Havana/He Perseverancewhich connects the Isle of Youth with Batabanó, in the province of Mayabeque, is out of service again after suffering a serious breakdown in one of its engines, as reported this Monday Caribbean Radiothe local station. He ferry It cannot even be towed and authorities are awaiting the arrival of foreign specialists to assess the damage and determine when it can be repaired.
The new breakdown occurs less than a year after a repair that forced it to be removed from service and which lasted from October to December 2025 in the Havana shipyards, with contracted supplies for more than 550,000 euros. “Everything is very nice but they don’t say when it will leave, whatever the ship may be,” a user protested in the comments to the station’s publication.
The new breakdown occurs less than a year after a repair that lasted from October to December 2025
As Carlos Lázaro Arroyo Salas, director of the Viamar Base Business Unit, explained to the official radio station of the Isla de la Juventud, the ferry suffered a serious breakage in its port main engine, which ended up contaminating the crankcase with fresh water.
Water entering the oil tank that lubricates engine parts can cause significant damage. To evaluate its scope, foreign specialists must arrive in Nueva Gerona this Tuesday, whose visit was initially scheduled for the first quarter of 2027. The ferry It was built in South Korea and is equipped with two American Cummins engines.
Caribbean Radio explains that the specialists are “the only ones authorized to uncover the machine” and determine the magnitude of the breakdown, so only after their inspection can a repair schedule be established. Meanwhile, the boat remains immobilized.
‘Radio Caribe’ explains that foreign specialists are “the only ones authorized to uncover the machine” and determine the magnitude of the fault.
At the moment, trips depend on V2V Empressthe Mexican catamaran that began operating in October 2025. It has capacity for about 240 passengers, compared to 430 on the Perseveranceand maintains a limit of 20 kilograms of luggage per traveler. The authorities give priority to those who need to continue traveling to other provinces, take international flights or attend oncological consultations.
Given the difficulties in repairing the Perseverancethe authorities again resorted to the US embargo as an explanation. According to Radio Caribe, there are “containers held in Central America” with spare parts for the ferry that they have not been able to reach Cuba, although the station does not specify where they are or how long they have been waiting for their transfer.
According to ‘Radio Caribe’, there are “containers held in Central America” with spare parts for the ferry that have not been able to reach Cuba because of the “blockade.”
The user Rubi Sánchez Cuza sarcastically commented on that justification. “Everything was going perfectly until I saw the word ‘lockdown’ and that the pieces are being held in a container,” he wrote. Miguel Martel questioned whether the visit of foreign specialists can be managed, but not the shipment of spare parts, and he blurted out: “That’s good enough justifications.”
Lino Nelson Bouza, a 74-year-old retiree, recalled that the authorities cannot continue waiting for the United States to lift the embargo to resolve transportation problems and demanded alternatives for the inhabitants of the Isle of Youth.
A user identified as Isla Lg questioned the transportation of baseball teams while there are residents who cannot get a ticket. Another comment criticizes the space dedicated to private business merchandise when there are families who need to travel.
Several comments also recall that the Perseverance It is an essential way to bring food to the special municipality. Now the shortage may worsen further and prices may rise.
The ‘Perseverancia’ is an essential way to bring food to the special municipality and now the shortage may worsen and prices may rise
In September 2023barely two months after entering service, the Perseverance suspended its trips until further notice, amid fuel shortages. The Viajero Company then asked residents to limit their trips to matters that could not be postponed and suspended the waiting lists.
The Minister of Transportation, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, recognized in August 2024 that he ferry It was overexploited, after having made hundreds of voyages to transport passengers and goods. The catamarans Júcaro River and Las Casas River They remained under repair and the plane that linked Havana with Nueva Gerona was not working either due to technical problems. The official then asked “to take extreme care” of the Perseverancethe only means available.
The situation worsened in November of that year, when the port of Batabanó had to be dredged after Hurricane Rafael accumulated sediments that prevented the safe passage of the vessel.
When it was removed for further repair in October 2025, the Perseverance In just over two years, it accumulated 716 crossings, with almost 298,000 passengers and more than 82,000 tons of cargo transported. More than fifty technical interventions were carried out at the Havana shipyards, including the replacement of propellers, steering system components and shaft lines. The work lasted ten days longer than expected due to unforeseen technical events and was completed in December.
