Galleons Passage sails on Monday

UPDATE:

THE Galleons Passage will make its first commercial sailing to Tobago on Monday. The sailing will take place exactly a week after Finance Minister Colm Imbert predicted it would happen.
In his budget presentation in the House of Representatives last Monday, Imbert said the ferry would make its first sailing on the seabridge within the next seven days.

In a statement, the National Infrastructure Development Company (Nidco) announced that the Galleons Passage will make its maiden voyage on Monday, leaving the Port of Spain Ferry Terminal at 6 am. The voyage from Port of Spain to Scarborough is expected to last four and a half hours. The boat will leave Scarborough at 4 pm.

Nidco said the ferry’s sailing time from Port of Spain on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday will be at 6 am. The return sailings from Scarborough on the same days are at 4 pm. Nidco said further details will be provided by the Port Authority.

On a tour of a section of the Churchill Roosevelt Highway Extension project in Cumuto on Wednesday, Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan said, “I think the Minister of Finance was very, very soft on Nidco.” Sinanan hoped the Galleons Passage would have sailed this week.
The ferry arrived in TT on July 16 after a trans-ocean voyage from Nansha, China.

It can carry 600 passengers below deck, with 100 additional seats on the top deck, and has space for 100 vehicles.

When the Galleons Passage made its first trial run to Tobago on September 1, it left Port of Spain at 6.30 am and arrived in Scarborough shortly after 11 am. On that day, it experienced difficulty berthing in Scarborough with its bow ramp and had to berth with its stern ramp instead. Adjustments have been made since then to facilitate a stern-ramp berthing at Scarborough.

The US$17.4 million ferry was acquired after the fast ferries TT Spirit and TT Express experienced mechanical difficulties at different times. These problems intensified after the controversial departure of the SuperFast Galicia last April.

The Prime Minister, Imbert and Sinanan have rejected repeated allegations from the Opposition, Public Services Association president Watson Duke, former minister Devant Maharaj and attorney Nyree Alfonso about the vessel’s procurement and seaworthiness. In July, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said the State was preparing to take legal action against Alfonso for her role in the procurement of the Superfast Galicia.

Imbert laid documents about the Galleons Passage’s purchase in the House in June. At a Conversations with the Prime Minister forum in Scarborough in August, Dr Rowley said the Galleons Passage is not a fast ferry.

Last Monday, Imbert outlined plans to buy two new fast ferries from the companies Austal and Incat. They are expected to arrive in mid-2020.

ORIGINAL STORY:

THE Galleons Passage begins its operations on the seabridge on Monday. This information is contained in a statement issued today by the National Infrastructure Development Company (Nidco).

Nidco said the Galleons Passage will make its maiden voyage on the seabridge on Monday, leaving the Port of Spain Ferry Terminal at 6 am.The Galleons Passage’s return sailing from Scarborough is 4 pm. Nidco said further details will be provided by the Port Authority.

In his budget presentation in the House of Representatives on Monday. Finance Minister Colm Imbert said the ferry will make its first commercial sailing to Tobago within the next seven days.

On a tour of a section of the Churchill Roosevelt Highway Extension project in Cumuto, Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan said, “I think the Minister of Finance was very, very soft on Nidco.”Sinanan hoped the Galleons Passage would have sailed this week."