Superyacht Alfa Nero finally left the Falmouth harbor after a year. It was not sailing to a new destination with a new owner but undergoing a short sea trial following repairs carried out by the ship’s captain. Looming legal battles weren’t enough that the inclement Hurricane Lee also got added to the list of ordeals. It may be a blessing in disguise as the 269-foot-long abandoned vessel finally stretched her legs after several months.
Port Manager Darwin Telemaque said the Alfa Nero was taken on sea trial following repairs carried out by the ship’s captain. It was imperative to check the vessel’s mobility in preparation for any erratic weather changes.
“They flew in an engineer to address a challenge that existed onboard the ship—the ship has many, many challenges—and the captain wanted someone to have a look at a console that manages the movement of the ship,” Telemaque explained. Being immobile, the ship’s engine and generators have suffered, which will affect the boat’s performance. In addition to paying $30,000 a week, these repairs cost the government of Antigua another $8,000 to $9,000. It was an essential step to prepare for Hurricane Lee, which was expected to become a Category 5 hurricane.
“Everyone understands the risks that the vessel poses to navigation and to the effective use of the harbor, which is the main reason why the government has been trying to liquidate that asset. We have asked for it to be removed by its owners, but it is still there, and as of now, the government has taken the only step it could to remove it,” Darwin said. This time last year, Antigua and Barbuda was spared any significant storms that could have caused damage to the Alfa Nero or the Falmouth Harbor.
“We are looking at various options, but the options are challenging because of the position of the vessel, and one wants to be extremely careful in what we do, knowing the limitations we have in terms of equipment to handle that vessel,” he explained, per Antigua Observer.
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Their priorities are in the wrong place. All the same the Alfa Nero will be Gaston’s undoing. Curiosity killed the cat and greed will kill the darg!
Why do they have to justify how many repairs were done to a board that is not theirs? No citizen is benefiting from this stupid fiasco except the government parties involved yet taxpayers Mooney are going into it. Just give them back their boat. It isn’t Antigua to keep. Greed and poor heart will be the destruction of mankind
Prepare for Hurricane Lee? Am I missing something here? Lee was never going to affect Antigua and Barbuda. We are paying dearly for the stupidity and incompetence of Telequack and Gaston Browne. We now know of an alleged underhanded deal to land the Dawg 10 million.
What a joke this government is! Trying to steal someone’s property and sell it. Now the boat isn’t even seaworthy? Just stupidity at its best.
Gaston Browne 🥸 repeatedly takes financial risks with tax-payers money 💰, eventually it will end in disaster.
Remember, when bucket go well every day, one day di bottom ago drop out …
The alpha Nero is turning into the
Alpha nar go!!😅😅
Them too damn greedy. Want all get none!
Stupid people are tiring me down every day here on this website. And I will not leave them alone. Guess what? If by any slim change a hurricane comes and you are not prepared, what would you call it? “Stupidity”, won’t you. Well, this administration has people that are not stupid. They make good and sound decisions. The other day I mentioned that if Air Peace builds a maintenance factory for airplanes here, the airlines don’t have to fly in mechanics on private jets at the last minute to deal with issues the airline encounters while turning around here in Antigua. I also mentioned that we have this all the time at places like the hospital. where we have specialized equipment and no technicians to service them. Yacht in English Harbor have to deal with that all the time. They have to fly in mechanics from St. Maarten with parts that are not available on Island. And when they need to clear customs with these part our local brokerage agent has to ensure a fast clearance of the goods. But what the heck do stupid people know. Leave them in their ignorance.
Yes, they make sound decisions like the same one we have on hand that’s costing us more than the $30K per week that they want us to believe and the US$2Bil Yida Project, the multi-billion dollar Guiana Farms(Data Tan Kay Hok) Project and the smuggling of Africans into the Caribbean and the Americas, among other Self- enrichment schemes. Was the US $10Mil that was paid to a US registered company as gurantee for the ownership of the Alfa Nero a sound decision?
Intelligent People get silenced so that stupid people won’t get offended. But I don’t give a damn if you get offended. Why not say that it costs $30K a day? That would make it more believable.
I was not aware that the Yida development cost us any money. On the contrary, it brought us money. Sadly, it didn’t last long. I guess the place is cursed, because Dato Tan also tried to develop it, and ran into problems as well. Thereafter Stanford tried and he too ran into problems. I guess no one should try to develop that place.
But I understand you and others like you will never wish for anything that is good for the country well. As long as it is done by this government. The government should have not interfered with the yacht and left it right there to cause a marine disaster. As the crew had given the government notice that they would be abandoning the ship it was for the government to sit back and do nothing. And since this was a sanctioned yacht no one came to claim it. But the minute the government forcefully by law acquired it and negotiated with the Americans to have the sanction removed, only then people showed up claiming they are the owner. And the government should now just give it back to them. Thank God we do not have UPP in power, because I cannot imagine what would have happened. The government owns the ship now by law and therefore the government has to maintain it. And it is hoped and expected to sell this yacht as soon as all the legal challenges are behind us. You know what a stupid decision was that cost us lots of money? Buying a power plant for US$50 million and having it only worked for three months. And forcibly acquiring a property HMB Hotel and have no buyer to take it from you. And then sat on it for years while the interest clock kept ticking adding almost the same amount to the principal amount. A whopping US$23million dollar. I guess those two examples should be enough for you for now.
Shugy only goes to certain houses and his campaigners have absolutely no respect for ppl property 😒 they come to campaign and they see fruit trees and just pick as they plz .
I read that repairs were done by the ship’s captain and an engineer was flown to Antigua to do repairs on the same ship. It seems like the captain is an engineer so why employ a second one? Was the captain paid for his services also? Telemaque said that the owners were asked to remove the vessel. So how is the government able to sell a vessel that it doesn’t own? They need to keep their story straight.
This government is so crooked minded that they cannot even make a straight forward, intelligent, sensible decision in any negotiations they enter into. Their minds are so warped. It is all about themselves or the ABLP benefitting personally from any agreement that they make with anyone who appears to have money and not for the benefit or interest of the country and it’s people on a whole. This modus operandi by this government in the way they do things frequently backfires on them and the people of Antigua and Barbuda suffers tremendously as a result. When they realize their mistakes, they claimed they were duped when it was from their own doings. The bible says ‘ The Love of money is the root of all evil.”
And what does the bible say about a lying tongue?
Proverbs 6:16-19
“There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”
Why the genius minds of Governance, not charged the sanctioning entity for the encumbered tab for the stay of abandonment since in effect; and have had comprehensive vetting of the title holder indemnity and liability through the boat’s insurance company, and flag registration as of when it first enter port, and docked here: even before assuming abandonment and title ownership without a claim to imminent domain. You just can’t assume ownership of private property by having a controlled parliament enact legislation for convenience. Thus, I proffer that that ugly behemoth be towed down to Cades Reef, and scuttle as the Reef extension- with provision enacted for licensing granted to the Fisher Folks of St.Mary’s South for excursions diving and, be extended to any Antiguan 🇦🇬 Barbudan who might be so interested. Thus bringing and end to this buffoonery of the ill gotten gain saga.
Tek Dat stupid Antiguans and Barbudans .. when arl u a go wake up and tap run behind politicians and paying taxes, paying into schemes be it medical or social or mask wearing vax’schemes into a system dat nar do notin fu arlyuh?!!
@ Sidey calling people stupid and quoting scriptures. Wow. Hey, his boss started the scripture quoting thingy so that comes as no surprise. Remember @Sidey, as per Lester Bird, educated people do not support ALP. Where does that leave you?
Your opinions are always with a single intention. Prop up a crooked, greedy,corrupt,incompetent administration, because its ALP.
This high sea piracy thing will not work in these times. These oligarchs are rolling in dough and that makes their reach long. Beware.
I am still waiting to hear if Antigua 🇦🇬 ambassador to the United States have ask that government for restitution as it was on their behalf Antigua 🇦🇬 held the vessel. And stop using the label ” abandoned ” it was a sanctioned vessel on the behalf of the United States 🇺🇸..Let them pay the storage and upkeep fees .
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