The national government has made clear that it is not ready to bring back a ferry between Madeira and mainland Portugal. There is no money for the project in the State Budget for 2027, RTP Madeira reports.
The Secretary of State for Infrastructure explained why in reply to Filipe Sousa, the JPP member of the national parliament. The cost of running the service and competition rules stand in the way for now, the Secretary of State said.
Study Puts the Ferry's Best-Case Cost at 20 Million Euros a Year
The Secretary of State referred to a study the government had sent to members of parliament.
The study we sent you showed that the ferry, in the best-case scenario, costs 20 million euros a year. 20 million euros.
Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Government of Portugal
Ferry Cost Works Out at 760 Euros for Each Passenger
That is "760 euros for each of the passengers", the Secretary of State said, putting the figure per passenger.
According to the study, the ferry would also have to leave from Setúbal. The port south of Lisbon does not currently have the conditions for it, according to the Secretary of State.
A Legal Opinion Warns of Problems in the Liberalised Cargo Market
A legal opinion attached to the study raises a second problem, the Secretary of State added. Cargo shipping to the islands is a liberalised market, open to competition. According to the Secretary of State, the opinion points to serious disputes over that market.
No Money for the Ferry in the 2027 State Budget
The Secretary of State confirmed that the ferry is not in the budget, and questioned whether it could work in the long term:
So, in fact, it is not in the budget, and it seems to me clearly difficult for us to believe in the sustainability of this solution as a mechanism for territorial continuity.
Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Government of Portugal
Territorial continuity is the principle that the state should help island residents travel to and from the mainland on fair terms.
Ferry Service Ended in 2019 After Two Periods Without Profit
The ferry is a long-running demand in Madeira. Times of Madeira has reported that a service ran from 2008 to 2012 and again from 2018 to 2019. It was not profitable and was stopped.
Parties across the spectrum have asked for its return. The Socialist Party called for a new passenger ferry in 2024. In October 2025, Chega asked the government to launch an international tender for one.
Source: madeira.rtp.pt
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