Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan will be taking a note to Cabinet today for a replacement passenger ferry and cargo boat for the troubled inter-island route.
He said yesterday it is too early to say whether the Cabinet will accept the recommendation and remains optimistic that the ferry woes could be resolved soon.
The turmoil on the sea-bridge began after the departure of the Superfast Galicia on April 21. That vessel had the capacity to transport both passengers and cargo.
Two replacement cargo vessels, the Atlantic Provider and a barge, Trinity Transporter, have been found to be inadequate for the mission. And because of maintenance issues, the two fast ferries—T&T Spirit and T&T Express—there have been several instances of breakdowns over the last five weeks leaving passengers stranded for hours.
Sinanan confirmed he met with the Board of the Port Authority yesterday and they drafted a note for him to take the Cabinet detailing the specifications of the two replacement vessels.
While he’s keeping his fingers crossed and remains optimistic the vessels will get the nod of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Sinanan said he did not want to second guess the Cabinet. “I cannot predict the Cabinet, it is a proposal, they may say they need more information. Let us wait and see.”
If, however, Cabinet approves the proposals, he said there will be “engagement based on sea trials and inspections. That will take a week or so, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
He dismissed talk that the vessel of choice was the La Caracola, which was again raised yesterday by Minority leader Watson Duke. Duke told a news conference at the Port in Port of Spain that he had received word that the vessel based in Venezuela had been “arrested by the Guardia Nacional as it was preparing to come to Trinidad.”
Sinanan said “the Port made a recommendation we will take a decision, but I can give you the assurance it has nothing to do with the Caracola.”
He said the Port if looking for a “Catamaran similar to the T&T Express and the T&T Spirit because they sit better in the Gulf of Paria and can accommodate both passengers and vehicles.”
Sinanan said his focus was on fixing the problem, which was created long before he came into office. His sense of urgency grew, he said, when he saw “the suffering of children who were sitting on the port from morning waiting on the vessel. People are suffering, and we have to fix it.”
Saying he was “very sympathetic to the people,” Sinanan said “we are not feeling it because we in Trinidad, but this is a problem which can explode.”
He said the Atlantic Provider and the Trinity Transporter had been given month-to month contracts but were advised their services may be needed for three months, “because we wanted to ensure something was in place while we sought a more viable solution.”
Neither option has found favour with stakeholders in Tobago, but Sinanan said a better solution is being sought.
Meantime Caribbean Airlines confirmed that because of the ferry problems, the airline had seen an increase in standby passengers over the past few days, but Communications Manager Dione Ligoure said “we are managing.”
She said the airline lost two and a half hours because of an emergency drill yesterday and as a result they had to “put on additional flights,” to accommodate passengers.
