13-hour delay for Panorama passengers

Passengers travelling to Tobago via the 11 pm sailing on the MV Panorama on Tuesday night were  inconvenienced as the boat experienced minor technical difficulties. Port Authority’s Communications Manager, Betty Ann Gibbons, told Newsday yesterday  there was a problem with the air-conditioning system, as a result of a leak which had developed in one of the lines. As a result, Gibbons said the captain took the decision to have the problem repaired before sailing in the interest of both the passengers and crew. When Newsday visited the port at around 10.30 am, we were told the leak was being repaired and that passengers who had chosen to wait at the port from the night before, were being allowed on to the boat for breakfast.

Gibbons confirmed this information while apologising for the delay and the inconvenience caused. At the time of the interview around 11.30 am, Gibbons said she had been informed that the last two passengers were boarding as the leak had been repaired. Passengers from the  scheduled Tuesday’s 11 pm sailing were accommodated on yesterday’s noon sailing, while other passengers who may have left would have been accommodated on the 2 pm sailing yesterday, Gibbons concluded. She also assured that there will be no backlog of passengers due to the delay.