The ferryboat Santa Rita de Cássia, which began crossing the Minho River in 1995, has been out of service since 2020, initially due to border restrictions because of the Covid-19 pandemic and, later, because the pontoon in Spain became inoperable.

After the completion of works on the Galician pier in 2023, the ferry remained out of service due to silting of the river. Last July, the vessel was towed to a shipyard in A Guarda for evaluation.

Liliana Silva stated that the solution to guarantee the crossing of the Minho River will be "through a shallow-draft vessel, with a capacity for approximately 50 to 60 people."

The Social Democratic mayor was speaking during a press conference presenting an application to the Interreg VI Spain-Portugal (POCTEP) 2021-2027 program, which was approved and will allow the formal creation of the Eurocity Foz do Minho, which unites Caminha, in Alto Minho, and A Guarda and O Rosal, in Galicia.

"Meetings are underway with the promoters of the vessel that will ensure this crossing, and it is planned that, in a subsequent phase, road connection solutions will be coordinated on the Spanish side, guaranteeing passenger transport from the Pasaxe dock to O Rosal and A Guarda," said Liliana Silva, quoted in a note sent to newsrooms.

According to the mayor, “given the urgency of the river connection, the municipality of Caminha has included in next year's budget the repair of the pontoon and the removal of sand in front of it, in an investment estimated between 30 and 40 thousand euros, thus guaranteeing the necessary conditions to complete the connection between Caminha and A Guarda next summer, using a shallow-draft vessel.”

This month, in an interview with the Caminhense newspaper, Liliana Silva said that the budget for the repair of the ferry Santa Rita de Cássia is €1.2 million.

According to the newspaper, the ferry has been anchored at the shipyard since July 25th.

Bridges

Caminha is the only municipality in the Minho Valley that depends on river transport to guarantee a regular connection to Galicia. Vila Nova de Cerveira, Valença, Monção and Melgaço have international bridges.

Regarding cross-border mobility, Liliana Silva added that “the process of building a permanent road link between Portugal and Spain in this area is being developed at the level of both governments, and Infraestruturas de Portugal is preparing the necessary procedures for the start of technical studies”.

“Although it is a medium-term process, the first steps have already been taken towards making this connection a reality,” she said.

Regarding the silting up near the Caminha dock, Liliana Silva He clarified that "there is funding from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) and that the dredging of the Minho River will be a topic to be addressed at the next Iberian Summit, with a commitment to complete this process within two years."