A new regular maritime service, operated by Alsa, will increase the frequency of connections between Santander, Pedreña and Somo.
The new operator, which holds a concession granted by the Santander Port Authority (APS), will begin the maritime passenger transport service next Friday, June 26.
The president of the APS, César Díaz, stated that the initiative constitutes “good news for residents and regular users”, since it “will increase flexibility in their travel, and will also offer a real alternative to the use of private vehicles”.
Díaz highlighted that “the Bay has historically been a space for communication, exchange and economic activity. In this way, we recover and update that vocation, adapting it to the demands of a society that calls for mobility alternatives that are respectful of the environment and capable of improving the quality of life of citizens”.
The mayor of Santander, Gema Igual, emphasized that the launch of this new regular maritime service “represents an improvement for mobility throughout the bay and a new opportunity to strengthen the historical connection that Santander maintains with Pedreña and Somo”.
In this regard, Igual indicated that the addition of new frequencies and vessels “offers more travel options to residents and visitors, promotes more efficient mobility and contributes to enhancing the value of the bay as a space for communication, economic activity and meeting between municipalities”.
The mayor thanked the collaboration of the Santander Port Authority, the Government of Cantabria, Alsa and the involved town councils for making this initiative a reality and stressed that the investments associated with the project “will allow us to continue improving the infrastructure and accessibility of the boarding points, offering a higher quality service to users and strengthening the maritime connection as an increasingly attractive transport alternative in the bay area”.
The new operator, which holds an administrative concession from the APS granted for a period of twelve years and linked to the provision of this passenger transport service, plans an investment of two million euros in the acquisition of two vessels – one for passenger transport and another for excursions, which the company will also operate. In addition, it has installed pontoons in Somo and Pedreña, and must undertake the adaptation and improvement of the Los Raqueros stairs.
Passenger boarding and disembarkation in Santander will temporarily take place at the stairs located south of the Palacete del Embarcadero, although the final point will be at the Los Raqueros stairs, once the rehabilitation and accessibility improvement works, which will be carried out after the summer, are completed.
The service will be operated with the Ecocat IV, a two-deck catamaran with capacity for 105 passengers, built at the Cantabrian shipyards Metaltec.
