ROUGH SEAS GROUND TT EXPRESS FOR CARNIVAL

The TT Express, currently the only passenger ferry in operation on the TT sea bridge, is out of commission because of rough seas— two days before the Carnival weekend— disrupting the travel plans of 1,000 to 1,500 passengers in the process.

“We are not sailing because of the weather conditions. The TT Express has not been drydocked and we don’t want to take the chance,” Port Authority (PATT) chairman, Alison Lewis, told the Newsday yesterday.

In a release late Wednesday, PATT said the removal of the TT Express was “in the interest of public safety.” The Newsday was initially told by the Ministry of Works and Transport that it was experiencing “mechanical issues leading to continuous cancellation of sailings.”

To alleviate the interruption, the Port has brokered a deal with state-owned Caribbean Airlines Ltd, which operates the air bridge. Passengers with confirmed tickets will be accommodated on flights on a first come, first served basis from February 8 to February 14. The Port will provide a shuttle to ferry passengers to the airport at no extra cost. The shuttles will run from the Port of Port of Spain to Piarco International Airport from 1pm to 3 pm, and from the Port of Scarborough to ANR Robinson International Airport in Tobago between 5am and 7am. Confirmed passengers will still be required to check in at the ports.

Passengers travelling with vehicles will be booked on the Cabo Star, the designated cargo ship that sails from Trinidad every day at 2 pm.