After four unsuccessful auctions, an offer has arrived for the continuous connections between Sardinia and the island of Asinara . Still nothing to do for La Maddalena and San Pietro .

This was announced by the Department of Transport, yesterday the envelopes relating to the procedure announced two days after the installation of the new Council which concerns the awarding of the concession of the «public maritime transport service of passengers, vehicles and goods in continuity" with the three smaller islands.

The service charges included in the tender were a duration of 72 months and the following overall starting prices: almost 7 million per year for La Maddalena, 17.6 for San Pietro and 2.6 for Asinara .

Resources, underlines the department, "significantly higher than those envisaged in the previous tender, with an overall increase of approximately 6 million euros each year ".

«The positive news is that after 4 open procedures which were abandoned and one emergency which will expire on June 30th, lot number 3 of the tender, the one relating to the connections with the Island of Asinara, has received an offer which will be analyzed according to the legal deadlines to allow the service to be ensured in due time", it is explained.

However, there is no offer for the islands of La Maddalena and San Pietro . But upon expiry of the emergency procedure, scheduled for June 30, " the Region will immediately work to guarantee connections and ensure that there will be no interruption of service ". In the meantime, "a further procedure will be prepared, preceded by appropriate preliminary contract consultations with the companies in the reference market, aimed at understanding how to improve the offer to make it more attractive to operators and at the same time safeguard the due service charges" .

Transport Councilor Barbara Manca : «After more than three years of unsuccessful procedures, we will be able to guarantee the connection with the Island of Asinara for the next six years with a regular public service contract. With maritime transport put in the safe for the next six years, operators in the tourism sector will be able to better plan the offer aimed at visitors, with consequent benefits in terms of economic development for the entire surrounding area. As a department we took office just under two months ago, but this is already a first tangible result ."

On the other two islands, Manca continues, «we are aware that there are difficulties and critical issues that do not depend solely on the Sardinia Region, but we are already working to understand how to prepare the best possible offer for everyone . Almost 20 thousand Sardinian citizens live in the two archipelagos and many other people frequent them for professional or tourist reasons. It is our precise duty to find a definitive and stable solution as soon as possible. In the meantime we will guarantee in every way efficient and satisfactory maritime transport for everyone."

(Unioneonline/L)

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