Ferries, the third tender for the smaller islands is also deserted: connections will stop on 31 March

For the third time, the tender to ensure maritime connections between Sardinia and its smaller islands was unsuccessful .

A new stalemate, while time is running out: there are less than two months left until March 31st, then the continuity connections with the islands of San Pietro and La Maddalena will suffer a stop .

The three subsidized routes for which no offers have arrived are Palau-La Maddalena, Carloforte-Portovesme and Carloforte-Calasetta .

Since 2020, the Region has been looking for operators to ensure internal maritime continuity. Already three years ago no one had submitted an offer, a second tender was called as a negotiated procedure by the Department of Transport, then led by the Northern League Giorgio Todde.

In the meantime, the expiry of the current service had been extended to 31 March 2023.

The last public tender expired at midnight and ended with a fist of flies . And to think that the Region had also increased the starting bid amounts for those who had won the 6-year tender, for a total of over 124 million euros (32.5 for La Maddalena and 91.6 for Carloforte ) .

The procedure is divided into two distinct lots: one concerns the day and night connection with the Island of La Maddalena, on the section to and from Palau and the second for the Island of San Pietro, on the Portovesme-Carloforte section and back and on the section Calasetta-Carloforte and vice versa.

"It is necessary to act immediately and the Region will do everything to avert the interruption of the public service - says the councilor of Transport Antonio Moro -, but a profound reflection on the state of health of the Sardinian maritime transport market is necessary ".

According to Delcomar's owner Franco Del Giudice , the shirts of the race were too tight. He currently carries out the service and after the negotiated procedure which went deserted, he had complained about the rigid contractual limits and the request for night trips, in his opinion not adequately compensated .

«All tenders - replies Moro - were written in compliance with the guidelines and mandatory prescriptions of the Transport Regulation Authority (ART), just as the starting bid amounts, even increased in the last procedure, are calculated on the basis of of the formulas indicated by the national agency".

If by 31 March the Region does not find a solution, it will be up to the Prefect to avoid the stoppage of the service and find a way to guarantee internal territorial continuity .

«REVIEW THE NOTICE»

The unions are asking the Region to review the announcement and in particular to carry out a single tender for all sections .

There are also, says the secretary of Filt CGIL Arnaldo Boeddu, «further problems related to the quantification of the contributions placed at the auction base with respect to the public service obligations which, given the three unsuccessful tenders, are the demonstration of the insufficient reimbursement from an economic point of view. The European norms are too restrictive and do not protect the conditions in which the Carloforte and La Maddalena communities live ».

"No surprises" for the secretary of the Fit Cisl Ignazio Lai. «What we have been saying for some time has been confirmed, we need a single and attractive tender for the companies. These small routes work very well in the summer, but in the other months they are used almost exclusively by residents ».

William Zonca, leader of Uiltrasporti says he is concerned about two communities for which the routes are essential in terms of employment but also for the guarantee of service: " It is necessary - he underlines - to immediately put in place the procedures to prevent that on March 31 these connections are not burdened , as regards both the mobility of residents and the sustainability of the companies that today operate those routes".

(Unioneonline/L)