Offloading ramp too short

The Galleons Passage could not dock at the Scarborough Port where it arrived on Saturday on its first test run from Trinidad because the bow ramp was too short to reach safe landing. The vessel left Port of Spain at 6.30 and arrived at the Scarborough port at 11:30, spending 20 minutes in the harbour getting in position, but as the bow ramp was lowered, crew members realised it was about 20 feet above the ground.

Newsday Tobago was told no one could disembark the vessel. After an aborted attempt to dock using the stern ramp, the Galleons Passage headed back to Trinidad.

Port Authority Chairman Alexander, who was on board the vessel, told Newsday Tobago, the captain decided not to make the second attempt using the stern ramp, and that the vessel needed a bow thruster.

“It was a safety reason, not a ramp issue. So they need to look at a bow thruster to give the vessel the kind of power the captain wants and once that is done we will be coming back to Tobago,” Alexander said.

A bow thruster is a propeller-shaped system fitted on either the bow or stern of a vessel to allow for manoeuvrability.

A source at port in Tobago told Newsday Tobago that after observing the issue with the size and height of the ramp, another solution would be to build another ramp at desired specifications. He said usually when seeking to buy a vessel, it was important to source one that matches the specifications of the port and not the other way around.

A release from the Port Authority later in the day said the Galleons Passage arrived at the Port in Scarborough, Tobago after a successful four-and-a half-hour trial run from Port of Spain, during which maximum speeds of 23 knots were achieved.

“The objectives of the trial run today were to establish the duration of the journey to Tobago i.e. speeds, overall quality of on-board experience and to check some passenger safety features.

“We also sought to determine the more suitable berthing option, since the vessel is equipped with both bow and stern ramps. Based on the trial, we have determined that docking at both ports would be via the stern ramp,” the statement said, adding that all other checks were “highly successful.”

Asked for comment on the arrival of the ferry to Scarborough, and berthing problems because of ramp specifications, Minority Councillor Dr Faith B Yisrael said she was not surprised, reminding that the Minority Council had said that the Galleons Passage was not the ideal vessel for the sea bridge.

“We understand there were issues with the docking because of the ramp but we are unsure of what issues they could experience since waters today were very calm. We are just awaiting an update for when the vessel would pass the test runs and get the authorisations to serve the people because Tobagonians in particular need the inter-island transportation.

“Because this was a trial run, it was empty of passengers and cargo, which means that it is going to take much longer (when it is carrying both). As the Prime Minister (Keith Rowley) said, it is going to be at least six hours and we are disappointed that he is admonishing Tobagonians that they should not complain about the fact that we are moving backwards when coming to travel between Trinidad and Tobago,” she said.

“We are going to find out the real capability of the vessel when it sails with the people, cargo and rough seas,” she added.

BYisrael also noted issues with the time the vessel would be taking to get from Port of Spain to Scarborough.

She explained that many Tobagonians travel to Trinidad on business and 12 hours to get to and from the islands in a round trip was unacceptable.

Meanwhile Newsday reported Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan as saying that Galleons Passage was safe to travel on and that Saturday’s trial was about the speed and safety, that is why they tried to dock bow on.

“They wanted to check the bow could dock which would have been easier to load and off load cargo. The vessel can dock stern on like all other vessels but with the addition feature of being able to dock bow on we wanted to try that but it couldn't and it docked stern on. The trial for today was to see the safety and speed and Nidco felt it was successful. It is safe to go Tobago on the boat," Sinanan said.

The Galleons Passage arrived in TT on July 16, took 145 days after it left China. On July 17, during a media tour, Sinanan said he expected the boat to be put on the sea bridge “within the next two weeks,” helping to pick up the slack during the busy vacation period, since there is only one dedicated passenger vessel, the TT Spirit on duty. The Cabo Star, which also runs the inter-island route, is a cargo vessel not registered for passengers. There is still no date when the vessel will be put in use for passengers.