Galleons Passage delayed, no work yet on TT Express

The MV Galleons Passage arriving at Damex Shipyard, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba on May 26, 2018 to being planned retrofitting works. PHOTO COURTESY NIDCO.
The MV Galleons Passage arriving at Damex Shipyard, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba on May 26, 2018 to being planned retrofitting works. PHOTO COURTESY NIDCO.

The MV Galleons Passage remains moored in Santiago, Cuba according to vesselfinder.com.

The ferry was bought by Government to service the inter-island seabridge.

Newsday Tobago tried to contact Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan for an update, but calls to his cellphone went unanswered.

A press release from the National Infrastructure Development Company (NIDCO) on June 1 pointed to further delays in the vessel’s voyage to TT, saying there had been a setback in the start of shipyard works in Cuba.

The statement said the vessel arrived as scheduled in Cuba on May 26 for planned retrofitting.

But, it said, “Prior to the arrival of the vessel, a team of persons representing both the buyer and the seller arrived in Cuba in order to expedite the shipyard works. A setback in commencing work has been experienced, arising from delays in the completion of designs and the consequential issue of approved drawings by the seller. As a result, the shipyard is also experiencing delays in the procurement of the requisite materials for these works.”

Meanwhile, work on the T&T Express is yet to begin since the vessel went on drydock in February.

Chairman of the Port Authority Lyle Alexander told Newsday Tobago, “The repair work has not yet begun, it is in the process of collecting the parts required to do the job."

Alexander could give no date for the start of work.

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"Galleons Passage delayed, no work yet on TT Express"

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