The V2V Empress will replace the catamaran Perseverancia, which needs extensive maintenance
14ymedio, Havana, September 28, 2025 — Finally there will be some rest for the ferry Perseverancia, overused in recent months, which covered the circuit of Batabanó-Nueva Gerona-Cayo Largo del Sur. The catamaran V2V Empress, with the flag of Belize and coming from Yucatán, arrived in Cuba this Saturday to take Perseverancia’s place. No details were given on the type of contract signed with the Mexican owner of the ship, the company Naviyuc, which is already present in Cuba and has participated in numerous maritime projects of the oil company Pemex.
The Minister of Transport, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, made the announcement through his social networks. In his message, the official said that the new vessel “marks a change in the operation of this vital crossing for the connection between La Isla de la Juventud and the western region of the country.”
According to Rodríguez Dávila, the commissioning of the V2V Empress is linked to the “scheduled departure for maintenance” of the Perseverancia, which “will have a necessary pause to renew itself with a full maintenance. This replacement promises to keep the vital connection between the two islands alive.”
According to Rodríguez Dávila, the commissioning of the V2V Empress is linked to the “scheduled departure for maintenance” of the Perseverancia
The new catamaran, meanwhile, will follow a schedule of daily routes starting next Monday, and will alternate between Batabanó and Cayo Largo, “including one day a week dedicated to the maintenance of the boat to ensure safety standards.”
The V2V Empress, before arriving in Batabanó, left on September 25 from the port of Yukalpetén (Progreso), in Yucatán, according to the Vessel Tracker platform. It is owned by Naviyuc, a “100% Mexican private capital firm” based in Mérida, the capital of Yucatán, which acquired the ferry from a Canadian company in January 2023.
This company is no stranger to Cuba. It has had maintenance and repair contracts since 1999 with the Asticar shipyard, in Havana. In addition, in October 2022, it announced the development in Cuba of “the first multimodal port for rolling cargo, passengers and cruises in the province of Pinar del Río, in the Gulf of Guanahacabibes, the point closest to Mexico,” along with “the 100% Cuban-owned commercial company, Coral Marítima S.A.”
The information was announced during the International Transport and Logistics Fair, held in Havana that year. Without going into detail, it was also indicated that it would seek to encourage the development of tourism and the creation of a cruise port, which could be inserted in the Cozumel-Mahahual-Cuba triangle. At that event, on the last day, Minister Rodríguez Dávila was present.
This company is no stranger to the Island. It has had maintenance and repair contracts since 1999 with the Asticar shipyard
Despite the fact that the company has a website and a contact phone in the records of the Secretariat of Communications and Transport of Mexico, it is not possible to contact them to find details of the agreements with Havana, because their website does not work and their phone is out of service.
As for the history of the V2V Empress, Naviyuc has already licensed it to other governments, although it is unknown whether this is the type of deal that it made with Havana or if it is a donation or purchase. Months after acquiring it, in October 2023, the company signed a contract with the Administration of the Caribbean island of Montserrat to provide a passenger ferry service between Montserrat and Antigua beginning in November of that year.
The agreement stipulated that the term was for five months, until March 31, 2024. It operated five days a week during the period of low demand and six days during the periods of high demand, between December 2023 and March 2024. “The schedule will also include several day trips to Antigua and Nevis, with the option of traveling from Antigua to Nevis or from Nevis to Antigua, with a short stopover in Montserrat,” it added.
As for the history of the V2V Empress, Naviyuc has already licensed it to other governments
The contract was signed by Daphne Cassell, permanent secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Government of Montserrat, and the representative of Naviyuc, Roberto Chami Lizárraga. However, the gamble lasted for a shorter time than expected, as despite the promised renewal of the contract for another year, the end of the agreement was announced in May last year.
The vessel, built in 1995, was designed as a high-end service vessel. Its history began in 2017, when it launched a premium cruise service in British Columbia, Canada. It connected the city of Vancouver with Victoria, the provincial capital; however, this was not successful. The company that operated it announced in 2020 – before the COVID pandemic began – that it would shut down operations. The catamaran with 242 seats “remained practically abandoned for almost three years,” until the sale to Naviyuc.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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