Senior Reporter
kay-marie.fletcher@guardian.co.tt
Two weeks after a fire on board the Cabo Star cargo vessel occurred, leading to transportation woes for truckers transporting cargo on the seabridge, the Port Authority of T&T has found some relief.
A cargo vessel from Venezuela, called the Emprendedora, is now on its way to our shores to temporarily service the seabridge until repairs to the Cabo Star are completed and it is ready to return to service.
The Emprendedora should arrive at the Port-of-Spain Ferry Terminal tomorrow and should be immediately ready for service, Port Authority chairman Lyle Alexander said during a news conference at the Ministry of Works and Transport in Port-of-Spain yesterday.
The void left by the Cabo Star on the seabridge had led to a shortage of certain foodstuff and construction materials in Tobago.
However, Alexander revealed that the owners of the Cabo Star, Bridgemans Services Group, had agreed to supply the relief vessel and are taking care of all costs of repairs to the damaged Cabo Star.
He admitted, however, that the Emprendedora is a small landing vessel capable of carrying only one tenth of the cargo the Cabo Star can accommodate.
Additionally, it does ten knots in speed, which means it will take on average 10 hours between Trinidad and Tobago.
Furthermore, he said vehicles transporting construction goods will also be prioritised for the relief vessel, while trucks with perishable items will continue to be serviced by the APT James and Galleons Passage. The T&T Spirit remains out of service.
Alexander also revealed what caused the fire on board the Cabo Star on August 23.
“The cause of the fire, based on what we have been told by the inspectors, was a leak, leaking fluid from a line that touched the hot surface and ignited,” he said.
As a result, he said it damaged one of the auxiliary engines and the electrical cables on the vessel.
At present, the Cabo Star is at the Port-of-Spain Ferry Terminal awaiting repairs. The engine has since been fixed, he said, but the replacement of the electrical cables affected by the heat is pending.
Alexander also revealed technicians were brought in and are currently on site awaiting the cables, which should arrive today. It will then take another 10 days to carry out the remaining repair works necessary, following which the vessel will have to be re-certified.
Although the vessel is scheduled to arrive on Saturday, Guardian Media understands that there are some approvals needed before the Emprendedora can set sail to pick up the slack on the seabridge.
Also speaking during the media conference yesterday, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Trinidad and Tobago Inter-island Transportation Company (TTIT), Vilma Lewis-Cockburn, advised truckers to downsize their vehicles so that they could board the smaller passenger vessels, as the weight limit was blamed for truckers being left stranded this week.
Additionally, Lewis-Cockburn said many truckers arrive at the port late and this is why they aren’t allowed to get on the scheduled vessels.
Frustrated truckers yesterday said their struggles are far beyond what they’re facing at the Port of Port-of-Spain, noting it will eventually be seen in the groceries and households of Tobagonians as food items continue to deplete.
Some truckers told Guardian Media they’ve suffered thousands of dollars in losses, as they’ve had to wait days to get their goods to Tobago.
Speaking to Guardian Media outside the Port-of-Spain Ferry Terminal, Tobago trucker Anarke Peters said the shelves of many grocery stores on the island are empty.
He said, “In Tobago, we suffering right now. If you see the shelves in Tobago right now, they are empty. Most of them supermarkets, they just running on dregs right now... A lot of trucks getting leave back and we’re running short on a lot of items, so let us just hope we don’t kill each other over there.”
Some truckers also said items such as rice, flour and sugar are also scarce in Tobago at the moment.
