Progresso ferry closed down

There is an old adage that says “all good things must come to an end.” Well, tonight we have the disappointing obligation to report on the end of one good thing for Belize that was gone before we ever got to enjoy it. That thing was a car and passenger ferry that in November began to run between Tampa, Florida and the Port of Progresso near Merida in Yucatan. Its initial voyages were enthusiastically enjoyed by a growing number of American tourists as well as Belizean and Mexican entrepreneurs who suddenly had a quick and low cost way to move goods and people between the U.S. and Central America. Alas, one of our Internet viewers today informed us that the ferry service, which could carry six hundred passengers and two hundred vehicles, had been shut down less than two months after it started. When we called the ship’s operator, American Viking Lines in Tampa, we were informed by a recording that “due to unforeseen circumstances” the service had indeed come to an end. It is our understanding that passengers who had already purchased tickets can write the company for a refund. We’ll keep hoping that somebody else can make a reality out of what still seems like a great idea.