Sinanan: All vessels are functional

WORKS and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan said all vessels on the domestic seabridge are fully operational. He gave this assurance during a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives on Friday.

After rejecting a claim from Oropouche West MP Dave Tancoo that the Galleons Passage ferry had broken down, Sinanan said, "We have a surplus of vessels now."

After saying both the Galleons Passage and the new fast ferry Buccoo Reef are operational, Sinanan said it was not unusual for maritime vessels to encounter challenges from time to time."

He said the Buccoo Reef and APT James, both new and acquired for the seabridge, "are under the manufacturers warranty and if there are any challenges with them, the cost of that will be for the manufacturer." Given the arrival of the Buccoo Reef and the APT James, Sinanan said the Galleons Passage is berthed in Port of Spain and comes into service when needed.

While in port, Sinanan said whatever maintenance that needs to be done on the Galleons Passage is done. He added the same applies to the fast ferry TT Spirit and it was all a matter of preventative maintenance."

Sinanan also spoke about a $53 million allocation for the ministry to deal with operational expenditure for the water taxi service.