The board of the Port Authority of T&T (PATT) has been asked to submit all documents involving the award of contracts to Bridgemans Service group LP for the leasing of the Cabo Star and Ocean Flower 2 to the Integrity Commission (IC).
This was one of several issues that came up at Monday’s emergency meeting behind closed doors at the Port of Port-of Spain’s administrative building.
Once this is done, the Integrity Commission will begin preparing for the commencement of its own independent investigation.
The board was asked to submit the documents during the marathon meeting, which came less than two weeks after former agriculture minister Devant Maharaj wrote a nine-page letter to the IC, addressed to chairman Zainool Hosein, asking for a commission of enquiry into the procurement process followed by PATT in the deals.
The T&T Guardian understands the board is expected to convene again next week on the matter.
Both the Cabo Star and Ocean Flower 2 were leased from Canadian-based ferry service provider Bridgemans at a daily rate of US$22,5000 (TT$157,000) and US$26,5000 (TT$185,000) respectively. The vessels were initially leased to fill the gap created by the Super Fast Galicia, which left the sea bridge in April after a contractual fallout with PATT, but the contract for the Ocean Flower was terminated after it failed to arrive here on time and mechanical issues were highlighted following an inspection by PATT’s chief engineer Brendon Powder.
The PATT board meeting, which started at 11 am and ended late into Monday night, called on the members, chaired by Alison Lewis, to bring in all documents and print out emails and correspondence they may have on the negotiations for the cargo and passenger vessels. Once this is done the documents will be forwarded to the IC, where an investigation will begin.
Powder had ruled that the Ocean Flower may not have been suitable to service the sea bridge because of several mechanical issues and explosion risks identified during the sea trial he conducted in Panama. He instead recommended that the 21-year old vessel should remain in Colon Panama, to urgently attend all repairs prior to its sailing to Trinidad. Powder and a team of PATT officials visited Panama to inspect the Ocean Flower over the period July 30 to August 6.
Several calls to Hosein’s cellphone went answered yesterday. The IC’s communication manager Mervyn Crichlow is currently on vacation and communications department member Anna Williams could not respond to the T&T Guardian questions, but promised to speak to Crichlow and get back to us.
Lewis did not respond to a text message asking if the board was asked to submit documents to the IC and if the IC will probe the contracts of both vessels.
Contacted yesterday, Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan said he did not have any forthcoming information on what went on in the meeting. He, however, refused to answer any other questions pertaining to the PATT and the sea bridge fiasco.
“I am only dealing with landslides today (yesterday),” Sinanan said in reference to the major landslide on Monday night along the North Coast Road near the Maracas lookout.