Young: Patrol-ship repairs hit by covid19

THE covid19 pandemic and the non-shipment of parts by shipbuilders Damen were to blame for the state of the Coast Guard’s vessels, Minister of National Security Stuart Young told the House of Representatives on Friday, in a personal explanation.

Upset at recent media reports about his previous statement in the House, he declared, “I completely reject any suggestion that on November 27th, 2020, I misled this House.”

He denied that a media report that two Damen engineers had arrived in Trinidad in October and November had somehow made his previous statement in Parliament untrue or misleading.

Young spelt out difficulties with Damen, its engineers and the maintenance of the Coast Guard’s Damen vessels.

He began by saying when Government gives information on national security matters, it must always find a balance between protecting operational matters associated with national security and providing the public with accountability and transparency.

“As part of the maintenance of the Damen vessels, Damen is required to have at least one engineer here, present in TT. Just prior to the closure of TT’s borders in March, the Damen engineer stationed here left TT due to personal and other concerns related to the effects of the global pandemic, that is, covid19.

“There was no Damen engineer here in TT from March to October.”

The engineers who were required to come to TT to maintain the vessels were delayed due to the global covid19 pandemic, Young said.

“The engineers were not here from March 2020 to late October 2020 due to their concerns associated with covid19.

“These delays in their arrival due to covid19 have negatively affected the serviceability of the Coast Guard’s Damen vessels.”

Young said the arrival of one engineer in October, who was replaced by another in November, was not sufficient to do maintenance and other work on the Damen vessels.

“Damen has not shipped the parts for the Coast Guard vessels that are necessary for their repair and maintenance. This too has negatively affected the serviceability of the vessels

“There are other engineers who are required to perform specific works on the vessels who have not come to TT because of covid19.”

He said as Minister of National Security he knew he would come under attack from many different quarters, including those who engage in “criminality, corruption and self serving agendas.”

Young said he had not misled Parliament and would never do so, and vowed to do his duty without fear or favour, malice or ill-will.

Barataria/San Juan MP Saddam Hosein later tried to bring a matter of privilege against Young whom he accused of misleading the House.

But Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George said Hosein had not made out a prima-facie case to warrant its referral to the Committee of Privileges.