Govt scraps $billion Coast Guard vessel (OPV) deal

[rfari]

So why doesnt ANY government actually give one of those local boat makers a contract?

Those same boat builders crying about how everyone importing boats cheaply and not buying their OVERLY INFLATED priced boats, so they went and sought HIGHER import duties be imposed on personal importers, why de fak they dont complain about how government not using their LOCAL vessels too?

How about a Fleet of 30 Big mouth (wide) Pirogues to cover the coast? why must we spend so much for something we didnt need? oh my bad- it was the peeenem that made that deal- go figure

Because its interceptor subs we need

What an interceptor subs? Do tell us

Submarines to intercept other submarines since that's where the drug trade at nowadays according to zoom zader:roll:

Nope its not according to me, It was a report that was done on National Geographic to show the growing use of cocaine subs and how difficult they are find.

Right right. And the documentary also went on to state that all cocaine would be placed in submarines hence no need for coastal patrols right? Nice:roll:

[kaylex]

.......
why we not having any drug busts in the last two years??

I jus askin.. eh....

......no probs at asking.....a simple search showed that you would be subject to correction..........whether you change your tune or accept that you were mistaken is your call....

I sowwwy

[De Dragon]

buying a car with known faults to park it up and expect the dealer to dedicate resources to fix it in a timely manner makes sense?

think there were more competent ship builders with proven vessels and technology that could have given us better value for money....

we all loosing here....regardless of government....

Well our Opposition did agree to Section 34 with the systems to be put in place after its passage, so mebbe we were hoping for a similiar result with the OPV's?
Those who pointing out the British MOD's recommendations wrt accepting the boats and fixing them after, seem to have not noticed the many missed delivery dates by BAE. So you can't get it right the first time, but want to get it done after the vessels are delivered? I think it is a simple case of the MOD looking out for their own.

[Habit7]

Colombia's new locally made OPV - COP$ 120,000,000,000 / TT$ 420,000,000

[rfari]

If rlm was the ag for this government its certain that he wouldn't have lost us all this money like anand

[RIPEBREDFRUIT]

just trying to remember here but didnt a ceertain someone invest MILLIONS into a technological Advanced Radar system to monitor the coasts before leaving office? where did that money go? Oh sh1t, did i really ask what the former P.M ( project manager) do with MIllions of our tax payers monies?

[zoom rader]

just trying to remember here but didnt a ceertain someone invest MILLIONS into a technological Advanced Radar system to monitor the coasts before leaving office? where did that money go? Oh sh1t, did i really ask what the former P.M ( project manager) do with MIllions of our tax payers monies?

The PNM did buy it, but from the last report it was faulty and never really worked.

[rfari]

just trying to remember here but didnt a ceertain someone invest MILLIONS into a technological Advanced Radar system to monitor the coasts before leaving office? where did that money go? Oh sh1t, did i really ask what the former P.M ( project manager) do with MIllions of our tax payers monies?

The PNM did buy it, but from the last report it was faulty and never really worked.

Last i know is that min of nat sec not maintaining the system. Not surprising really

[RIPEBREDFRUIT]

just trying to remember here but didnt a ceertain someone invest MILLIONS into a technological Advanced Radar system to monitor the coasts before leaving office? where did that money go? Oh sh1t, did i really ask what the former P.M ( project manager) do with MIllions of our tax payers monies?

The PNM did buy it, but from the last report it was faulty and never really worked.

Last i know is that min of nat sec not maintaining the system. Not surprising really

So why is it that this current system cannot be used in conjunction with a fleet of smaller, faster more agile boats to effectively monitor the coast?

And please, forget the stupid comments about the submarines and get realistic.

[WetR]

maybe the staff in charge of the systems were either sacked, or draggin stones. we like to hop on 1 leg to d finishline nuh.

[rfari]

just trying to remember here but didnt a ceertain someone invest MILLIONS into a technological Advanced Radar system to monitor the coasts before leaving office? where did that money go? Oh sh1t, did i really ask what the former P.M ( project manager) do with MIllions of our tax payers monies?

The PNM did buy it, but from the last report it was faulty and never really worked.

Last i know is that min of nat sec not maintaining the system. Not surprising really

So why is it that this current system cannot be used in conjunction with a fleet of smaller, faster more agile boats to effectively monitor the coast?

And please, forget the stupid comments about the submarines and get realistic.

Thats an option the government can explore. It waits to be seen what would be done. Seems simple enough right? Makes u wonder why nothing was since pp came into office.

[zoom rader]

just trying to remember here but didnt a ceertain someone invest MILLIONS into a technological Advanced Radar system to monitor the coasts before leaving office? where did that money go? Oh sh1t, did i really ask what the former P.M ( project manager) do with MIllions of our tax payers monies?

The PNM did buy it, but from the last report it was faulty and never really worked.

Last i know is that min of nat sec not maintaining the system. Not surprising really

It was defective before the PNM called the last general election. It was the PNM that installed n maintained it, remember the San Fernando rader our of service since. I please dont test me on raders

[rfari]

just trying to remember here but didnt a ceertain someone invest MILLIONS into a technological Advanced Radar system to monitor the coasts before leaving office? where did that money go? Oh sh1t, did i really ask what the former P.M ( project manager) do with MIllions of our tax payers monies?

The PNM did buy it, but from the last report it was faulty and never really worked.

Last i know is that min of nat sec not maintaining the system. Not surprising really

It was defective before the PNM called the last general election. It was the PNM that installed n maintained it, remember the San Fernando rader our of service since. I please dont test me on raders

Thts the new word in trinidad now; defective. Small thing leh the druga pass nah man. Defective or not. PP aint put anything in place and purposely destablise national security

[zoom rader]

[/quote]
Thts the new word in trinidad now; defective. Small thing leh the druga pass nah man. Defective or not. PP aint put anything in place and purposely destablise national security[/quote]

mamoo in any country there are few things that they are not allowed to speak about when it come to national security. You dont and may never know what both the PNM and PP has put in place to deal national security, some people that work in that area are not allowed to speak about it.

Eg Have a rasta that living next door to me and no one knew he was a police officer untill he was retired, even other officers that live on the same street never knew this.

[rfari]

But didn't pp make it known that we have a spy agency when they entered office? And then proceeded to dismantle it?

[zoom rader]

But didn't pp make it known that we have a spy agency when they entered office? And then proceeded to dismantle it?

It was a spy agency for the PNM and not for national security. Since when Rachel Price is a treath to national security

[Habit7]

Our billion-dollar OPV hole

By Clarence Rambharat
Story Created: Nov 19, 2012 at 9:58 PM ECT
Story Updated: Nov 20, 2012 at 8:49 AM ECT

There is little reason for celebration if the country did nothing wrong on the Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) deal but suffers a billion-dollar loss. It is why the country is divided on the settlement, and it will not end here. This will be a headline act leading to the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election and, after that, fundamental questions will remain unanswered.

Three questions arise. First, exactly how much did the country lose on this OPV project? Second, going back to the original issue, what is the plan for dealing with the maritime risks, and what new spending is required? And third, was corruption an issue in this OPV procurement, and how quickly will the Government implement the lessons learnt from this aborted purchase?

At the heart of the country's dilemma is the usual absence of details and the People's Partnership Government's credibility challenge. Those politically opposed to the Partnership will obviously see no merit in this settlement, but this Government never helps its own cause. If this climb halfway up a $2.5 billion hole is good news, it demonstrates how bad things have been for the Government.

On that first question of the amount lost, get this fact out of the way. This settlement is not a windfall of any kind for the country. The work of those who identified the contractual failures of BAE Systems (BAE) since 2009, and the Cabinet which terminated the deal in late 2010, was about loss reduction. The country's outlay on the vessels, training, infrastructure, legal expenses, financing and other costs related to this procurement must run close to TT$2.5 billion. If TT$1.32 billion is recovered from BAE, then we are still in a TT$1 billion hole. A billion-dollar loss is no cause for celebration.
In the aborted contract, the country is the big loser. While BAE's annual reports consistently recognise the risks of doing business with governments, the company's big deals with sovereigns sustain its global business model. The local deal was very small in the context of BAE's annual earnings, though it required specific disclosures in the financials when it fell apart. It is therefore unlikely that BAE sustained a loss on the aborted deal, but if it did, it was small.

More important for BAE, even though the company had breached its contractual commitments to this country, the settlement provided it with a decent exit and left us with its losses. From a financial perspective, BAE had already sold the vessels to Brazil, landed orders from Brazil for additional vessels, and achieved its objective of doing more business in the lucrative Latin American market.

Further, this TT$1.32 billion payment to the country does not come out of BAE's pockets. In the company's 2010 and 2011 financials, BAE held 125 million pounds sterling as deferred income on behalf of this country, the company's recognition that it had not yet earned this income. The settlement is a refund of money which was this country's anyway, and leaves us in search of OPVs with TT$1 billion less.

That brings us to the national security issues which remain unanswered. It is not clear whether the Cabinet terminated the OPV contract solely on account of BAE's contractual failures, or on account of the fact that the OPVs did not fit into a crime-fighting strategy of the Government, and BAE's breaches created an exit opportunity for the country. We cannot answer those questions because there is still no coherent plan to fight crime; no details of the "Maritime Wall" the Government proposes and its justification; no expected cost and no timeframe for delivery.

We do know that the Government is considering Colombian vessels. The OPVs will likely come out of the Colombian government-run COTECMAR, which builds the vessels using a design developed by the German shipbuilder Fassmer, not BAE. When the Colombians took delivery in 2010 of the first OPV from that facility, the vessel had taken 18 months to build. This is a smaller OPV compared to BAE's and unlike BAE's it does not have the armament facilities. It means that at best, even though it may do so at a cheaper cost than BAE, new Colombian-built OPVs may not be deliverable until 2015.

This brings us to the next question. In an industry rife with allegations and admissions of corruption involving suppliers, government officials and intermediaries, the Government has not said whether corruption was an issue in the original deal. BAE has recently settled corruption allegations, including US$479 million in fines in the US. Next month, the BAE lobbyist who figured in the US issues, goes on trial in Austria on charges of involvement in corrupt arms deals. It will focus attention on the global trade in legal and illegal arms and the corruption of government procurement, especially in these deals with billion dollar spending.

And speaking of big spends, the final question relates to the lessons the Government has learnt in handling billion-dollar public sector procurement projects. The OPV deal is at times similar to the Point Fortin Highway project, with a lack of information, transparency, and citizen engagement. But the highway project exceeds the value of six OPV settlements. What lessons from the loss-cutting OPV settlement will the Government implement to avoid a repeat, starting with the Point Fortin Highway project? When the Government talks about the poor accounting issues with the OPV project, what exactly happened and who is being held responsible? More importantly, what in the highway project and Government procurement generally will be changed on account of whatever discovery the AG and his legal team made, leading them to believe that some parts of the country's counterclaim against BAE had to be abandoned?

The country is already divided on this OPV settlement, and losing a lot of money is really no cause for celebration when we did no wrong.

• Clarence Rambharat is a lawyer and a university lecturer

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commenta ... 67361.html

talk done.

[rfari]

Clarence issa jew.

[toyota2nr]

Heard Gary Griffith on tv this morning saying that they gonna buy the boats from Colombia.

Plus he saying the blimps were a waste of time and they gonna buy drones for surveillance.

[zoom rader]

Clarence issa jew.

nah he looking to eat an food

[toyota2nr]

It was a spy agency for the PNM and not for national security. Since when Rachel Price is a threat to national security

Bro you take a good look at that woman face? I woulda jail that and throw away the key.

[rfari]

But didn't pp make it known that we have a spy agency when they entered office? And then proceeded to dismantle it?

It was a spy agency for the PNM and not for national security. Since when Rachel Price is a treath to national security

Just like how jw was spying on the express reporter

Clarence issa jew.

nah he looking to eat an food

rofl

Heard Gary Griffith on tv this morning saying that they gonna buy the boats from Colombia.

Plus he saying the blimps were a waste of time and they gonna buy drones for surveillance.

Wait for it

[netsket]

just trying to remember here but didnt a ceertain someone invest MILLIONS into a technological Advanced Radar system to monitor the coasts before leaving office? where did that money go? Oh sh1t, did i really ask what the former P.M ( project manager) do with MIllions of our tax payers monies?

The PNM did buy it, but from the last report it was faulty and never really worked.

Last i know is that min of nat sec not maintaining the system. Not surprising really

rfari u really are misinformed like most supporters of the PNM...i guess the only benefit to you since the PP in power is that you start following the news post-election.

the radar was down during the PNM rule

BLIND RADAR Drug, gun-tracking unit down for past 3 months
January 11, 2008
Read at Trinidad Express

http://caribdaily.com/a/23463/blind-rad ... t-3-months

cant find the whole article because it has been moved by the Trinidad Express. But knowing the proactive individual u are, I am sure you will go to the express and get a copy to enlighten urself.

Place get quiet bai.
Brb. Getting submarine license

rfari, I know you not very bright but hold some coke subs that transport in Pacific and not though the Caribbean sea. Pacific is vast ocean with limited patrol vessels Vs Caribbean busy seas.
Why transport the heavily patrolled Caribbean sea when its easer to use the pacific. You may not know that the British navy patrols in the Caribbean sea for drugs.

Shhsshshshss... doh wowwy. Trinidad not a major transshipment point anymore. Since pp come in government.

and that is bad? or sarcasm?

But didn't pp make it known that we have a spy agency when they entered office? And then proceeded to dismantle it?

misinformed yet again the Project Manager had a parallel spy agency set up to do his dirty work

i doubt u can be that misinformed

[zoom rader]

^^^ easy up mamoo rfari nah, hes a double agent for bailiser house and also know as "section 34"

[rfari]

Netsket, comprehension issa hell of a thing eh. U read an article where they said the radar was down for 3 months and assume that it was down indefinitely? Wat a waste! Rofl!! Why u does even bother? Eh?

[Crackpot]

Our billion-dollar OPV hole

By Clarence Rambharat
Story Created: Nov 19, 2012 at 9:58 PM ECT
Story Updated: Nov 20, 2012 at 8:49 AM ECT





More important for BAE, even though the company had breached its contractual commitments to this country, the settlement provided it with a decent exit and left us with its losses. From a financial perspective, BAE had already sold the vessels to Brazil, landed orders from Brazil for additional vessels, and achieved its objective of doing more business in the lucrative Latin American market.

Further, this TT$1.32 billion payment to the country does not come out of BAE's pockets. In the company's 2010 and 2011 financials, BAE held 125 million pounds sterling as deferred income on behalf of this country, the company's recognition that it had not yet earned this income. The settlement is a refund of money which was this country's anyway, and leaves us in search of OPVs with TT$1 billion less.

We do know that the Government is considering Colombian vessels. The OPVs will likely come out of the Colombian government-run COTECMAR, which builds the vessels using a design developed by the German shipbuilder Fassmer, not BAE. When the Colombians took delivery in 2010 of the first OPV from that facility, the vessel had taken 18 months to build. This is a smaller OPV compared to BAE's and unlike BAE's it does not have the armament facilities. It means that at best, even though it may do so at a cheaper cost than BAE, new Colombian-built OPVs may not be deliverable until 2015.

• Clarence Rambharat is a lawyer and a university lecturer

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commenta ... 67361.html

talk done.

[netsket]

Netsket, comprehension issa hell of a thing eh. U read an article where they said the radar was down for 3 months and assume that it was down indefinitely? Wat a waste! Rofl!! Why u does even bother? Eh?

Just like the OPV and MV Sue, the PNM accustom wasting taxpayers money on faulty products

Jack: Urgent repair for coastal radar


Gun and drug smugglers beware! Surveillance equipment meant to guard the nation’s borders that have been not functioning for the last three years is now being repaired and upgraded. Among them is the 360-degree coastal radar system that formed a major part of the former administration’s crime initiative plan.



Sunday Guardian learnt that the move forms part of National Security Minister Jack Warner’s new crime plan that is expected to be rolled out in the next two weeks. The radar system was set up at strategic points along the coastal areas to monitor vessels moving in and out of T&T waters.



However, several points along the coast have been under threat due to the malfunctioning of the radars. These have been identified as major points of entry for the smuggling of drugs, guns and illegal immigrants. Checks revealed that up until last week the surveillance equipment located at San Fernando Hill, Toco, Moruga and Charlotteville in Tobago was not functioning.



In several of the areas the weather-beaten multi-million dollar equipment was covered in rust, while in Cedros the surveillance equipment has been removed. And while communications specialist Kirk Jean Baptiste of the T&T Coast Guard assured that daily patrols are conducted to monitor activity in the “waters,” Sunday Guardian learnt that the patrols have failed to track the entering of all vessels into the country.



“We are seeing all kinds of things happening in this area but people are afraid to talk. We are seeing boats coming and dropping off things and then speeding off,” a Cedros fisherman told Sunday Guardian under the condition of anonymity. Warner yesterday confirmed to Sunday Guardian that the surveillance equipment meant to monitor movement along the borders had stalled and were not functioning as expected.



The minister said he met with officials of the National Security Operations Centre on Friday and instructed that the borders needed to be secured. “I have been advised that as we speak, the surveillance is being repaired throughout the country. I expect the radar system to be functioning properly within the next ten days as we move to crack down on all illegal activity.” Warner said that he has also instructed all security cameras throughout T&T to be repaired.
http://guardian.co.tt/news/2012-07-01/j ... stal-radar

[rfari]

So is faulty equipment yet warner confident that it would be functional in 10 days? Right right. Manning really say that the drug cartel wanted him out yes.

[brams112]

So is faulty equipment yet warner confident that it would be functional in 10 days? Right right. Manning really say that the drug cartel wanted him out yes.

How manning could say that about his pals boi?

[rfari]

So is faulty equipment yet warner confident that it would be functional in 10 days? Right right. Manning really say that the drug cartel wanted him out yes.

How manning could say that about his pals boi?

So u saying that patrick manning have a big drugs link?