Lobo Marinho ferry returns to the Porto Santo route on Friday
Madeira GuideThe Porto Santo Line ship is back from repairs in Las Palmas after a propulsion failure in September, with two round trips on 23 October and extra sailings on 5 November.
The Lobo Marinho resumes its service between Funchal and Porto Santo on Friday, 23 October, after repairs in dry dock at the ASTICAN shipyard in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
According to JM Madeira, the ship makes two trips on Friday. It leaves Funchal at 8:00 and 19:00 and returns from Porto Santo at 12:00 and 22:00.
The failure was detected on 10 September, when the ship was sailing towards Funchal near Garajau. DN Madeira reports that the rod connecting the propeller shaft of the starboard engine collapsed. Carlos PerdigĂŁo Santos, a director of Porto Santo Line, described the failure as extremely rare and linked to factors outside the ship's normal operation. According to JM Madeira, some crossings then took about 3 hours 15 minutes instead of about 2 hours 15 minutes.
The ferry entered the shipyard on 15 October and made no trips between 14 and 22 October, according to DN Madeira. In a statement, Porto Santo Line said the ship is ready to return to service and that the necessary procedures have been completed. On Thursday the Lobo Marinho was sailing back past the Selvagens Islands and was expected in Funchal in the late afternoon.
The company has also scheduled extra sailings for Thursday, 5 November. Ships leave Funchal at 8:00 and 16:00 and Porto Santo at 12:00 and 20:00. The 16:00 and 12:00 departures are the extra ones.
Sources
Madeira Guide
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