Ultramar Ferry suspended for exceeding capacity

[JFS]

Both ultramar and winjet are raking in the cash even though they are only operating half the days as the past. It's win win for both companies. All sailings are full to capacity. The govt needs to step in and tell them to both operate as before with both companies sailing daily. This has been going on since the summer and us only gotten much worse due to the high season.

 

[lionfish-eater]

I’ll go with my N95’s.

Why?
Are you concerned that you might be an asymptomatic spreader?

 

[mikeycanuk]

So I don’t catch it.

 

[deepsea21]

So I don’t catch it.

Precisely. That's why we wore N95's in all airports, planes, taxicabs and grocery stores. The vented 3M N95's are readily available online. Just have to wear a common disposable medical mask over them to cover the vent when on airplanes to be in compliance. In my opinion, if everyone wore N95's (vented as well) we wouldn't have the problem we have because the goal should be not to get infected in the first place. Having a primary goal of reducing spread after infection is putting the cart before the horse. Since the beginning of this pandemic everyone has said mask wearing isn't to protect you but to protect others... Because the masks virtually everyone is wearing are absolute crap and provide virtually no personal protection. There's a reason medical and hazmat workers wear N95's.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

The reality is that the crowding on th ferries is DANGEROUS. Someone in government has to stop this.

Dave Dillehay

 

[deepsea21]

Someone in government has to stop this.

LOL! Dave, you must know a lot more about Cozumel and Mexico and Mexican governments at the various levels than most here including myself. From what I've learned over the past 20 years of visiting Mexico and talking to enough locals is $ makes every problem go away. I remember I spoke with one local who had his license suspended for failure to pay some sort of car tax. It had been suspended and reinstated for years and years and every time he went in to address the issue when the suspension was reinstated he just handed over a few Pesos, his tax problem went to the bottom of the pile, and his license was reinstated. I am sure you are aware that locals are expected to pay property taxes. Problem is almost no one pays them, ever. It gets swept under the rug for decades until they may sell their home when all that accrued tax must be paid and settled. There are some stupid Gringos out there who put $ down, signed contracts, were trusting, and were handed a settlement sheet that included decades of overdue RE taxes to be paid.

 

[ggunn]

The reality is that the crowding on th ferries is DANGEROUS. Someone in government has to stop this.

Dave Dillehay

I agree, Dave, but can the Mexican government direct them to run more transits a day, which they clearly should do? The ferry companies are enjoying the benefits of a saturated market; left to themselves they won't run any more transits a day unless that by doing so they would make more money, net, than they are now.

 

[gopbroek]

It looks like Ultramar resumed scheduled service almost immediately, it sounds like a single crossing was suspended. So to myself it appears that this was more of a PR event by Government officials. The ferries have been jam packed for a long time. A couple weeks back I went over on Winjet on a Tuesday morning to Playa foe the bag drag and the crowd on the Playa side waiting for the return to Cozumel was very large, I would guess at around 400-500. I noticed the upper passenger level on the pier was packed and a line went a third of the way down the pier (4 or 5 abreast and minimal social distancing) waiting to board while waiting for baggage to be unloaded from the inbound trip.

On that day I believe Winjet was offering one less crossing a day and currently it looks like both companies are offering 10 crossings, in each direction. Since Winjet and Ultramar are running a non-compete duopoly and operating on opposite days the overloading is going on by both companies. The only period there seemed to be any competition was when the former governor and his cronies upset the apple cart with the launching of Barcos Caribe.

It looks like a political battle is going on between Ultramar and the government (or a faction in the government). I have been told repeatedly for years the Ultamar is partially owned by former president Fox’s wife which if so then makes it sound like there are politicos involved. If this was about safety then both companies would be taking hits since they are running identical operations.

In November UltraMar was hit with a token $120,000 MXN fine for overloading in September.

Ultramar fined for failing to comply with Coronavirus health protocols - Riviera Maya News

Several weeks ago their bank accounts were frozen over $124,000,000 MXN in sanitation (Gringo / tourist) taxes on the Isla Mujeres route.

Ultramar account frozen for outstanding government debt - Riviera Maya News

 

[ReefHound]

If the overcrowding is because there are not enough ferries running to accomodate the number of people, how does suspending a ferry and reducing the number of ferries help?

 

[flyboy08]

If the overcrowding is because there are not enough ferries running to accomodate the number of people, how does suspending a ferry and reducing the number of ferries help?

Mexican math