atlantic but this is particularly worse for the outlying island of Brava, explained Mr. Andrade.
“Often transportation is only carried out on an ad-hoc basis because the waters are subject to many currents, substantial wave heights and very windy conditions. Safe, reliable transportation to the islands was a key priority.”

Cabo Verde Fast Ferry company contacted several yards, both in Europe and the US, Mr. Andrade stressed: “Our new vessels had to be very specific for Cape Verde. It was only DAMEN that took the time to actually look at the specific needs of Cape Verde.”

Seakeeping ability was crucial and the vessel had to be able to support the business plan, so facilitate the right mix of passengers/cargo, comfort levels, fuel consumption and operational costs weight into the design factors.

The DAMEN 4512 also appealed because it could offer a very fast turnaround in port because the vessel is very compact. To achieve the same operational profile, a comparable German-built vessel operating between the islands is 68 meters - a considerable increase on the 45 m length of the DAMEN Fast Ferry.

Another high priority request from CVFF was a ferry that had to be able to serve the four southern islands in a day before travelling back to its home port in Brava for the night. Therefore, it needed to achieve speeds of 18-22 knots.

“These two vessels will really bring maritime transportation into the 21st century,” company executives emphasized. They are certain that as soon as the Kriola arrives it will stimulate travel and it will give a boost to the economy. The DAMEN Fast Ferry will not only make it easier for foreign tourism but also internal tourism between the islands. Workers and students travelling will also benefit from the new ferries, added Andy.

Established in 1927, DAMEN now has more than 30 shipyards worldwide and employs 6,700 people. In 2009, the company had a turnover of E1.4bn. DAMEN has an extremely varied portfolio, specialising in fast ferries, tugs, workboats, patrol craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, mega yachts and naval vessels.

DAMEN has been a pioneer of modular shipbuilding based on standardised designs. Introduced in 1969 by DAMEN Chairman, Kommer Damen, this technique gives the yard the ability to offer well-proven vessels, very short delivery times and competitive prices.

In addition to newbuild construction, DAMEN is involved in maintenance and repair activities and a wide range of associated maritime services.

Second Cabo Verde Fast Ferry vessel to be called “Liberdadi”

Alcides Vicente, a Cape Verdean residing in Atlanta, Georgia (in the United States), is the winner of the contest aimed at selecting the name for the second ferry boat being built by Cabo Verde Fast Ferry. The name chosen is “Liberdadi” (“Freedom”). The name of the first vessel is Kriola.
Second Cabo Verde Fast Ferry vessel to be called “Liberdadi”

Construction of the first of the two ferries is expected to be concluded by October of this year. The second ferry, according to Cabo Verde Fast Ferry, is slated to be finished in January of 2011.

The winner of the contest to choose the name of the vessel, Alcides Vicente, will receive an award in the form of US$ 500 cash, two round-trip tickets on TACV Cabo Verde Airlines from Boston to Praia and a trip aboard the first ferry, as well as lodging in the most luxurious hotels and resorts on the islands.

Original Article: ASemana - click

Cape Verde-EU partnership agreement reached

Cape Verde Prime Minister José Maria Neves held a high-level meeting in Brussels with European Commission leader José Manuel Barroso to finalise the last steps in negotiations about an Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU. Cape Verde is to benefit from new funding from the EU.

Prime Minister Neves was accompanied by Cape Verde's Foreign Minister José Brito, the National Director of Political Affairs and Cooperation and other senior diplomats from the archipelago. The mission on Tuesday met with the President of the European Commission to discuss and deepen a partnership agreement signed in Brussels last year, focusing on the issue of economic partnership, and also a mobility agreement.

Judging by the testimonies of participants in the meeting, the meeting was a success and achieved significant progress. Cape Verde is negotiating an economic partnership agreement with the European Union (EU) that will allow the West African archipelago to continue to enjoy favourable export conditions for its products to Europe.

Cape Verde until now has enjoyd the facilities granted to so-called least developed countries (LDCs), which exempts poor trade partners from customs duties for export to Europe.

But Cape Verde has seen a flamboyant economic development during the last decades, and a few years ago the UN redfined it as a middle income country, meaning that Cape Verde was to lose favourable LDC condition after a transitional period of three years. This period ends in December this year. The Cape Verdean government however hopes to extend the transition period for yet another year, and the Brussels meeting idicated its bid is being successful.

"We want to sign [the Economic Partnership Agreement] as soon as possible," stated Prime Minister Neves after the meeting. The new EU-Cape Verde agreement orginally should be reached within the regional framework of ECOWAS. But the LDC transition had complicated matters. Mr Neves said EU leader Barroso had been "aware and sensitive" on the matter, together seeking solutions or a smooth transition and a possibility to win time for Cape Verde.

Cape Verde has already achieved a special partnership agreement with the EU, handling both political and economic matters. With a separate Economic Partnership Agreement, Cape Verde further moves from ECOWAS towards the EU. After the LDC transition, Cape Verde aims at a deeper integration into the EU economy and market.

The Brussels meeting also addressed mobility and visa regulations. Cape Verdeans are about to obtain a special visa partnership with the European bloc. Mr Neves said that the Cape Verde-EU mobility partnership negotiations had seen "considerable progress," and he expected a signature of the agreement "later this year."

This agreement aims to create special facilities for obtaining visas for entry into the Schengen area for Cape Verde citizens, such as reducing the time for decision making in relation to the issuance of a visa or not, the establishment of preferential rates or total exemption of visas, among other issues. It was also an effective way to combat illegal immigration, according to Mr Barroso and Mr Neves.

According to information forwarded afrol News, the Brussels meeting also treated the possibility of a substantial increase of contributions by European Commission funds through the European Development Fund (EDF) to support Cape Verde's transition from a least developed country to a medium income country.

In addition, the West African archipelago may benefit from other funds such as the V-Flex (Vulnerability Fund) and also the framework of the EU to combat climate change under the Regional Indicative Programme for West Africa, PM Neves was told in Brussels.

São Tomé gets ferry link with Cape Verde

A high speed ferry between São Tomé and Cape Verde is planned for operations already in June this year, according to an announcement by the Cape Verdean government.

The plans were revealed during the three-day visit of Cape Verdean Prime Minister José Maria Neves to São Tomé and Príncipe today. PM Neves headed a larger delegation of Cape Verdean ministers and businessmen to the fellow Portuguese speaking archipelago, agreeing to “assume a strategic partnership with São Tomé.”

The ferry plans were agreed by Cape Verdean entrepreneur Felisberto Furtado and São Toméan businessman Aurélio Martins in the presence of the prime ministers of the two countries. The two businessmen signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly establish the ferry company Expresso LDA, which is to operate the new maritime link.

The vessel that is to ensure the ferry link is already on the Cape Verdean island São Vicente. According to Mr Furtado, the vessel is “a fast boat, capable of making the trip in five days, while a normal vessel would use up to eight days.”

Mr Furtado further explained that the ferry has a capacity of 800 passengers and about 400 beds, with cinema and garden and a playground for children. The vessel would focus on passenger traffic between the two popular holiday resort archipelagos.

According to the memorandum signed in the presence of the prime ministers of Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe, the ship’s inauguration trip on this route will start as early as June this year, “opening up great possibilities for relations and trade between the two countries.”

While passenger freight is the main scope of the project, the speed boat also was to transport goods between the two island nations. Especially the government of São Tomé sees the new maritime connection as a great opportunity of increasing its tropical agricultural exports to Cape Verde and beyond.

The three-day visit of Prime Minister Neves also resulted in the signing of an agreement of a strategic partnership between the two nations, with a special aim of assisting São Tomé and Príncipe in its economic development.

Cape Verde, which is already a mid-income nation, is to assist the impoverished “brother country” São Tomé to develop several economic sectors, with a first main focus on the fisheries and agriculture. Also, the two countries would open full-fledged embassies in each other’s capitals, PM Neves and his São Toméan counterpart Rafael Branco announced.

Original Article: AFROL – click here

France Nice to Cape Verde, flights with TACV, July 2010

TACV will operate a weekly flight Nice-Praia as of July 2nd, 2010

The TACV, the national airline of Cape Verde, opens a new transcontinental destination from Nice Côte d’Azur as of July 2, 2010. It will link the Nice Côte d’Azur Airport to Praia, located 2 km from the centre of the capital on the island of Santiago and about 3 400 km from Nice.

Details on the Friday weekly flight :

Nice: 11:00 – Praia: 13h55
Praia: 01h00 – Nice: 09h40

This will allow the Cape Verdean community, strongly implanted in the region, to connect directly to Praia.

Didier Monges, Director of Operations of the Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, said: “We welcome this new transcontinental line which brings to 9 the number of destinations to Africa. This new route with TACV is significant of the spirit of airlines that expect to offer passengers new travel opportunities and also reflects their confidence in the Nice Côte d’Azur Airport.”

The TACV-Cabo Verde Airlines is the national airline of Cape Verde and a limited company. It celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008, and was awarded the IOSA certificate in 2009 and became a permanent member of IATA.

Original Article – click here

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.

Marine Princess Ferry Returns | Maio, Cape Verde

Yesterday I got the information that the Catamaran, Marine Princess, will continue the ferry service to Maio; every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Maio Ferry Timetable / Schedule - click here

The ship cargo vessel, Sotavento, will delivery cargo every Thursday at 8 o'clock in the morning and passengers can also use this service.

This is the best news we all could hope for!

TACV also flying to Maio on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Maio TACV Flight Timetable / Schedule - click here

UPDATE: Marine Princess: Hydrofoil Fast-Ferry | Maio, Cape Verde

More news on the new Fast Ferry to Maio from Praia, the boat is called the Marine Princess, there is also a picture.

Marine Princess Fast Ferry - click here

Hydrofoil Ferry from Praia to Maio

Since the beginning of October 2009 a hydrofoil ferry has been departing Praia for Maio three times a week! A quick journey and fast ferry which only takes 50 minutes from Praia to Maio. A single ticket price is 1,500CVe.

Builders of Cape Verde Fast Ferry vessels visit Cape Verde

A delegation from Damen Shipyard, the Dutch company building the high-speed vessels company Cabo Verde Fast Ferry will soon bring to the country, began a four-day visit to Cape Verde this week for a series of meetings with port authorities and other entities involved in the Cabo Verde Fast Ferry project.

On Thursday, the Damen Shipyard engineers visited Vale dos Cavaleiros port on the island of Fogo and Furna port on the island of Brava to get a first-hand look at the conditions offered by the two infrastructures and to meet with Brava municipal chamber officials. In Praia, the delegation will meet with port authorities and with the Maritime and Port Institute to discuss what they saw.

The delegation is also scheduled to meet with officials from fuel companies Enacol and Shell. On Saturday, October 10, the engineers will visit the port on the island of Maio and meet with local municipal authorities, according to the web site caboverdeonline.

On Sunday, the delegation will head to the island of São Vicente, where it will visit the Cabnave shipyard and ship repair facilities and Mindelo sea port, and meet with local Maritime and Port Institute officials.

The Dutch company has regularly been sending specialists to Cape Verde to study various factors related to navigational conditions in the archipelago such as wind, sea currents and port facilities.

ASemana - click here

New Journal's List | Maio Cape Verde

I have added all the journals to the "Getting to Maio" web page for easier accessibility.

New Maio Travel Journal | Maio Cape Verde

Thanks to Chris and Christine for their excellent travelogue. Some good advice and tips for property owners on Maio, especially Villa Maris.
View journal in a new window

Thank you again Chris and Christine.

Halcyon Air Flights

I thought that our prayers had been answered... but no....

Halcyon Air flights from Sal are still flying direct to Praia, i.e. no change from the TACV operational flights.

Halcyonair launches flights to Fogo and Maio islands

Air carrier Halcionair Cabo Verde Airways is due to launch two weekly flights to the islands of Fogo and Maio as of 28 February, the company said in a statement.
Read more...