Government’s hope of getting a vessel to replace the Super Fast Galicia soon has hit a major snag.
The tender which closed on Monday yielded only one response and at an emergency meeting on Wednesday, the Port Authority board led by Allison Lewis took a decision to discontinue the process and is now looking to the World Bank to assist with finding a suitable cargo vessel.
Guided by a Cabinet decision to hire a ro-ro cargo vessel, the PATT said it invited duly qualified brokers to tender for a vessel on a three-year time charter on April 1. Those tenders closed on April 24.
According to the port, it was “in the best interest” of the people of Trinidad and Tobago, that a decision was made “to terminate this tender process, and approach the World Bank,” which it feels can provide “the requisite expertise to determine the specifications for a suitable cargo vessel for the needs of the inter-island service.” The port said it is of the view that this approach will realise the “best option” in the long term and a resolution will be arrived at within the next three months.
Contacted yesterday, Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan told the T&T Guardian that “while I would have been happy if they got a vessel, we did ask for three months, which is why we signed the contracts with the Atlantic Provider and the Trinity Transporter, so we are well within the time to get a vessel.”
He said “it was a sole tender process and while there was one tender from a selected tenderer, some were unsolicited and I do not want to go with unsolicited bids because that is what got us in this position in the first place. I would not want to put the port in that position. We want to get the perfect vessel.”
The local agent for the Galicia, Intercontinental Shipping Limited’s John Powell, told the T&T Guardian it was “unfortunate” that yet another tender had to be scrapped, but said he was not surprised.
“I have been saying this because we have been speaking to brokers worldwide and the market is tight.”
Powell said ICSL had given the Government “two offers and the vessels can be here in 15 days to 21 days.”
He said: “We are a professional company and over the last three years we have served the government, the Port Authority, the business community, traders, the marine industry and the travelling public very well. If called upon again we will be happy to serve the stakeholders in the same way. We stand ready to work with them if they so require.”
President of the Tobago Chamber Demi John Cruickshank meanwhile said “we hope the situation is not prolonged.” He said the chamber had a meeting with the port on Wednesday and a follow up meeting will take place next week as they continue to work out logistics of the barge, the Trinity Transporter.
RS
