Seixal, Setúbal, Portugal, Nov. 14, 2024 (Lusa) - Most of the cancellations of Tagus river ferry services between Seixal and Lisbon in October were due to problems with charging the batteries of electric vessels, according to the mayor of Seixal, Paulo Silva.
Paulo Silva told Lusa after a meeting with the management of the ferry operator Transtejo Soflusa, requested by the mayor due to the successive cancellations of services on the connection between Seixal, in the district of Setúbal, and Cais do Sodré, in Lisbon.
According to the mayor of Seixal, at the meeting those responsible for the company said that 89 journeys were cancelled in October, most of which were due to problems with charging the batteries of the electric ships.
So far, said Paulo Silva, five electric ferries have been delivered "and all of them have had problems with the charging system, which is the cause of the constant cancellations".
According to the mayor, the chairwoman of Transtejo Soflusa's board of directors assured him that the problem would be resolved by the end of the year, with the charging systems repaired and the Cais de Sodré charging station up and running.
Paulo Silva also said that Transtejo's management had told him that it had warned the shipyard not to accept any more vessels until the problems with the five ships had been resolved.
The company has also promised to make an effort to improve the service to Seixal, he added.
To avoid passengers in the district of Seixal always being affected by the cancellations, Paulo Silva said he had suggested that boats from Barreiro could go to Seixal to alleviate the problem, a proposal that Transtejo would analyse.
"I got the feeling that the whole electric boat project wasn't properly considered by the authorities and that they embarked on an ‘adventure’ of acquiring electric boats without checking that they had already been properly tested and proven to be effective," said the mayor, regretting that the "adventure" is harming passengers in Seixal.
On the other hand, he said, the problem is aggravated by the fact that "the boats were not bought with the batteries and charging systems included, which now creates problems in the compatibility between ships, batteries and charging systems".
The mayor assured that if the cancellations continue, he will ask the minister responsible for the matter for a meeting.
The Lusa news agency questioned Transtejo Soflusa about the cancellations between Seixal and Lisbon, of which there have been four since the beginning of the month.
In response to Lusa, Transtejo said that the experimental phase of the regular operation of the new 100% electric ships began on 16 September, with some routes running according to the commercial timetable in force.
However, given the technical specificities of the electric operation - namely navigation and charging the ships - there have been delays on some peak period routes on some working days.
"The fact that this is a pioneering and innovative project means that some aspects, identified after the electric ships go into operation, will have to be fine-tuned and quickly overcome," assured Transtejo Soflusa.
Also according to the company, the ships in the current fleet that continue to be used, as an alternative and in case of need, have had some unexpected breakdowns which, although promptly repaired, have also caused service disruptions.
Regretting the inconvenience caused, TTSL - Transtejo Soflusa, S.A. has indicated that it is making every effort to restore normal operations as soon as possible.
Transtejo Soflusa is responsible for the river connection between Seixal, Montijo, Cacilhas, Barreiro and Trafaria/Porto Brandão, in the district of Setúbal, and Lisbon.
GC/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
