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New boat for Tobago

Thursday, April 17 2014

AMIDST the sad news of the passing of former Prime Minister and President Arthur NR Robinson, a Tobagonian by birth, came the good news of the imminent arrival of a new inter-island ferry to service Mr Robinson’s beloved Tobago.

Speaking at the post-Cabinet news conference last Thursday at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair, Transport Minister Stephen Cadiz announced Government has been able to lease a new inter-island ferry, MV Super-Fast Galicia, at a cost of $48 million for one year.

In making this announcement, Cadiz said the Galicia is expected to arrive in the country before the Easter weekend, in time for the Tobago Jazz Festival which takes place from April 19 to 27.

This is certainly welcome news, given the heavy influx of persons to the sister isle for what has become one of the most significant calendar events every year in Tobago.

However, Cadiz indicated that looking past the Jazz Festival, Government hopes the Galicia, together with the other fast ferries on the seabridge will significantly improve the movement of persons and freight between Trinidad and Tobago. Cadiz declared, “All in all this is a far better deal for Tobago.”

From the surface of it, we are inclined to give Cadiz the benefit of the doubt. He indicated the Galicia is 11 years old and is coming from Gibraltar, is 160- metres long and this will require “minor modifications” which will be done at the ferry terminal at Port-of-Spain. He added there would be further ancillary costs but did not quantify what those were.

Listing the vessel’s features, Cadiz said it has restrooms for disabled persons and medical facilities. “This vessel even has a prison cell which of course will work well with the Ministry of National Security in moving prisoners back and forth from Tobago,” he noted. Checks by Newsday indicated the Galicia can transport up to 112 passengers, 110 trailers and 60 cars. The Galicia was built in February 2002 by Hijos De J Barreras SA in Spain and is next scheduled for dry docking in November 2015. Cadiz said the vessel will be leased from a Spanish firm but did not give the name of the firm.

Not too long ago, there were concerns raised by persons in Tobago about shortages of cement on the island. Cadiz alluded to this last Thursday, noting that prior to the leasing of the Galicia, Trinidad Cement had been forced to lease a separate vessel to transport cement to Tobago, as the aged TT Warrior Spirit was not up to the task, limping along as it was with one engine for the last four months.

“The issue of shortages of cement in Tobago will no longer be the case,” Cadiz said. We hope he is right and further that the same would apply regarding the supply of all commodities to Tobago in an efficient and timely manner. The TT Warrior Spirit has served the seabridge as best as it could since it was first leased in 2004 and it was seemingly appropriate that Cadiz also announced the intention to terminate the lease of the Spirit.

So we bid bon voyage to the Spirit and welcome the Galicia with the hope that it will play its part to improving not only the economy of Tobago but the overall national economy as well. We hope as well the arrival of this vessel will also see greater cooperation between Central Government and the Tobago House of Assembly. It is no secret that Mr Robinson always kept Tobago close to his heart throughout his life. We can only hope that that he is looking on from Heaven and is pleased with this development.

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