The Moroccans have been back in the Algarve, again talking about a sea link between Tangiers and Faro.
The Ambassador of Morocco, Karima Benyaïch met Faro’s finest in the form of Rogério Bacalhau to persuade the ever compliant mayor that a sea link was easy to sort out and that the Moroccan team would go back and decide what type of ship was needed.
The Faro mayor also thinks that a ferry link is a good idea but may by now have noticed that there is no queue of willing transport entrepreneurs lining up to run such a service, not since the last one closed after two years of miserable financial performance back in the 1990s.
Undeterred, the joyful officials again met up to congratulate themselves on having had such a good idea that will surely help boost tourism and trade.
After today’s meeting in Faro, the mayor said that the proposal was “welcomed with interest by the Sines Port Authority.”
This is hardly a ringing endorsement from the Sines authority that now controls the Algarve’s docks.
The Moroccans seem keen though and are going to decide the type of boat they want, and maybe the colour too, while the Portuguese authorities check out whether the crumbling dock area in Faro needs any ‘adjustments.’
Bacalhau appears to have an incisive businesslike grasp on the idea of a car ferry, saying that "for this connection to be profitable the journey can not last more than four to five hours," and that it would be necessary to make the journey quick and attractive for users.
Bacalhao noted too that the link would bring greater movement to the Port of Faro and benefits for Portuguese companies exporting to Morocco which currently use Spanish ports.
The Ambassador had the last word, "It's very important to have a direct link between the Algarve and the north of Morocco because we are almost immediate neighbours and have a historical common culture rich with influences from both sides."
The Moroccans have been talking to others too, including the University of the Algarve, various associations and tourism bodies, in order to develop strategies that will fit into Morocco’s plan to promote tourism and in the case of the relationship with the Algarve, to set up an air route as well as a car ferry.
This ferry idea has been talked about for decades and once tried out with poor results. There is no current feasibility study but there are frequent meetings between the parties involved, each hoping aginst hope that the other will set up the service and shoulder the inevitable financial loss.
