The international public tender for the concession of maritime inter-island transportation in Cabo Verde will go ahead, Tourism and Transportation Minister José Gonçalves guaranteed on Monday in Mindelo, adding that the government would not wait for the decision regarding a possible injunction.

The Cabo Verdean company Palm Shipping Lines has announced that it plans to request implementation of a protective measure to suspend the international tender for the concession of inter-island maritime transportation.

This follows the ruling by Cabo Verde’s Public Acquisitions Regulatory Authority (ARAP) that an appeal lodged by the consortium comprising the Cabo Verdean company and the Dutch company Tschudi Ship Management was unfounded.

Gonçalves, cited by the Inforpress news agency, acknowledged that the company, excluded from the tender, has the right to do so. However, he said that the government had already sent the tender documents to the other companies, which have 45 days to submit the respective bids.

He added that the issue of inter-island maritime transportation needs to be resolved “as quickly as possible” because it is a sector with very uneven service. (Macauhub)