The Minister of National Security and Minister of Communications, the Honourable Stuart Young, hosted a media conference yesterday at the Ministry of Works and Transport in Port of Spain.
These are some of the comments made pertaining to national security issues and in particular the purchase of the two Austal Cape Class Vessels to be used by the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG):
- Trinidad and Tobago is moving forward with procuring two (2) Austal Cape Class Vessels from Austal Ship Building. Austal is a leading International ship building firm in Australia and one of the best in class naval ship builders in the world;
- Experts from the TTCG spent a week in Australia observing and testing the Austal Cape Class Vessels and produced a report in July of this year, detailing how well the vessels worked;
- Subsequently, the TTCG experts recommended in that report to the government, that these type vessels can be used and are suitable to work in the waters of Trinidad and Tobago and that they can be integrated with the six (6) Austal vessels and the Damon vessels currently owned by the Coast Guard.
- Currently, the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard has six (6) Fast Patrol Crafts built by Austal, but they are currently not working.
- Austal experts have submitted to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, a proposal for making these six (6) Fast Patrol vessels currently in the fleet of the Coast Guard, seaworthy once again.
- All of these vessels will be used in the fight against crime in Trinidad and Tobago, by shoring up and patrolling the country’s borders and ensuring that our borders are less porous.
