After days spent in Corsica, due to the breakdown of the ferry “Giraglia” from Bonifacio-Santa Teresa di Gallura , this morning dozens of Sardinians disembarked at the port of Livorno from Bastia, with a Corsica Ferries ship. The only solution to reach home, reconnecting in the evening to Olbia, among ships also absent from Porto Vecchio and Ajaccio, in an adventure with a tragicomic flavor. The Moby company had guaranteed maximum commitment with the motor vessel Zaza on the “Golfo Aranci-Porto Vecchio” «during the period in which the Giraglia will be under repair», apologizing for «the unforgivable interruption of the service between Bonifacio and Santa Teresa».
The nasty surprise
But today, upon disembarkation in Tuscany, another cold shower for travellers: the Zaza, which was supposed to be operating between Corsica and Sardinia, was docked in Livorno. "A disgrace," says Valentina Scoppetta, an employee living in Tortolì, "last Saturday the Moby line manager assured us that the Zaza would leave in a few days, after the bureaucratic procedures had been completed. But this is too much. The ship is stuck in port, while dozens of Sardinians are forced to take this absurd turn to get home."
The woman adds: "Moby asked us to wait until last Thursday, when the Zaza would have started operating from Porto Vecchio. But how could we wait any longer? Many of us have children and what was supposed to be a vacation turned into a nightmare."
The anger
For this reason Valentina Scoppetta does not spare further criticism: «It is absurd that in 2024 the Sardinians must experience these mockeries first hand, deprived of the right to mobility. They talk to us about territorial continuity, but here we see no continuity. On Saturday and Sunday, getting in touch with Moby customer service was a feat».
And while she reels off the "great difficulties in communicating with the Corsican port staff", the woman becomes the spokesperson for the discontent of all travellers, launching an appeal to the regional institutions: "It is important that the regional council takes steps to resolve these inconveniences immediately. Not only by increasing the number of ships for Corsica and the Peninsula, but by tightening the regulations towards the shipping companies. It is intolerable that they hold us hostage in our home, and in nearby Corsica as in our case".
Meanwhile, Moby confirms: «The Porto Vecchio-Golfo Aranci route is underway and the Zaza will soon be operational with a daily route». Hence the emphasis «on the greater capacity of the ferry» and on the fact that «work on the Giraglia motor vessel is continuing».
The Transport Councillor
"The interruption of the public service obligation on the maritime territorial continuity connection between Sardinia and Corsica by Moby is a very serious fact that leaves us particularly indignant. We will evaluate the application of all the penalties provided for in the contract, up to the possible early termination of the contract".
The connection "is characterized by some specificities that make it difficult to find suitable ships", explains Manca, "On the one hand, the ferries must have all the international certifications, on the other they must be small in size to be able to enter the small ports involved. We are talking about an international connection with many fewer miles to sail than those required by many other national connections. In light of this, however, many more requirements are applied, with the consequent difficulty in identifying an operator with sufficient availability of vessels. This is a clear distortion, which is why it is essential to work so that this specificity is recognized and a simplification of the rules is achieved that is suited to the specific case".
The only other maritime convoy that has served this route in the last period and that would therefore be eligible for enlistment is that of another operator , Ichnusa Lines, a carrier that integrates the OSP during the summer season, «but the vessel is currently undergoing maintenance work. That said, even in the presence of such critical issues, we cannot accept that an operator interrupts a public service for such a long time. It is for this reason that we will evaluate all the penalties provided for in the contract, including possible termination».
Manca announces that «we are in contact with the regional executive of Corsica to identify and activate a structural solution to the problem, working on raising awareness among the governments of Italy and France and discussing with the maritime regulatory authorities to make it easier to create stable and long-lasting connections between the two territories. In the meantime, the priority is to find a rapid response to the current emergency».