Ponte Ferries has decided to permanently shut down its ferry service to Augusta, a Sicilian news outlet reported on Tuesday.
The Maltese company has written to Augusta port authorities asking to have its concession to operate the service revoked, according to Siracusanews.it.
“The company could not go ahead with the service for its own reasons and has asked to revoke the concession,” the outlet quoted West Sicily port authority chairman Francesco Di Sarcina as saying.
Di Sarcina said that once revocation paperwork was completed, the authority intended to take its time to plan a reorganisation of the port.
A Ponte Ferries spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by Times of Malta.
Ponte stopped crossings by its single catamaran, the 600-seat HSC Artemis in September, saying it was taking a break for the winter. But it did not say at the time when it planned trips would resume.
That announcement followed delays and cancellations of various trips.
Ponte operated its first trips in November 2021, promising to introduce 'much-needed competition' to long-established Virtu Ferries, whose catamarans operate to Pozallo, on Sicily's southern tip.
But it was never smooth sailing for Ponte. Its services were originally meant to start in August 2021 but they were cancelled after last-minute contestations on the use of quays in Augusta. Booked passengers were given alternatives such as airline flights, refunds and vouchers.
The catamaran operated for a few weeks before stopping for the winter.
When the service resumed in May 2022, the catamaran was detained for a few days by the Augusta port authorities, forcing the company to cancel several crossings and leaving several passengers stranded in Sicily. The issue reportedly was documentation related to crew certifications and employment conditions that were not in line with the Maritime Labour Convention.
Matters appeared to have settled during the summer, before the sudden stop in September. At the time Ponte said it was proud to have carried more than 32,000 passengers and 6,000 vehicles since May.
“People have responded positively to the introduction of competition between Malta and Sicily," it said.
A month later the catamaran was impounded by court order at the request of a shipping agent who was seeking to collect debts of over €100,000. A settlement was reached shortly after, but Ponte had appeared dormant since.