Thursday July 29th, 2010
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Four water taxis to cost $400m
Published: 15 Sep 2009
Government has agreed to spend nearly $400 million purchasing four high-speed passenger catamaran to serve as water taxis between north and south Trinidad, according to wire service reports.
The Australian shipbuilder, Austal, won the order to design and construct the four 41-metre ferries which was worth 75 million Australian dollars. At yesterday’s exchange rate of 1 Aussie dollar to TT$5.32, the contract is worth $399 million, which works out to be about $100 million per water taxi.
The Australian-built water taxis, which are scheduled to be delivered in late 2010, will be designed to carry 405 passengers at a speed of approximately 42 miles per hour.
The contract includes a maintenance and training package which will see Austal deliver crew familiarisation and planned maintenance management.
The vessels will be owned by the National Infrastructure Development Company Limited (Nidco)—a government statutory authority—and operated by external consultants. The international tender process undertaken by Nidco called for proven vessels that could be customised to best meet the proposed service and be delivered within 12 months of contract effective, according to the website Marine Log.
According to the website, passenger seating onboard each vessel is split over two levels, with the main passenger deck featuring four passenger entry points, a central kiosk and dedicated baggage compartment and bike racks.
“As well as performing a water taxi service, the ferries will provide emergency backup for the existing inter-island service between Trinidad and Tobago. To meet this secondary function, Austal configured all four vessels with the capability to retrofit a forward mounted T-foil ride control system at short notice, allowing the vessels to operate in open, unprotected seas.”
Austal is currently building six fast patrol craft for the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, due for delivery in early 2010.
The water taxi service between San Fernando and Port-of-Spain was launched in December 2008 and now operates with four vessels—three of which have a capacity of 150 passengers each. The water taxis are intended to reduce road congestion in Trinidad and in May, Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert said 10,000 people will be facilitated daily when the water taxi service begins to operate at its full complement of eight.
It is no wonder why we need
It is no wonder why we need to pay an increased house tax. Now..lets not forget the monthly maintainence for these water taxis...of course the monthly corruption bill associated with it..
and possibly a future inquiry that may cost a few millions.
Not Destructive is the 10%
Not Destructive is the 10% bribe if the project was 'National Developmental' justified, what is destructive is the 90% plus 10% that is wastefully spent on things that will not work, and since they will not work, they are not maintained, so, in the end 100% of the money is wasted as far as national development is concerned. Look at the list of junk and toys, and stadia, and mega-mansions, and the wish for fast trains, high-rise IFC (empty still), jets (opps ! not dat one), blimps, all junk in two years, radar, coastguard jumbo boats (arrest rate?), choppers (next).
Why, just for 10% in a foreign numbered account. Is this the real motive? I can see little other.
Now to keep up the stupid spending, the government imposes a major property, tax. This tax is an expense that, like all expenses, will be passed on the renter, or the cost of living of the occupant. Why build 8,000 houses a year at subsidized prices, and then tax them with a draconian tax (the reverse of a subsidy). This is an admittance of a mistake and distorted plans. What is causing the distorted thinking? Is it the desperate and the continued need for 10% especially when the end of being in-power is in sight.
NYC-Trini
NYC-Trini
Why build 8,000 houses a year at subsidized prices, and then tax them with a draconian tax
If I am not mistaken, these houses will not be subjected to the tax as they are houses provided for/given to the 'poor'?
I use the word 'poor' very carefully as given the abuses we have seen and allegations of some people having more than one government apartment, I would not be surprised if some of the 'poor' have more bling then you and I put together!
La Diva
You are most probably right
You are most probably right in the detail. But why subsidize government housing (which is still part of national housing) while tax private housing, if the overall objective is to produce more houses for the people of T&T.
So your are right, but the paradox still exists.
You may state that the diference is that government is building houses for the poor. From what I see, the houses that government built was for most sectors other than the rich. The property tax hits all sectors.
Is the private sector not to build houses?
NYC-Trini
NYC-Trini But why subsidize
NYC-Trini
But why subsidize government housing (which is still part of national housing) while tax private housing, if the overall objective is to produce more houses for the people of T&T.
Good, no make that great question because, if people do not pay the proposed tax, then "as a last resort", the government can take away the house and auction it off, rendering the inhabitants homeless and unsurprisingly... in need of housing.
But, as I have written on a previous post, it seems that this was not given proper thought and has been presented to us seemingly as a 'take it or leave it, but either way, it is happening' kind of thing.
As I have also previously written, I seem to recall a campaign a few years ago to encourage people to become homeowners? Now, what is happening, the prospective introduction of a property tax. That to me, is entrapment and, therefore illegal.
La Diva
Why not ask 'why'? Why make
Why not ask 'why'? Why make an investment of $400,000,000.00 on a two disposable assets that have no realistic 'business plan' for National Development? Is there a 'hidden' business plan with another motive. A motive that needs to be hidden?
If a USA company is involved in bribing, the company's bosses involved are jailed. The international auditing practice, USA-laws, and the tracking of money, allows the USA government to detect the USA-illegal transaction, and the company's bosses jailed. The practice of USA companies bribing foreigners governments (except in the area of defense contractors) is mostly dead. How much of T&T’s 'preferred' foreign purchases are from countries where bribing foreign governments of government's purchasing agents is illegal?
Could there be another motive for the distorted purchased that make little 'National Development' sense? There is seldom consistent stupid economic behavior, what there often is, is miss-understood behavior, or undetected motive. The misunderstanding or the hidden is often in the real motive. Is it unbelievable that there is paid a 10% kick back as a condition of purchase to a hidden bag-man’s foreign?
Johnny-0 was PNM is the last boom. What has changed? The Afro & Indo brain-dead dynamic of PNM or UNC ‘till ah dead’, allows us the type of government we have. Is this government is buying our future, or their future (in another country like Jonny-O)?
LOOK FOR THE MOTIVE. But, can you 'see' if you are XXX 'til ah dead'? Will your children and grand children in 20 years (when d gas done, and man eating one anodder) love you for the choices you made? Who cares? If you care, care enough to thinkn or at least, find out what at least is the real motive.
NYC-Trini
Food for thought This week,
Food for thought
This week, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai's ruler and the UAE's Prime Minister, vowed to steer the emirate through its troubles and pledged to further rein in extravagant developments.
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/middle-east/extravagant-dubai-islan...
Trinbago on the other hand...
La Diva
Four in operation? I would
Four in operation?
I would like to know where this reporter got his facts from?
There are only three boats in operation at present and the fourth one, M/V Su is still tied up at a dockyard in Chagaramus.
Our esteemed government has shown their level of ignorance again. The vessel was bought overseas not working, shipped to the Virgin Islands not working and towed to Curacao where it spent 2 months in a shipyard there. It was decided to finish the work here in Trinidad, so , it was towed from Curacao (because it was still not working) to Chagaramus where it came to dock on 1 engine of 4 (the others were unable to start) to create the illusion of a working vessel.
Suprise suprise, when the antifouling paint that was applied in Curacao was blasted off it was found that the entire bottom of the boat was corroded to the point where the cost of replacing the aluminium was more than the vessel was worth.
SO, that leaves one vessel that was bought, spent over a year and some in various shipyards at a cost that only the Minister would ever know that has to be scrapped.
And they just agreed to spend $400 million of our money on more vessels that with the combined passenger payload and the cost per ticket being what it is CANT EVEN PAY FOR THE FUEL USED.
THIS IS VISION 2020.
Well done people of TnT who voted the PNM back into power. The rest of us who actually pay our taxes thank you.
We have $400m to spend on
We have $400m to spend on water taxis and we have no money to spen on fixing roads, putting more beds in hospitals or getting more vehicles for police....if this is not madness then what is it?
obeahwoman
obeahwoman
Check your 'bones' and see the estimated tally of the projects. You will see that it is well in excess of $400m. Remember the ships, the helicopters, the other parogues, the diplomatic buildings and renovations, etc etc etc.
Looking on the 'bright side'... I suppose we have to take to the water, a) seeing as the roads are under water! and b) Trinbago is sinking!
Watch out for the catamarans driving/sailing past on Frederick Street...
La Diva
Update on the Water Taxi
Update on the Water Taxi Service please
Has this been a success? What is the takeup rate? What is the punctuality rate? What is the percentage of the timetable services successfully taking place? What has been the requirement for repairs/maintenance since its launch?
Having some familiarity with the Australian passenger catamarans, they are highly effective within Australia. Depending on the point of disembarkation, passengers then have the options of walking, buses, trains or even taxis to take them on to their next destination.
Yes, 10,000 people may be facilitated daily however, if it is more of a struggle to get to their destinations via the water taxis or catamarans, the percentage of take up will not be as high as hoped. Trinbagonians are more akin to driving than walking anyway and hopefully this has been taken into account in this yet (sigh!) humungous purchase.
Incidentally, I believe the Australian catamaran services are subject to the vaguries of weather and being disrupted or cancelled due to rough seas/extreme bad weather. This is even within Sydney Harbour, which whilst quite large is still relatively sheltered I believe. Have studies been done to gauge the water turbelance and likely disruption in the open seas when we have rough seas/extreme bad weather eg. in hurricane season? Or is it anticipated that the catamaran's will be mothballed six months in the year?
Curious as always.
La Diva
Forget the old talk about
Forget the old talk about the Pos/Sando water taxi thing. They put that there to distract you.
You see the part about the T-foil for open sea? Well that could mean only one thing. De man starting up a CARICOM ferry service with we money. Money that we don't have to spare. The man mad!!
Highway to Point Fortin (and
Highway to Point Fortin (and Grande and Mayaro and Toco) now abandoned? Weigh out the long term cost, Minister Imbert, and you should see that it's cheaper to build highways than to add to the fleet of water taxis. At $15 a ride each way, water taxis are not the first choice of North-South commuters anyway and very often there are many empty seats. Highways also open up a country and enhance sustainable development. Water taxis are a dead investment, while highways, when built, stay with us forever. But, who profit?
ajfyzabadbutlertown
Amir, since I was a boy I am
Amir, since I was a boy I am hearing in every budget that the PNM will be building the highway from Sando to Point Fortin. They keep on allocating monies for this and years and years go by and no highway. They allocate the moneys for the highway and use it for other non productive reasons. The budget is just a gimmick, it is read in parliament and then thorn up and the government goes on auto pilot with it's spending. Financial management is obscene language to Manning and the boys. With billion of $$$$, they cannot fix the pot holes on the roads and as one blogger said a few days ago, Manning keep pissing on us and telling us it is raining... and the FAB believes it all..... yes, Trinidad and Tobago is a failed state
Ram, your're right. But only
Ram, your're right. But only this time they had me fooled completely, as Trintoplan (call a minister's name and I'll whistle loud) produced the most brilliant of plans which I'm sure would have cost a pound and a crown, held village and town meetings, advised people to cease construction of any houses on the proposed path of the PFH, and offered compensation to some. I guess now that the money virtually done, I'll have to wait until I take the highway to heaven (or hell?), reincarnation time when I become a lil boy again to hear about a highway to heaven, I mean, Point. Who knows, this time it may be a plan from PM Hunt or Browne or Jeremy? One question, if the loan is an IDB loan, how they get away with diverting the funds?
ajfyzabadbutlertown
This must be a joke, I don`t
This must be a joke, I don`t think Manning need to get me started on this.
The Man gone Mad! Rowley I got you boss, Mad Man Manning tripping.
Ryan4Party
colm you building more car
colm you building more car parks too?