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Date Published: 22/05/2023

Small boats to replace defunct La Manga ferry this summer

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The new ‘sea taxis’ will be able to hold half the number of people the old ferry could

Small boats to replace defunct La Manga ferry this summer

After the Santiago de la Ribera ferry suddenly closed back in December, San Javier council has announced that there will be a replacement as of next month.

The La Manga ferry used to be one of the most popular weekend activities in the area around La Manga del Mar Menor, Murcia, with long lines of people waiting on the Santiago de la Ribera quayside each Saturday to take the short boat ride over to the Puerto de Tomás Maestre port or vice versa.

However, the ferry service was discontinued last December without warning and without explanation, despite the fact that the company which runs the routes receives 75,000 euros in subsidies every year from San Javier Town Hall to maintain regular transport in the Mar Menor.

This year, as the ferry is out of service, this subsidy has not been paid to the company, says the Councillor for Transport, Antonio Martínez Torrecillas, who attributes the stoppage of the service to “an internal problem within the company”.

In response to the lack of a ferry service combined with growing demand for one at the start of this tourist high season, the Councillor announced that as of this June there will be three ‘sea taxis’ instead.

Where the ferry used to be able to carry 70 passengers, the new smaller boats can hold just 12 people each – making a total of 36 between the three of them, barely more than half the previous capacity.

To compensate, the so-called ‘sea taxis’ will run more frequently than the ferry did, between 10am and 10pm, though it’s not yet known at what times nor on what days.

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