Due to rough seas the ferry Jaden Sun is scheduled to dock at Port Plymouth at 2PM on Wednesday, March 8.
According to a release from the Office of the Premier, a meeting was held at the Governor’s Office with the Premier, Governor, DMCA, MVO, the Access Coordinator, and the Commissioner of Police to discuss planned protocols for the emergency disembarkation of the ferry at Port Plymouth today.
Visitors have already begun to arrive for the St Patrick’s Festival which begins in earnest on Friday, March 10. Passengers were stranded in Antigua on Tuesday evening as the ferry could not travel due to rough seas.
“We understand the frustration and difficulties being experienced by those passengers who are coming to Montserrat to celebrate St Patrick’s Day with us and are currently stranded in Antigua due to rough waters. The agencies involved are all working closely together to ensure that this process of receiving passengers safely flows as smoothly as possible following the agreed protocols and scientific advice,” the release stated.
Officials have agreed that Port Little Bay is not a safe place to dock and the main “objective is to get the ferry and its passengers to Montserrat and disembarked at Port Plymouth as safely as possible without breaching any safety protocols.
“Due to the safety and security concerns of the Plymouth jetty being located in Exclusion Zone V we are planning only to disembark passengers from the ferry. Ferry departures will not take place in port Plymouth and there are no plans for night arrivals in Plymouth.
“Police officers will be on the ground in Plymouth to address all security protocols. Persons are advised to follow the directives of the police officers where instructed. No unauthorised persons will be allowed to enter Plymouth during this operation.
Passengers will be transported to Salem police station where they will be processed by customs and immigration. Persons meeting passengers must wait outside until all customs and immigration processes are completed.
Anyone planning to leave Montserrat via ferry today will need to contact the access coordination division on 491-4703 for more information.
The MV Jaden Sun was scheduled to depart Antigua at approximately midday with an Estimated Time of Arrival of around 2 pm.
