• Submitted by: manso
• Travel and Tourism
• 11 / 05 / 2010

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Sun-Sentinel (blog) - November 3. By Doreen Hemlock. Imagine taking a ferry from Fort Lauderdale to Cuba, leaving at 8pm and arriving at 8 the next morning in Havana.

A company based in Paris seeks a U.S. government license to start that service,aiming to offer a cheaper option to Cuban-Americans and others authorized to visit Cuba despite the U.S. embargo on the island, newsletter CubaNews reports.

Seeking the ferry license is Paris-based Unishipping through its U.S.subsidiary, United Americas Shipping Co. It's hired a lawyer in Washington, D.C.to help secure approval, Unishipping's CEO Daniel Berrebi told CubaNews.

Companies are hot on ferry service now, because U.S. travel to Cuba is growing.President Obama ended Bush-era restrictions on Cuban-Americans visiting relatives on the island, now allowing them to travel whenever they wish. Plus,there's talk that the administration may ease restrictions on U.S. academics and others to pursue more "people-to-people" exchanges with Cuba

Port Everglades has talked with several ferry operators about potential Cuba service, pending U.S. government approval, according to Carlos Buqueras, who runs business development for the Fort Lauderdale seaport.

Berrebi of Unishipping figures his Fort Lauderdale-Havana ferry service could cost passengers less than $200 roundtrip, including luggage. That compares with the $600-plus that it generally costs to fly on authorized charter flights
roundtrip Miami-Havana, with an average 40-80 pounds in checked luggage,CubaNews reported.

Port Everglades already hosts authorized cargo shipping service to Cuba.Shipping group Crowley transports food under an exemption to the U.S. embargo that lets U.S. companies sell food and medicine to Cuba.

Source: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/message/118755