The United States (US) authorised commercial ferry services to Cuba for the first time in more than a half-century on Tuesday, another major step in improving relations between the two countries.
In what was hailed by ferry operators as “a historical event,” the US Treasury lifted a decades-old ban and at least one Florida company confirmed it had been licensed to launch boat services to the island. That adds to the charter air services that had been permitted up until now, focused on enabling Cuban-Americans to visit their families.
The ferries will also be allowed to carry cargo to the communist island, which sits just 150 kilometres (90 miles) off the southern tip of Florida.
Joseph Hinson, president of Miami-based United Americas Shipping Services, confirmed his company had received permission from the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control to provide ferry travel. “Today’s action was a great step forward,” he said, while adding that other permissions were still needed from authorities in both countries before launching the first trip.
