SANTO DOMINGO.- The sale of more fares than the capacity of the ship of the company Santo Domingo-Mayagüez ferry are endangering the travelers between Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

Newspaper El Nacional reports that passengers aboard the Ferries del Caribe ship to Puerto Rico during Easter complained of overbooking, and were crowded in such a manner the bathrooms weren’t enough and had to use the corridors, the restaurant and the theater to sleep.

The 12-hour crossing became "hell" as hundreds of people squeezed in the corridors causing concern among those who had staterooms in the Panama-registry ship.

The journalist Alberto Jose, who lodged a complaint, said he spoke with the boat’s crew on the problem, but alleged they had nothing to do with sales, since they were responsible only for the crossing.

The rough seas during Easter and the overcrowding made many passengers vomit in the corridors and on the deck, causing an unmanageably dirty situation, he said, where entire families slept on armchairs, with unsuitable treatment by the crew, which Jose said were mainly Filipinos who spoke almost no Spanish.

En Nacional reports that for several weeks passengers have complained of the Ferry’s overbooking, though its executives have yet to issue a statement. Aside from the excessive number of passengers, passengers also say the ship’s departure is sometimes delayed up to three hours.

El National said its reporters have traveled aboard the Ferry and have confirmed the denunciations, who also caution that there aren’t enough lifeboats for the number of people who embark in each crossing. "The trip is cheap, but very traumatic. I believe that it’s not worth the trouble to do it in the current conditions," said a journalist who made the trip during the Easter holiday.

Ferries del Caribe responds

Liana Peña, vice president of Ferries del Caribe, denied the El Nacional allegations, including the claim that the newspaper tried to contact them for a statement.

She also denied that most of the crew doesn’t speak Spanish. “Our crew isn’t mostly Filipino because we use many people form Latin America.”

The Ferries del Caribe executive countered the allegation of the shortage of lifeboats noting the strict rules they must adhered to as a server of a United States port. “United States Coast Guard rules require a manifest of passengers who embark on both ports. As to the shortage of lifeboats it’s very irresponsible to report that.”