It was announced that Baleària has been awarded the operation of the Tarifa-Tangier Ville maritime route.
This was based on a Baleària press release.
Baleària’s €135 million proposal included the construction of two zero-emission electric fast ferries with a capacity for 800 passengers, as well as the electrification of ports and battery recharging systems. The vessels were going be built by Astilleros Armon in Gijón, with construction expected to take two and a half years.
However, FRS/DFDS is surprised by thus announcement. So is Ferry Shipping News: this is confusing.
“We have become aware that one of the participating shipping companies has self-proclaimed itself as the winner of the tender, despite the fact that the awarding procedure has not been formally concluded. We consider this action to be disrespectful both to the port authority responsible for overseeing the process and to the potentially affected employees, who deserve a transparent and legally compliant resolution of this tender,” says FRS/DFDS in a reaction.
The FRS/DFDS media release says:
“Additionally, this shipping company has submitted an offer that we consider reckless and based on unrealistic projections and fictitious minimum traffic levels that evidently cannot be achieved.”
“Likewise, we observe with concern that certain elements presented by the shipping company that self-proclaims as the winner, such as the supposed provision of electricity in Morocco to operate an electric propulsion ship, lack technical support and realistic basic coordination. It is not recorded that the port authority of Tangier Ville has been consulted, despite the fact that their participation is essential to guarantee the necessary infrastructure and energy supply.”
“This lack of coordination highlights the inconsistent nature of the project, which seems more focused on scoring points in the technical evaluation than on its actual implementation.”
“It should be noted that the shipping company FRS Iberia Maroc / DFDS has obtained the highest score in the technical proposal, being the only participant that has fully respected the terms of the specifications and presented a plan of realistic and viable minimum traffic. This approach reflects a commitment to the effective
fulfilment of contractual obligations, aligned with the objectives of the port and in defense of the current legality.”
“According to the specifications, specifically its “Rule 19”, the failure to meet the committed minimum traffic for two consecutive years may be cause for “termination of the concession”, which jeopardises the operational stability of the port.”
“The text of the specifications is explicit in this regard: “The failure to meet this activity or minimum traffic for two successive years may be cause for termination of the concession.”
However, the promises of minimum traffic of this shipping company seem to be based on fanciful unrealistic estimates, whose non-compliance is foreseeable from the start.
It stems from the belief that ‘if I get in, it will be impossible to get me out’
Currently, European Union laws protect both consumers and the industry.”
FRS/DFDS urges the port authority to:
1. Review the technical score assigned to proposals based on unfeasible projects or without sufficient technical support, especially those projects that have not been explicitly approved by the competent authorities in Morocco.
2. Ensure that the allocation is made in accordance with the requirements of the specifications, evaluating only offers that are technically and operationally viable.
3. Guarantee that the process is transparent, impartial, and adjusted to the standards of integrity required by European and national regulations.
FRS/DFDS trust that the competent authorities will make the necessary decisions to award this tender to a shipping company that has strictly complied with the conditions of the specifications, presenting achievable minimum traffic and demonstrating its technical and operational viability on both shores.
