Porto Santo Line has rejected Chega’s allegation that the Lobo Marinho was carrying fuels without the proper certification. The company said the vessel regularly transports different kinds of cargo, including fuels that are either standard or require prior analysis and authorisation, with the necessary documentation and oversight from the relevant authorities when needed. Executive Director Carlos Perdigão said that suggestions of danger based only on “visual elements” amount to alarmism and have already been disproved. In its explanation, the company confirmed the transport of Jet A and Jet A-1 in a tanker, identifying it as an IMDG Code product with the UN Code 1863 and Class III. It added that the operation follows the SOLAS Convention, MARPOL 73/78, and the IMDG Code, which govern maritime safety, pollution prevention, and the safe transport of dangerous goods. Porto Santo Line also said that every dangerous cargo is checked through a compliance document and reviewed by the ship’s Command before being accepted on board the N/M Lobo Marinho. The company noted that cargo incompatible with passengers, such as explosives, certain diluents, gasoline, or gas, is sent to Porto Santo Island by a container ship, and it concluded that all legal requirements for fuel transport were met.
