• Submitted by: manso
• Politics and Government
• 03 / 16 / 2011

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United Caribbean Lines. What the United Caribbean Lines ferries to Cuba and Mexico will look like.By TED JACKOVICS | The Tampa Tribune.March 14, 2011. TAMPA Two companies are interested in providing passenger ferry service between the - Port of Tampa and both Mexico and Cuba with ventures that could begin late this year or early 2012, officials said today.

United Caribbean Lines, created by former Norweigan Cruise Lines executive and Premier Cruise Lines founder Bruce Nierenberg, and a firm officials declined to identify have held discussions in recent months with port officials, Tampa port director Richard Wainio said.

Both are seeking federal approval to serve the Cuba charter market, similar to flights recently authorized to fly between Tampa International Airport and Cuba.

Those would initially be permitted to serve U.S. travelers who have relatives in Cuba or who do academic research or business in medical and agricultural sectors, until U.S. travel restrictions were loosened.

Unlike charter air travel to Cuba, which is permitted from Miami, New York and Los Angeles and recently got approval from other U.S. airports, the United States has not approved charter ferry travel to the Caribbean nation.

Nierenberg said his company would be able to provide Cuba service later this year if the U.S. government approval is achieved.

He plans to inaugurate service between Tampa and a port in the Yucatan in Mexico in early 2012.

"The new company will be well capitalized and designed to what been long overdue," said Nierenberg, who first requested a federal license to serve Cuba in 2009.

Nierenberg said the ferries would be the kind that are common in Europe, with tall upper decks that resemble cruise ships and carry up to 1,500 passengers atop two decks that could hold 600 cars.

The Tampa-Mexico trip would take about 30 hours each way, while it would take 18 hours to sail between Tampa and Cuba.

Mexico service likely would begin with 100 to 120 round trips a year, compared with at least once round trip a week between Tampa and Cuba.

"You'd have dinner on board, shows, all the things you'd find in a modern cruise ship," Nierenberg said.

He will lease the ferries and operate them from Tampa, along with Port Everglades and the Port of Miami.

Tampa has the advantage to get started first because of its location with regard to Mexico. The two south Florida ports and the large population of Cuban Americans there are ideal for Cuba routes, although Nierenberg would also serve Cuba from Tampa if he gets the U.S. license.

Eventually, Nierenberg would like to establish ferry service between Florida and other Caribbean locales currently served by air.

Previous operators have provided ferry service between Tampa for short periods in 1998 and 2002 before encountering a variety of business problems.

Source: www2.tbo.com/content/2011/mar/14/151503/passenger-ferry-to-cuba-from-tampa-possible/