RADHICA DE SILVA
Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Choppy seas caused by the outer bands of Tropical Storm Ernesto prevented two of T&T’s Water Taxis from docking at the Port of Spain terminal on Tuesday morning. Some passengers fell ill and had to be given vomit bags. The ferries remained at sea for more than an hour before returning to safer waters at the San Fernando Water Taxi terminal.
Speaking to Guardian Media as they arrived in San Fernando, several passengers said the experience was unpleasant.
“We stayed on the boat for one hour and ten minutes. People were calm because they kept updating us about the situation. They said we had to bob around until the waters were safe enough to dock. Then they told us we could not dock as it was unsafe, so we headed back to San Fernando,” Aleya Graham said.
Another passenger, Narissa Gregory, added: “I started feeling sick, nauseous. It was an experience, the first time I ever experienced this,” she said.
Natasha Kerr, who was on board the Paria Bullet, said the weather was good when they left San Fernando at 6:30 a.m.
“Midway through the voyage, the water started to get really bad. It got worse when we reached Port of Spain. The water was low, and we could see the boat couldn’t dock, so the safest thing was to return to San Fernando,” she said. She added that she was well-equipped with medicine, so the experience was not too bad for her.
The chairman of the National Infrastructure Development Company, Herbert George, said standard procedures were followed to keep the passengers comfortable.
“The sea state was just too bad, and it was not possible to dock the vessels in Port of Spain,” he said.
He noted that docking safety was paramount. “This is standard procedure. The Captain is in full control. What the crew and captain did was expected. They had to make the decision to go back.”
Asked whether he would have preferred a different approach, George said, “In the past, before the vessel sets sail, they receive a report of the sea conditions at the docking point. Sometimes, the report might indicate that the sea appears rough, but when they set sail and reach the area to dock, the sea is calm. So they received a report that the seas were calm enough to dock, but during the voyage, things might have gotten worse,” he said.
He noted there is a system in place to provide information on sea conditions prior to sailing. George assured passengers that safety will always be of paramount concern.
For those passengers who are hesitant about using the water taxi, George said, “We take good care of passengers, but you could encounter rough seas sometimes. I accept that, but for those passengers who choose to sail, they will be taken care of and will never be put in a situation where their lives are in peril,” he added.