Inter-Isle sea bridge to be strengthened next year

THE sea bridge will be further boosted within the next two to three months, as plans to have two fast ferries service the local route get underway. THA Chief Secretary Orville London said confirmation was received from Minister of Works and Transport Colm Imbert, on a proposal to have two fast ferries plying between Trinidad and Tobago by the next two months has been accepted and is about to be implemented. London said that arrangements have been made to have the lease on the Lynx extended for another year and the CAT returned for a six-months period so that for a short time, there will be three ferries working alongside the Panorama.

However, the lease on the MV Sonia will not be renewed when it expires at the end of the year resulting in, come next year, the route being serviced by the Lynx, CAT and Panorama. London said the period will be used to experiment on which combination of vessels will better suit demands of the sea bridge and hopefully, by the time the lease on the CAT has expired in mid-2006, they will be closer to purchasing a fast ferry and deciding whether to renew the Lynx’s lease or purchase a fast or conventional ferry.

London also sought to quell fears that the MV Sonia was unsafe for travel by assuring that its safety conditions exceeded international standards. Making a direct comment on reports last week that a man had fallen overboard from the Sonia, London said, following consultations with technocrats, he was comforted that all the ferries serving the domestic route had met international safety requirements and it was extremely difficult for any “normal human being under normal circumstances to fall off the vessel.” Meanwhile, the TT Coastguard has called off active search for the body of a man who had reportedly fallen overboard the MV Sonia last Monday. However Scarborough CID officers are continuing investigations.