Ferries & Aluguer - the real talk.

Maritime transport between the nine inhabited islands is not a free market in Cape Verde, but a public service under a state concession. Since 15 August 2019, the company CV Interilhas (Cabo Verde Inter-Ilhas) has held this concession for passenger and freight traffic - for a 20-year term. A 51% majority sits with the Portuguese shipping group Transinsular (Grupo ETE), 49% with national shipowners. Before that, several smaller operators split the routes, which still echoes through older guidebooks and forums today: if you still read company names like "Polaris," "Armas," or "CV Fast Ferry" online as current operators, you're usually looking at an outdated source.

Honestly, the concession was controversial from the start. As early as late 2021, the newspaper A Nação reported that Transinsular/CV Interilhas was failing to meet the minimum standards set out in the tender documents; at times the service, designed for five ships, was reportedly kept running with just two. In 2023 the concession contract was revised - according to Expresso das Ilhas, with state compensation payments of 727,000 contos (roughly 727 million escudos) per year. For you as a traveler, this mainly means one thing: the fleet is thin. If a single ship breaks down technically, an entire line often grinds to a halt because no replacement vessel is standing by.

The network is organized into lines that keep appearing under the same names in timetables and local news: the short channel route São Vicente - Santo Antão in the north, the Linha Sotavento in the south (Santiago - Fogo - Brava, plus Maio), the Linha Redonda (São Vicente - São Nicolau - Sal - Boa Vista - Santiago), and the Linha Triangular (São Vicente - São Nicolau - Santiago). Ships named in the reports include the Kriola and the Liberdadi (Sotavento), the Chiquinho (channel), and the Praia d'Aguada (among others, Maio).

On the channel route, there's been real competition for a few years now: the private Nôs Ferry runs its own Mindelo - Porto Novo connection with the Mar d'Canal (per the operator, 450 passengers, 40 vehicles). On every other route, you're effectively dependent on CV Interilhas.

The honest answer starts with an admission: there's no solid figure. We found no published punctuality or cancellation statistic on CV Interilhas's website, with authorities, or in the Cape Verdean press. Any percentage you read somewhere ("every third ferry is cancelled") should therefore be treated with great caution - we deliberately don't quote any.

What can be documented, on the other hand, are concrete, dated outages that Cape Verdean media report on regularly. They reveal a clear pattern with two main causes:

• Swell and wind: With wave heights of several meters and warnings from the national weather service INMG, CV Interilhas suspends trips - sometimes on all lines at once. Exposed harbors like Vale dos Cavaleiros on Fogo are especially affected, where docking can fail even after the crossing has already begun.
• Technical issues and fleet size: Because the Linha Sotavento effectively runs on one or two ships, a single engine or generator failure can knock out the connection for days or longer. For Brava, which has no airport, this repeatedly means: the island is simply cut off.

The picture from travel forums and expat groups is remarkably consistent: the São Vicente - Santo Antão channel is considered the country's most reliable connection and runs on schedule on the vast majority of days. The southern route Santiago - Fogo - Brava is considered the least reliable. Both match the news coverage. Wikivoyage sums it up bluntly: the ferries have "reliability issues," and you should check schedules and have a plan B.

On the map, the route looks harmless: only about 50 to 60 minutes of crossing lie between São Filipe on Fogo and the harbor of Furna on Brava. In practice, it's the weakest link in Cape Verde's ferry network. The reason has less to do with distance than with the system behind it: the route is part of the Linha Sotavento, which starts in Praia, runs roughly four hours over open Atlantic to Fogo, and must dock there at the harbor of Vale dos Cavaleiros - a harbor that sits exposed to the Atlantic swell.

For Brava, there's an added hard fact: the island has no airport. If the ferry is cancelled, there's no way out by plane - neither for locals with doctor's appointments on Santiago nor for travelers with a return flight from Praia. The local news site Bravanews has documented recurring periods for years in which the island went days without a connection, calling it a "chronic problem." One report also mentions that the Praia d'Aguada was reportedly limited to 20 passengers at times due to a shortage of life jackets - a single report we couldn't independently verify, but one that fits the overall picture of a thinly equipped line.

Exact figures on how often the crossing is cancelled don't exist publicly. Our honest assessment, based on the news coverage and consistent traveler reports: anyone heading to Brava should plan for delays, not just hope none come. Reports pile up especially in the winter months with heavier swell and during the rainy season (roughly July to October).

Ferry cancelled - now what?

1. Stay calm and get informed: CV Interilhas publishes current updates on its own website and official social media channels; Cape Verdean media (Expresso das Ilhas, A Nação, Inforpress) usually pick up cancellations the same day. The port ticket counter gives you the most reliable information on the next departure.
2. Sort out your ticket: Ask directly at the counter about rebooking or a refund, and get the agreement noted in writing or on the ticket. The exact refund rules are set out in CV Interilhas's terms of carriage, whose full text we couldn't verify - don't rely on third parties' verbal promises.
3. Check alternatives: If the island has an airport, a CVsky flight is often the fastest way out - but capacity is limited, and demand rises when ferries are cancelled. On the channel, the second operator may run the same day.
4. Extend your accommodation: Ask your accommodation early about extending your stay - during longer suspensions, small islands like Brava fill up fast.
5. Inform your insurer & airline: Check whether your trip-interruption or travel insurance covers weather-related delays, and notify your airline early if you risk missing a connection.