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A corporate and body politic is hereby created as a public corporation and instrumentality of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, attached to the Department, which shall be known as the Puerto Rico and the Island Municipalities Maritime Transport Authority, subject to the control of the Secretary, with legal existence and personality separate from the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, its agencies, instrumentalities and political subdivisions.\nThe division of the services rendered by the agency shall be established in two units that shall concentrate their efforts in two fundamental parts: service at island level and in the metropolitan area. The metropolitan area shall include the services offered by the Cataño-San Juan and the Acuaexpreso ferries, which shall be integrated into the mass transportation system of the metropolitan area, attached to the Puerto Rico Highways Authority.\nThe island level service shall concentrate, but not be limited to, the Fajardo-Vieques-Culebra ferry service, for the purpose of concentrating efforts in maximizing the operations in said zone.\nThe debts, obligations, contracts, notes, receipts, expenses, accounts, funds,

ardo-Vieques-Culebra ferry service, for the purpose of concentrating efforts in maximizing the operations in said zone.\nThe debts, obligations, contracts, notes, receipts, expenses, accounts, funds, pledges and properties of the Authority, its officials, agents or employees shall be deemed as belongings of said Authority and not as property of the Government of Puerto Rico or of any office, bureau, department, instrumentality, agency, or public subdivision, municipality, agent, official or employee thereof.\nThe Authority shall exercise its duties and powers and shall comply with its obligations under this chapter in coordination with the Department. The execution by the Authority of the powers and faculties conferred to it by this chapter shall at no time have the effect of vesting the Authority with the character of a private enterprise.\nHistory —Jan. 1, 2000, No. 1, § 3; Aug. 26, 2004, No. 231, § 3.