BVIPA purchases marine vessel for $230K
The BVI Ports Authority (BVIPA) has enhanced its patrolling capabilities with the acquisition of a new special operations marine vessel.
The boat, a 38-foot Midnight Express interceptor with a re-enforced hull, was purchased for $230,000.
Among other duties, Premier Andrew Fahie said the vessel is expected to be used for monitoring the BVIPA’s marine devices in addition to assisting with harbour patrols as the BVIPA deems necessary.
The contract to acquire the vessel was awarded to Midnight Marine Holdings Limited after a “full transparent process of evaluation” was completed, the Premier stated.
Two other vendors also reportedly submitted bids as part of the tender process.
Meanwhile, the vessel’s purchase is said to be in keeping with the compliance needs of an international audit the Authority is expected to undergo shortly.
Premier Fahie said part of the requirements needed to be compliant with the upcoming audit was the “efficient and timely patrolling and managing of our officially designated harbour areas and signage”.
He said although the BVIPA has known about the upcoming audit for the last five years, preparation for the audit only began within the last year-and-a-half under his government.
The vessel procured is reportedly designed for military and law enforcement agencies to defend coastlines around the world.
According to a US Customs and Border Protection Fact Sheet, the 39-foot Midnight Express Interceptor vessel is an integral part of Air and Marine Operations (AMO) efforts to combat maritime smuggling.
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Fox guarding the henhouse..
……and the badgeman just happen to win the bed.
I saw that boat park up at Fat Hog’s Bob restaurant. Both political parties are horrible but the only difference with the parties is that one hides and the other one shows their true colours.
All that money for an old used boat that was condemned? When is this man going to stop giving free money to that prominent family in the east? They got easy money for the barges, they got easy money for fishing and farming and a 5year contract using a tug boat to assist the cruise ships
What happened to the drug boat with the 3-4 engines that was captured at Ft Recovery. Did you give it back to the Belonger owner. That boat was free!! No schools but the Foy buying boats…
Are you that dumb how can government confiscate a vessel before the matter even gone to trial?
Lol ? that old, used & heavy skiff won’t be able to keep up with the 450R’s sitting on the back of these youngin’s lovely legally acquired performance center consoles much less the racers…..much ado about nothing. Those tiny engines are outdated and woefully underpowered for that heavy hull. Is it carbon fiber layup?
I don’t think it’s the ports intention to be running behind the youngins . They have to be part of harbor patrols as they manage harbors and it’s a normal part of port control but they aren’t law enforcement charged with chasing up the fast boats …that’s what Customs and RVIP do …who also do so with help of US Coast Guard as BVI is still under equipped to handle the trafficking happening in our waters .
stupid logo
Just like the one up the Airport
VIP likes to spend our money on everything but our children, education, our elderly and our infrastructure..
For that price, it cannot event classify as used, it is worn out.
Isn’t that the same boat in them *** yard hodge creek?
These guys know this boat can’t catch nothing, why you think they get it? Chess not checkers
It will be used to go Willy T every weekend
Tax $$$
What’s that great flushing sound I hear?
Maybe it is really a sleeper in disguise. LOL.
Did that boat came into the B.V.I all wrap up with durable white plastic from bow to stern, along with the engine all wrap up. ?
What year was that vessel built?
What year were those engines built?
Just asking.
This a old boat there’s newer boats for this price and where was this tender put out to the public?
Say that the S****l man was trying to sell the Ports a boat while he was in charge.
With 4 225 optimax what a backwards place we in not even 4 strokes to save money on oil and gas set ah sheep heads
Hopefully it has a lot of cargo space so usage can be shared for drug smuggling too…GO VIP
Wow and the Hospital can’t get a simple medical boat promise over 10 yrs now to transport the sick or injured from the sister islands when needed and stop using the ferries and private planes.
Things to look at VIP
The Cayman ?? Islands purchase (2) state of art Boeing helicopter ?. What says the BVI?
They could have given back the employees back the money, for when they cut their pay.
They use that money to buy boat and had them staff suffering when they cut them pay. They need pay them staff back. Craziness
$230K for an old Midnight in need of a re-power, my gosh…
Lol if i didn’t know better i would’ve said that was customs old boat the gov bought for around 300k sold it to the customs officer for half the price and bought it back for what they paid for it over 5 years ago ??????
JUST A SITTING LEMON. POOR LEMON LOOKS LIKE IT IS GOING TO CONK OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HARBOR.
Even with a transparent bidding process some of you fools still blog foolishness. This is just hatred now and not sense.
YOU AND YOUR SIDE KICK NEED TO GO HAVE A SEAT UNDER A MANGO TREE AND TAKE A LOAD OFF. TRANSPARENCY IS NOT A NORMAL THING IN THE BVI.
Hope you saved some money for the mechanic. You are going to need it!
It be like all the other boats. It will just sit on a trailer by the police station broke…while those drug boys zoom around with they new $70K engines and pockets full o cash.