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alexk
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The Galleons Passage may now be arriving in T&T by end the of June—or thereabouts—since it has to spend four weeks in Cuba undergoing retro-fitting before coming to T&T.
At yesterday’s post-Cabinet media briefing, Works Minister Rohan Sinanan confirmed the vessel which has crossed the Panama Canal and is now en route to Cuba.
“We’re happy it would have made a journey across the world and all indication is that the vessel is working as we expected. We’re at the stage now where once the retrofitting in Cuba is completed, it will leave Cuba and be on its final journey to T&T,” Sinanan said.
Finance Minister Colm Imbert said the vessel was delayed in the Panama Canal since it had to queue up. As a passenger vessel it was given a lower priority than other mercantile vessels to pass through the Canal, he added. Imbert estimated it would reach Cuba in a couple days.
Sinanan said it was anticipated that the retro-fitting, which includes the installation of a canopy and toilets on the sundeck, will take just about four weeks.
If the four-week projection for the retrofitting in Cuba is on schedule, the vessel could arrive here in June, or early July.
When the vessel was first acquired and had left China for T&T - in February- Government initially estimated it would arrive here by the end of April. With other delays and stops along the way, it was pushed forward to this month.
No settlement yet for Kay Donna land
Works Minister Rohan Sinanan also said he has not benefitted “anything” from Government’s expected acquisition of Kay Donna cinema for the Curepe Interchange.
Finance Minister Colm Imbert assured that “if Sinanan got anything at all,” it would be based on valuation from the Commissioner of Valuations. Sinanan was asked how much he’s “benefitted” from the acquisition of the property at yesterday’s post-Cabinet briefing. “How much I have ‘lost’, you mean,” he responded.
“As you’re aware I did declare I do have an interest in the property there and that interest would have been declared up front to the Integrity Commission for the last 15 years,” he said.