Jensen La Vende
Senior Reporter
jensen.lavende@guardian.co.tt
Works and Infrastructure Minister Jerlean John says there will be a disruption in inter-island ferry service, as the MV Cabo Star will be dry-docked between July 12 and August 3.
To mitigate against this, John said the MV Emprendedora will return while there will be a ramping up of sailings by the Galleons Passage and MV Spirit in the lead-up to the Cabo Star going on dry dock.
“The Cabo Star carries about 150 trucks every day, there will be a shortfall. You could do probably (the math) much better than me. The MV Spirit carries about 75 vans and the Galleon (Passage), about 30, So that’s 100. The Emprendedora will carry about 18 or so of those, large containers, so there will be a bit of a shortfall.”
She continued: “That is why we have said we have given a month look ahead, being proactive. So, there will be a period of enhanced service with the Cabo Star to ensure persons who wish, they can stock up in advance. The stakeholders have assured us that the first two weeks will be okay. It’s the third week that will present that challenge.”
Stressing the importance of the cargo vessel on the sea bridge, John said the MV Emprendedora will be utilised and while it is not ideal, it is sufficient.
“To take the, what we call the dangerous cargo, such as the highly flammable and toxic materials such as chlorine gas for Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), oxygen for the hospital, bitumen, nitrogen, propane, et cetera we had to hire the MV Emprendedora.”
Responding to another question, John said the decision to sell a dry dock at Caribbean Dockyard and Engineering Services Ltd (Caridoc), which could have been used to service Cabo Star, cost the country millions in foreign exchange. “The dry dock sank. But you know, that’s submersible. It’s supposed to sink and come back up. It’s not supposed to sink to the bottom of the ocean like a stone. It was sold, I think, for $1. The value was $10 million, sold for $1 to a company in Turkey. And it is working just fine in Turkey. So what has happened is we have lost about US$22 million in revenue over the last two years,” John said, adding that she planned to say more during next week’s mid-year review debate.
