PM wants increased security on APT James ferry

The Prime Minister has requested increased security on the new fast ferry APT James. He said this is to prevent any attempts to sabotage the operations of the boat when commercial sailings between the islands begin.

Dr Rowley was speaking at the commissioning of the vessel at the Scarborough port after the vessel made its maiden voyage to Tobago from Trinidad without difficulties.

He told the audience his request “may sound crazy” but asked the country not to forget “instances before when there were vessels that came to solve this (seabridge) problem.

“There were people somewhere in this nation that decided to go and throw orange and grapefruit and clothing in the toilet to get the news that they require.”

This happened in the toilet on the Cabo Star cargo vessel in 2017.

Rowley also referred to a similar incident at the Brian Lara cricket academy in Tarouba, south Trinidad when it was opened.

“Don't forget that when we opened the Brian Lara Stadium, on the night of the opening of a large stadium, individuals went in there with clothes – jerseys – and stuff in the toilet, and flooded the stadium so that somebody could say that there's something wrong with the stadium.”

He said the only problem he expects to plague the seabridge will be maintenance issues.

“When this problem of no ferry comes off, the problem of maintenance of this item becomes the next problem for TT… Problems don't just go away. Once you solve a problem another one replaces it.”

He tasked all cleaners, engineers and others responsible for the upkeep of the vessel to protect it earnestly. The ship is expected to service the country for 30 years once it is properly maintained, Rowley said.

“It is not cheap and is not to be treated lightly. It is a major investment by the people of TT towards the economic and other development of the people of this country, and anybody who does not treat it as such is an enemy of this nation.”

He pleaded with the port authority to make it mandatory to have scheduled maintenance.

“If you do not maintain the vessels, if you allow them not to go in when they are supposed to go in when they're scheduled to go in for the regular maintenance, what you're doing is using them to disruption. But if it is maintained in a scheduled way, it can last for years and years and years and years.

“So at a cost of $500 million. We should aim to have this last as long as possible.

Rowley said the arrival of the ferry has now made Tobago a destination with a difference. He encourages Tobagonians to take advantage of the opportunities that will come with an efficient seabridge.

Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan also urged the public to use the ferry and treat it as their own.

It arrived in TT two weeks ago and was built by Austal, an Australian ship-building company, for US$73.55 million. It can hold 926 passengers and 250 cars and can travel at up to 37.5 knots