Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is contemplating putting an investigative team into the Port Authority of T&T to understand “exactly what is going on” concerning the port’s ferry service and to review the situation.
Rowley said so in Parliament yesterday in response to questions from United National Congress MP Ganga Singh on the PM’s ferry trip to Tobago last weekend.
Rowley said the trip was on the “T&T Express” ferry which has four engines. He said if all four are working the trip can be three and a half hours. But if three work it can be four hours and if it’s on two engines the trip is five and a half hours, he noted.
On the day he went, Rowley said the vessel was working on two engines. “That was understood before leaving. We left at 4 pm and arrived at 9.20 pm,” the PM said.
He said the situation wasn’t entirely news to him, since it was public knowledge Government has been having considerable difficulty with the ferry service lately due to breakdowns, an indication of poor maintenance and the skipping of dry docking maintenance.
Rowley added, “Most shockingly, I discovered—in conversations with port management—that for the last 11 years we’d hired operators of the ferry service and at the end of the 11 years, when that arrangement was changed to local management, one difficulty we face now with breakdowns is that the port doesn’t have control or access to the ferries’ maintenance record for the last 11 years.”
He said while the port hired help to run the service, no arrangement was made to bring the maintenance up to date or put in port archives.
“So now we’re in situation where we have to build a record of maintenance 0f service. That’s an unacceptable state of affairs. We had to return to the manufacturers for technical expertise to handle the situation when the ferries are dry-docked,” he said.
“I read a report showing a series of operational difficulties with the ferries, some quite serious—regarding steering gear and introduction of water into the system that shouldn’t be there.”
He said both ferries require urgent, extensive overhaul and the port has been told to find an interim vessel for the sea bridge which should be in place by month-end
He added, “It’s clear the relevant information required for proper port operation and some of the systems in the port, including management and other kinds of systems, require serious overhaul and there’s some significant difficulty getting relevant information on the port.
“As a result of that, I’m contemplating asking the Minister of Transport to put into the port an investigative team to understand exactly what’s going on at the port with respect to the ferry service.”
He said it is Government’s intention to get the Tobago House of Assembly involved in the exercise as well, but added that Works Minister Rohan Sinanan will say soon what action will be taken .
On another note, asked whether he was satisfied with Sports Minister Darryl Smith’s explanations for expenditure incurred on the recent Tobago trip, Rowley said he has very high standards which very difficult to be satisfied.
He added it may very well be, given the high standards he maintained and expected, that this may not be the only matter that “hasn’t met my satisfaction.”
Admitting the age or experience of a minister isn’t an excuse for non-performance, he said, “However, having accepted portfolio responsibilities, and that requirement is being met from time to time, we’ll review what’s being done internally and if external help is required, that’s brought in. But with cabinet responsibilities, you’re always exposed to learning as you go forward in dispensing public service.
