TT Spirit removed from Wednesday service

The TT Spirit, the lone vessel currently servicing the inter-island sea bridge, will be removed from service on Wednesdays to facilitate a regular maintenance schedule, the Port Authority (PATT) has said.

In a release yesterday, PATT said the new system will start this Wednesday, May 23. Affected passengers—those who have already purchased tickets for Wednesday sailings—will be accommodated on any sailing of the TT Spirit that is convenient to them, from May 21 to July 4, without having to revalidate their tickets.

“To achieve our safety mandate, it has become imperative that a rigorous maintenance programme is followed. In the circumstances, it has become necessary to withdraw the vessel from operations for a full day of each week to undertake routine maintenance works, which are necessary to guarantee sustained safe crossings to and from Tobago,” PATT said.

The Authority chose Wednesday, it said, because that day is usually a short sailing say, with low demand. The schedule will be adjusted within any week that there is an expected increase in demand, and the travelling will be advised, PATT said.

The 20-year-old TT Spirit, which underwent mandatory dry-docking in June last year, resumed sea bridge service on April 16. Its sister vessel, the 22-year-old TT Express is now in dry-dock. Brand-new boat, the Galleon’s Passage, which was supposed to arrive at the end of April and will now arrive at the end of June, will also eventually join the inter-island ferry fleet.