Stranded ferry passenger repacks for flight to Antigua on charter flights
Passengers, as they were finally facilitated last weekend, at the beginning of this weekend are being advised to make their way to the VC Bird airport and John A Osborne airport with their full luggage, for transportation between the two islands.
It has become a ‘saga’ as the ferry woes continue to disrupt travel by sea into and out of Montserrat. On Friday morning, December 20, 2013 after the ferry (Carib Sun) of which passengers have given good reviews, there was again no ferry for Friday continuing into Monday. It could not be at a worse time of the year, is the official word, but it seems no one is giving the full story.
The full story does not help the passengers and others who feel need for the service, especially after the hype that has been in the air for the entire year. Merchants in Montserrat may not be unhappy, except that they also may have need for goods coming out of Antigua to augment their Christmas stock, to facilitate those who could not afford the trip to Antigua. Those most disappointed would be those who would make the trip to improve their shopping choices.
Stranded ferry passenger load baggage for transport to airport from ferry portHe confirmed that the ferry M.V. Carib Queen which was scheduled to operate the service on Friday and Saturday, informed the authorities Thursday that they still have not completed maintenance and therefore cannot fulfill their obligation.
The report said that Tuitt made contact with the Owner of the M.V. Carib Sun and M.V. Carib Surf, but they have confirmed that both vessels are already booked to operate special charter services from St. Kitts to St. Maarten and therefore will not be available.
Hence the management of the Montserrat Ferry Service has organised a number of charter flights from Antigua and Montserrat for Friday morning to facilitate the movement of passengers.
These problems have most likely been festering as sources claim that poor negotiations are to blame. This is being revealed now, but at the Governor’s press conference where Governor Davis rebuffed the use of and inclusion of Geralds airport in the transportation needs of Montserrat, DFID’s Kato Kimbugwe was updating on the latest good news position of ferry transportation.
He referred to the problem of addressing access to Montserrat, which he said, “involved increasing the frequency of the service from three days to five days, improving the type of vessel so instead of a mono-hull vessel…a twin-hull vessel (Carib Surf) because it was more comfortable.”
He had hinted there might be problems. “…the problem has been in trying to get it to a full-time service,…Carib Surf had other commitments in St. Kitts which they just couldn’t drop…”
He then enlightened: “We are trying finalising work on the economic appraisal for the acquisition of a ferry for Montserrat. We are not waiting until that decision has been taken and then it takes 18 months to build ferry.”
Kimbugwe was obviously the purpose built ferry heard of for more than a year now.
Carib Sun – expected to be faster, bigger and more comfortable
