(Trinidad Guardian) Questions are being asked as to why the Carnival Runner, one of T&T’s 41-metre high-speed passenger catamaran ferries, was allowed to deteriorate to the extent that it started taking in water yesterday while anchored at the San Fernando Harbour.
The under-utilised ferry was one of four purchased by the National Infrastructure Development Company in August 2010 from Global Shipbuilder Austal to facilitate transportation between Port-of-Spain to San Fernando.
While investigations are ongoing as to why the vessel started to sink, NIDCO’s chairman Herbert George denied a fire in the hull was the cause of the problems.
Residents of Embaccadere, San Fernando told Guardian Media that people would board the ferry to smoke marijuana and that they saw a fire.
However, George vehemently denied that the engine room had been engulfed before the passenger ship started sinking.
“The vessel was taking in water and it is being pumped out. We are there doing that with Fire Services. Until that is completed so we can go down and look at the hull to determine whether it is a weak spot in the hull due to wear and tear. There is no new information I can give at this time. It is taking on a whole lot of water and it’s being pumped out,” George said.
He added, “There was absolutely no fire in any part of that vessel. It was anchored and it’s one of the vessels that has not been in regular service. I don’t know what she saw. There was no fire.”
But MP for Pointe-a-Pierre David Lee questioned why the vessel was left unmaintained and neglected for so long.
Exclusive footage obtained by Guardian Media’s cameraman Ivan Toolsie showed that plywood had been used to barricade the windows of the ferry. Moss was also seen on the vessel which appeared to be in a state of neglect.
“The rate at which this multi-million dollar vessel was sinking suggests that the vessel encountered a major problem with its hull or some other related issue. However, problems such as these are usually detected through proper, timely and adequate maintenance,” Lee said.
He added, “Given that each year this Minister is allocated millions of dollars for the maintenance of these vessels, he must now tell the population when last this vessel was placed in the dry dock for repair.”
Lee called on Sinanan to say when the vessel was sufficiently inspected for safety measures.
“We have seen in the video that some of the glass windows of the vessel have been replaced by plywood, highlighting the possible neglect of the vessel. This matter must not be taken lightly or swept under the carpet as is the norm of this administration because had this occurred while in use or with passengers onboard, lives could have been lost,” he added.
Lee said the public needed answers and the government must provide a proper contingency plan to ensure there are no hindrances to the travelling public.
