Udecott CEO: No further action against party boat

NO further action will be taken against the owners of the Island Royalty vessel which was overloaded with passengers before it left the Port of Spain International Waterfront Centre on Friday.

In a statement on Friday, Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith said the police assisted the Coast Guard in that matter.

While the vessel was certified to carry 300 people, the police statement said the people onboard the Island Royalty on Friday, exceeded that number. The Coast Guard escorted the vessel back to the waterfront where police did a head count of the passengers. Griffith dismissed posts on social media about police preventing the vessel from leaving the waterfront.

In an ad published on Saturday, the Urban Development Corporation of TT (Udecott) advised vessels were not allowed to dock on the waterfront.

"The public is hereby notified that berthing of vessels in the vicinity of the International Waterfront, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain (along the sea wall from the Hyatt Regency Trinidad Ltd to the Breakfast Shed is strictly prohibited," Udecott stated.

Udecott CEO Tamica Charles later said all boat owners were aware of these restrictions. Against this background, Charles said there was no need for Udecott to take any action against the owners of the Island Royalty.

Port Authority chairman Lyle Alexander confirmed the authority has no jurisdiction over the section of the waterfront between the Breakfast Shed and the Hyatt, which he said was Udecott's responsibility. He added the only involvement which the authority has in that area, is collecting berthing fees from vessels that receive permission to berth there.