Buccoo Reef ferry makes U-turn to Australia

THE NEW BUCCOO Reef ferry, which was en route to Trinidad and Tobago, has returned to Australia after alarms were triggered on the vessel, some 398 nautical miles from Hobart, where it departed.

The National Infrastructure Development Company (Nidco), which was responsible for procuring the vessel, issued an advisory last Thursday saying it left Hobart.

Nidco revealed on Tuesday that although alarms were triggered, the journey could have continued, but Nidco decided that it would return to Hobart, the closest port of call, to further investigate the triggering of the alarm and to take the necessary corrective action to prevent a recurrence.

Nidco said the builder, INCAT Tasmania Pty Ltd, along with the original engineering equipment manufacturers, are troubleshooting and resolving the issues. It said it has requested a test of major systems when these activities are completed, before the ferry resumes itsvoyage to TT.