NEW laws governing the financing of national ports being considered by Central Government could have damaging consequences for passenger and maritime freight traffic in the Balearics.
The Government wants to eliminate the discounts currently being applied to ticket prices which would mean the customer ends up paying considerably more.
Bartolome Bestard, the President of the Federation of Balearic Shipping Companies, said yesterday that 90 percent of freight coming to the Balearics arrives by sea and that if the rebates are removed, it will mean that the Islands will suffer significantly in terms of competitivity with other regions. Our ports are our motorways, he explained. It is more expensive, he said, to transport merchandise from Palma to the mainland than it is from Barcelona to Latin America. Bestard said that ferry passengers will also have to pay more if rebates are scrapped.