Tobago gas to defend claim

MANAGING director of Tobago Gas Trading and Logistics Limited, which was last week ordered to pay one of its suppliers $3.7 million after it failed to put in a defence in a claim for payment owed, says the company intends to defend its name in court.

Last week, the Tobago-based company which obtained approval from the State to construct an LPG terminal at the Point Lisas Industrial Estate, was ordered to pay $3.7 million dollars to San Fernando-based supplier of industrial equipment, G. Singh Marketing Ltd (GSM).

G. Singh filed a claim for payment of building material and commodities delivered to Tobago Gas but the latter failed to defend it and judgment was delivered in default, ordering it to pay the $3.7 million, which includes interest, owed.

In an interview on Sunday, Tobago Gas MD Amin Gustave told Newsday, the company intends to file an application seeking to have the default judgment set aside and will also file an application seeking an extension of time to file its defence.

He said what transpired was unfortunate.

Gustave assured the project was slowly “getting back on track” despite the challenges the company faced because of covid19.

“This US billion dollar project will bring back thousands of jobs to the Point Lisas Estate and much needed foreign exchange revenue to TT,” he said.

The project was expected to create a “virtual” trans-shipment hub to supply and deliver LPG, or cooking gas, to Tobago, using a modern method known as a virtual pipeline. The concept was created to distribute LPG to places where it was physically or economically unfeasible.