The Diario Libre announced that beginning next Thursday 1 May there will be a direct ferry service between San Juan, Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo. Ferries del Caribe told reporters from Diario Libre that they had invested US$6.5 million in a new vessel, the M/S Caribbean Express, which has 365 cabins and will cover the Mayaguez-Santo Domingo route, and the M/S Millenium Express, with its 212 cabins, will cover the route of San Juan-Santo Domingo. The company transported 116,200 passengers last year and is looking to carry 89,000 to from the DR to Mayaguez on Puerto Rico?s West Coast, and 125,000 to San Juan, Puerto Rico?s capital. The company is promising competitive rates that will make travel by ferry more advantageous than flying.