New water taxis to arrive in T&T Saturday

Trinidad and Tobago's four new Australian-built high-speed passenger ferries have exceeded performance expectations during recent sea trials, The National Infrastructure Development Company Limited (NIDCO) said Thursday in a media release.

Communications Manager Ingrid Ishmael said the vessels are expected to arrive on Saturday and will be kept at the Staubles Bay Coast Guard in Chaguaramas, until the date of the official launch. NIDOC has not yet announced a date to launch the four vessels.

The boats, named Calypso Sprinter, Trini Flash, Paria Bullet and the Carnival Runner, are for use in the Water Taxi service between Port of Spain and San Fernando.

Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner is considering expanding the service to Point Fortin. Warner has also suggested that the boats could be put to other uses, including weekend charters.

Each of the ferries can carry as many as 405 passengers and travel at speeds of more than 37 knots. The commute time frrom Port of Spain to San Fernando is expected to be about 45 minutes.

When fully operational the water taxi service is expected to transport over 7,500 passengers in a normal working day and will be integrated with other transport systems.