TTCG MADE VERY REASONABLE EFFORTS SAYS HINDS

CCNTV6

The National Security Minister tells TV6 News that the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard made very reasonable efforts in its attempt to retrieve the vessel in this country's waters

Transcript

00:00National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hines confirmed at the TV6 News on Sunday that he

00:05received a report regarding the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard's response to a sighting

00:10of a vessel that appeared to contain the remains of five unidentified individuals.

00:15The vessel did not have the usual anchor port, I think it is what it is called, and therefore

00:24they had to link the vessel by its tow line, the Coast Guard that is, to some part of that

00:34vessel, one of the strong points on the vessel in other words.

00:40The Coast Guard spoke of the deteriorated condition of the vessel, which sank when its

00:45patrol boat attempted to tow it.

00:47TV6 News sought clarification from Minister Hines about the tow line.

00:51So it is not from the report I had that it might be the tow line that broke, but rather

00:56the vessel itself in its very deteriorated condition might have come asunder at the strong

01:03point at which the join, the connection was made and that would have been the reason from

01:09what I had heard to the release of the vessel from the Coast Guard vessel after their very

01:15reasonable efforts to retrieving it.

01:19Minister Hines commended the Coast Guard for its response.

01:23So in terms of assets, the Coast Guard were there and engaged in reasonable efforts to

01:30secure the vessel to bring it to a place in Trinidad and Tobago.

01:36The National Security Minister also elaborated on what the Coast Guard saw as that vessel

01:41bearing a striking resemblance to a vessel found off the coast of Tobago in May of 2021

01:48which had reportedly drifted from West Africa with migrants on board.

01:52Minister Hines also spoke about another incident of a vessel having drifted from West Africa

01:57to the Canary Islands.

01:59We are very sympathetic to the loved ones of those who would have suffered those experiences

02:07in the three events of which I have just spoken in the case of the one off the Canary Islands.

02:13It was just one survivor of several on the vessel.

02:17It's a rather sad state of affairs and I'm told from the experts that these vessels are

02:24designed really for coastal activity and not for offshore activity as a drift would have

02:32led them to.

02:34Minister Hines said the information he had at the time of our interview was that the

02:38search for the vessel continues.

02:40Jule Brown, TV6 News.

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