Portugal's Madeira gov't to relaunch ferry link tender after no one bids

LISBON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The autonomous government of Madeira in Portugal announced a new international public tender for a ferry service connecting the archipelago to the Portuguese mainland on Thursday.

The announcement comes after Monday's deadline for a previous tender passed without a single bid submitted.

Monday's deadline had itself been an extension of an earlier deadline, of Nov. 3, which likewise came and went without any candidates.

The concession is for operating a passenger and car ferry between Funchal, the capital of the autonomous region of Madeira, and anywhere on the Portuguese mainland.

The ferry must have capacity for 300 passengers and make a return journey once a week throughout the year. Each leg of the journey should take no more than 24 hours.

According to the Government of Madeira, 13 companies requested the tender dossier, but none made a firm proposal.

A new dossier will now be drafted. The value (3 million euros per year) and period (three years) of the tender will remain the same, but concessions will be made for seasonality.

A number of interested parties claimed the project was not economically viable outside the summer and new year peak tourist seasons. The autonomous government is now expected to offer some form of public subsidy for periods of low demand.

Madeira's government has pledged that the ferry service will be up and running by summer 2018. Enditem