Spanish maritime
transport company Balearia has requested a license to operate ferry service
between the U.S. and Cuba. The shipping company is awaiting an official
response from the U.S. and Cuba governments.
If the license
is granted, the company would join four others that were granted
approval from the U.S. last week to operate ferry services from Florida points
to Cuba.
Balearia has
operated in the Caribbean since late 2011 under the brand name Bahamas
Express, connecting Fort Lauderdale with Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, with the
Bahama Mama ferry.
Balearia plans to operate two lines between Florida and
Havana, one with a high-speed vessel from Key West and a second from Port
Everglades.
The shipping
company transported more than 130,000 passengers between the U.S. and the
Bahamas in 2014.