Tobago Correspondent
Maritime surveyor Ricardo Alfred has confirmed that a Frankie Tours reef tour boat that sank earlier this week will have to undergo a new survey before it can return to service at the Buccoo Reef Marine Park in Tobago.
The vessel, one of two tour boats owned by businessman Michael Frank, sank near No Man’s Land last Monday.
No one was injured, as the boat was not in service at the time and there were no passengers or crew on board.
The vessel was refloated on Tuesday at Gibson Jetty, Bon Accord, with the assistance of an industrial pump and a water brigade.
Alfred said a preliminary assessment found that the boat is not seaworthy in its current condition. He added that further investigations will be conducted to determine the cause of the water intrusion.
Meanwhile, Alfred criticised bystanders who witnessed the vessel sinking but failed to raise an alarm, warning that such indifference could have serious consequences in the future.
“We cannot be a society that reaches first for the phone,” he said.
“A man’s livelihood was going down in front of people, and it was treated as something to be filmed. I raise this not to shame anyone, but the footage can still be put to good use because the next call may be a far more serious one.”
Speaking with Guardian Media, Frank remained optimistic despite the incident occurring during the busy July-August vacation season. He noted that the company’s larger vessel remains fully operational.
“To be honest, God is good. We’re going to get through this. We’re going to fix this. We have a big vessel that can accommodate large numbers of people. The rest will be diversified however we can. It’s business as usual,” he said.
Asked whether there had been any warning signs before the sinking, Frank said none were apparent.
“Everything was perfect. We used the vessel that day. We were here until midnight cleaning and washing it down. When we came here at six o’clock in the morning, it was sunk.”
Frank said it was too early to determine what caused the vessel to go under.
“There are two possibilities. One is major negligence, which I don’t think happened because if you have two pumps, they are not likely to fail at the same time, even if there is a small breach. You can get damage from coral or rocks.
“The second possibility is sabotage. We can’t point fingers yet. We have to take a closer look.”
Frank also highlighted the challenges of repairing large vessels in Tobago, citing the lack of suitable marine infrastructure.
“There is no infrastructure to take a boat this size out of the water. We have to get an excavator, chains, ropes and maybe some large pipes and see if we can drag the boat onto the sand to begin repairs.
“This is where Tobago is badly lacking. There should be a slipway where you can drive your boat out of the water.”
He warned that such improvised operations can pose safety risks to workers.
“If a rope or chain bursts during the operation, it could be dangerous. This is Tobago. We have to make do with what we have until the infrastructure is put in place.”
