Money down the drain because of cargo vessel accident at Port

Service providers in the cruise tourism industry are estimating that hundreds of dollars have been lost as a result of the cargo vessel accident which occurred earlier this week and resulted in the cancellation of two cruise calls.

Winston Pops Morgan

What was supposed to be a money-earning day for taxi operators and vendors turned into empty pockets when a large container ship, Splendid Ace, sustained damage to its hulls when it attempted to berth at the Kingstown Cruise Terminal on Sunday, November 10, 2024.

The Port Authority released a public notice on Sunday mid-morning, informing the public of the incident and the subsequent cancellation of the P&O Aurora.

President of the SVG Taxi Association, Winston Pops Morgan, said taxi operators, who communicate in a group chat, were made aware of the challenges around 6:00 a.m on Sunday, and many of them had their fingers crossed that the cargo vessel could be removed from the wharf to make way for the cruise ship to dock.

“Communication came just after 6 a.m … that the boat will not be able to come in. But there was still hope because some were saying the boat could tender, but then we were told that overall it cancelled.”

Morgan described the situation as disappointing considering the amount of work which operators put into preparing for a cruise.

“Prior to ships coming in, people take the evening off early to go and clean their vehicles and get ready for the ship to come the next day. So whatever trips were coming their way, they might’ve passed them on to someone else, in anticipation of [Sunday’s] boat. That not being able to come in means that they put away what they would have gotten in vain.”

He estimated the loss at around EC$400 and $800 for taxi operators, in addition to money spent to stock drinks for passengers.

“If you are a good hustler and you could’ve made, the least, US$150 for small seven-seaters, and those with big vans could’ve made at least US$300. Without the boat coming in that is a major loss of revenue and not only for taxi drivers but others within the industry.”

The Cruise Ship Tenant Association were also upset about the “thousands of dollars in missed revenue” and described the incident as, “A huge embarrassment for the country as we try and [sic] attract more visitors and surely a PR disaster for the SVG Port Authority.”

In a release, the Association made a call for a thorough investigation into the incident.

“People deserve to know what happened and could this have been avoided?! At a time when our country needs every dollar, this PR disaster is very unwelcome,” they said.

Morgan echoed similar sentiments, adding that the Kingstown wharf is already under strain from the damage sustained from the passage of Hurricane Beryl on July 1.

“We would sincerely hope that an issue like that would not present itself again. We know the challenges from [Hurricane] Beryl and having to use that cruise ship wharf for cargo,” he acknowledged.

The Port Authority completed repairs of Splendid Ace on Tuesday, November 12.

“The damage that the vessel sustained was assessed and repairs carried out to an acceptable standard under the guidance of a NK class surveyor who arrived in state on Monday, November 11, 2024,” the Port Authority said in a statement.

Splendid Ace departed the Kingstown Cruise Terminal around midday on Tuesday.

The Resident Lady was due to make a call to Port Kingstown on Wednesday, November 13, 2024 however, that was cancelled.
SEARCHLIGHT understands the cancellation was unrelated to the vessel incident.

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