Passengers mount protest outside ferry office

Hundreds of angry passengers protested outside the offices of shipping company Naviera Universal in Barcelona yesterday over the withdrawal of the high speed Turbocat catamaran from service with over 15'000 tickets made obsolete. The Turbocat used to operate daily services between Barcelona, Alcudia and Ciutadella in Minorca and according to angry passengers who have lost their tickets, the ferry company is not bothering to provide alternative transport for August and September bookings. Late on Wednesday evening, hours after news of the ferry service being shut down was issued, the company decided to half its work force to just 20. Some passengers complained that after having queued up for four hours, the ferry company refused to give them a refund. However, tickets bought directly are being refunded as opposed to those bought through a travel agent.