Head of the newly-formed Tobago Business Chamber Martin George has condemned the continued challenges being experienced on the inter-island seabridge.
Commenting on the various cancellations due to mechanical issues with the ferries, George described the situation as an abysmal failure of the Government, the Port Authority of T&T board and NIDCO.
Loaded with passengers en route to Tobago on Wednesday, the Galleons Passage had to return to the Port-of-Spain port due to alleged adverse weather conditions. However, checks with the Met Office revealed that there were no rough seas or adverse weather advisories at the time. Mere hours after the incident, George, the director/incorporator of the newly-formed business body, said the continuing seabridge failures were unacceptable.
“The Tobago Business Chamber condemns the continued and collectively abysmal failure of the Government, the board of the Port Authority and NIDCO in their comprehensive failings and incompetencies in mismanaging the seabridge, which remains a lifeline of necessity for the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago and even more so for the average Tobagonian,” George said.
“We respectfully call upon the Tobagonians who head these entities to do better for your fellow Tobagonians and just stop with the excuses and get this fixed as a matter of urgency. The people of Tobago deserve better than this.”
Meanwhile, THA Minority Leader Watson Duke again warned that the Galleons Passage was inappropriate for the waters between Trinidad and Tobago. In a stern video message, Duke said passengers’ lives were being endangered
“I have said already, the Galleons Passage is Gilligan’s Passage and it’s no new boat, it is an old boat. I have said already, the boat is a riverboat and not suited for carrying persons on the high Atlantic Sea,” Duke said.
“I am saying here now and mark my words, that boat will kill someone and when it does so, the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the PNM Government will be held responsible. They are endangering lives by putting people in that boat and I warn you today to please pull that boat out of service and buy a proper boat for the seabridge.”