This afternnoon the debut of a new natural gas supply system happens in the port of Funchal. The cruise ship AIDAprima, which just recently made its inaugural entry into the region, will be the first to receive this new system of supply. The system represents a step forward in terms of clean energy and the port of Funchal is the only national port to provide this service, and is even one of the few in international terms. The problem is that, because of the small width, has limitations and not much room that sometimes give rise to disputes, such as occurred this morning. They need to apply the international security norms, remembering that those responsible for the port structure consulted about fifteen world-class experts to set up this entire operation.
This morning, taxi drivers were prevented from entering their usual space, the space is needed for the truck to
run the supply and the tank ran between the fence and the AIDAprima, with the area being taped off for safety, causing passengers to be forced to cross to the other side of the road, as well as taxi drivers being limited to five cars, with the rest waiting for their turn in Lobo Marinho’s parking lot.
This situation caused moments of tension and the person in charge of APRAM had to intervene to calm the moods and solve, as possible, this situation. The port, due to the meagre and infrequent frequency of these operations, since only AIDAprima supplies Natural Gas in the Region (the other cruise ships are limited to receiving water and disposing of the garbage), it seems to have caused a large upset for something that at the moment is not often needed.
The port is therefore increasingly penalised, and it is even worth recalling, the controversy around the pretension to install a gas space in Praça do Mar, now Praça Cristiano Ronaldo, where AIDA ships threatened to not dock at the North Pier.
Taken from FN
