Galleons Passage going around in circles

The Galleons Passage is still anchored miles off Honolulu, Hawaii, waiting to berth.

Newsday have been tracking the boat via Hawaii.PortCall.com and yesterday as of 6 pm, ‘Live vessel information’ revealed the boat has since Saturday, been going around in circles in the ocean at 2.5 knots waiting to berth. After two more stops - Panama and Cuba - the date given for the Galleons Passage arrival in Port of Spain to service the seabridge is month’s end.

However, that seems unlikely and a more realistic time frame is sometime in May. This is based on the fact that the boat after leaving Honolulu, must stop off in Panama where the crew will disembark in accordance with international shipping requirements. It will then sail to Cuba where it will remain there to be outfitted with seats and other minor alterations.

Checks have revealed the Galleons Passage has received notification from the port of Honolulu that it has been given Berth 31. However, the port lists the chance of the boat given the opportunity to berth as, “tentative”.

Using the tracking device “Marine Traffic Global Positions”, the Galleon Passage as of yesterday, was moving at a slow speed of 2.5 knots and is 309 degrees and its destination is US, Honolulu, Hawaii. The slow speed of the boat is indicative of a vessel going around in circles waiting to berth.

Newsday contacted the National Infrastructure Development Company (NIDCO) yesterday for an update, but personnel in the corporate communications department promised to issue an official statement sometime today.

It was reported yesterday in another newspaper that the Galleons Passage was nearing Mexico, but at 6 pm (TT time) (11.30 am Hawaii time), the vessel was still out in the Pacific waiting to berth in Honolulu. Finance Minister Colm Imbert had given April 27 as the tentative date for its arrival. Newsday contacted Oahu District Commercial Harbours in Honolulu to speak with the port district manager Neil Takekawa. A secretary answered the phone and she checked the status of the Galleons Passage, saying the boat was still in the Pacific. She confirmed it was expected to dock at Berth 33 in the Port of Honolulu but that this was still “tentative.”

According to previous records on the Hawaii.Port.call website, the Galleons Passage was on the roster to arrive in Honolulu on Good Friday. It approached the port on Gloria Saturday but apparently was not granted clearance because a berth was not available.