Port Manatee hoping to provide ferry service to Cuba

havana-live-ferryPort Manatee Executive Director Carlos Buqueras wants to be ready if and when the United States approves travel to Cuba by boat. Speaking at a Manatee Chamber of Commerce breakfast on Thursday, Buqueras said the cruise industry is waiting for approval from the U.S. Department of Treasury for waterway travel, but when that comes, he wants Port Manatee to be on the list of departure locations, according to the Bradenton Herald.The ferry ride from Port Manatee to Havana, Cuba would take about 10 hours. Buqueras has spoken with ferry operators who can take about 2,000 passengers and as many as 1,000 automobiles back and forth, the Herald reported.

Tampa Bay Business Journal