By The Star Staff
Carolina District Sen. Marissa “Marissita” Jiménez Santoni is asking the Financial Oversight and Management Board for authorization for a recurring allocation of $27 million in order to increase the number of ferry trips between Ceiba and the offshore island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra.
“After holding a dialogue with the mayors of Vieques and Culebra, José ‘Junito’ Corcino and Edilberto ‘Junito’ Romero, we believe that there is a real need to increase the number of passenger and cargo trips from the Ceiba terminal in Roosevelt Roads to those two island municipalities,” Jiménez Santoni said. “To do this, an injection of funds is necessary, which is estimated at about $27 million.”
“Faced with this situation, we are sending a letter to the executive director of the Board, Robert Mujica, requesting a meeting as a matter of urgency to outline our proposals, with corroborable data, on the need to increase the number of trips to and from Vieques and Culebra daily,” the senator added. “In the case of Vieques, there is currently an increase in the number of people leaving Ceiba every day to work there due to the construction of the new hospital, as well as other permanent works. Meanwhile, the peak summer tourist season is approaching; that’s why more travel [capacity] is needed.”
Several weeks ago, Jiménez Santoni held a meeting with the mayors of Vieques and Culebra, as well as with Transportation and Public Works Secretary Eileen Vélez Vega, officials from the Integrated Transportation Authority (ATI) and executives of HMS Ferries, a private operator that provides maritime transportation service in Puerto Rico.
“The population of Vieques, of about 8,000 inhabitants, often doubles in the summer months and even more so now with so much work being carried out, so it is necessary to increase the number of trips,” the senator said. “The $27 million amount was estimated by the ATI and the private operator (HMS Ferries) to cost a 30% increase in trips every 12 months. Our request is for the 2024-2025 fiscal year that begins on July 1 and it is tied to performance metrics, always measuring efficiency and the needs of the people.”