The Galleons Passage will resume servicing the seabridge on Wednesday after one of the vessel’s engines had to be repaired over the weekend after encountering electrical issues, National Infrastructure Development Company (Nidco) Herbert George ha said.
In giving an update on the US$17.4 million vessel, which had to be taken out of service on Friday in Scarborough after it encountered the issue, George said, “There was a problem with one of the engines last Friday which had an electrical issue, as one of its cards was faulty. The vessel was heading to Tobago when it started to give trouble. It had to sail on its three remaining engines so it had to go slower,” George said.
The card, which had to be imported, was replaced yesterday.
On October 8, the Galleons Passage made its first commercial sailing to Tobago in four hours.
On Sunday, Nidco, in a press release, advised passengers that yesterday’s 6 am sailing from Port-of-Spain and 4 pm from Scarborough had been cancelled, as the vessel was docked at the Port of Port-of-Spain to address electrical issues. The T&T Spirit accommodated the affected passengers on its sailings yesterday as a result.
George said the cancellation of the sailings did upset some passengers.
“Any time you have a cancellation of service people would not be so kind.”
He said after 100-plus passengers had boarded the vessel in Tobago on Friday they had to disembark after two disabled engines could not start.
George said the cost of the new card was minimal, while labour to repair the vessel was supplied by the ship’s technician and technicians from the manufacturer of the engine.
“The vessel will return to service on the next scheduled date, that is this Wednesday. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
George admitted that while the vessel was being fixed it missed five sailings.