The vice president of Bridgemans Services group Andrew Purdey says they have heard “zero” from the Port Authority on the evaluation of tenders for a passenger ferry for the inter-island sea bridge.
Bridgemans tendered the Ocean Flower 2 in the bid which closed on September 20.
Curiously, on that same day, the vessel docked in Chaguaramas for what was described as a “planned dry dock”.
Asked whether the dry dock had been completed Purdey said “Dry docking will be completed in the coming weeks and ongoing preventative maintenance until we secure a contract.”
Purdey said the Ocean Flower2 will “be docked alongside the Chaguaramas Port for the next few weeks” and that the vessel will depart that location “when we secure a contract or reposition”.
The Guardian understands that it was only last week the chairman of the board of the Port Authority Allison Lewis wrote to the Tobago Chamber asking for a representative to sit on the Evaluation Committee.
At a meeting on Thursday, the Chamber did not select a representative, but members instead agreed to write to Lewis requesting more details of their role on the committee.
Lewis could not be reached for comment.
Purdey claimed that Bridgemans had tendered the Ocean Flower 2 elsewhere but refused to say where for reasons of “confidentiality”.
Purdey said Bridgemans had been “supporting the port and the people of the country with an extra sailing of the Cabo Star to support the breakdown of the Express”.
But communications manager of the T&T Inter-Island Transport (TTIT) Vilma Lewis-Cockburn said the Cabo Star sailed earlier at 11 am on Friday to accommodate passengers’ vehicles because problems on the T&T express were being addressed. Affected passengers were accommodated on the Water Taxi.
The T&T Express returned to service on Saturday.
Truckers have complain that the Cabo Star is now taking eight to eight-and-a-half hours to get to and from Tobago.
Purdey said he was not aware of that. “As far as I know same crew, same speed,” he said.
Lewis-Cockburn also indicated she had no knowledge of the claim made by the truckers.