Teno steps into Tinian ferry foray

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio said yesterday his office is ready to meet with Tinian officials to try to deal with the transportation problems brought about by the sudden closure of the ferry service between the island municipality and Saipan.

He offered assistance to the Tinian Legislative Delegation whose chairman Sen. Joaquin Adriano earlier has said they would discuss possible measures in hopes to ease the effect of the lack of ferry transportation as well as to resolve the legal dispute as soon as possible.

“We are looking at the impact of the shut-down of the ferry service,” Tenorio told reporters yesterday. “If the (Tinian) delegation needs to meet with us to try to find solution to assist our people from Tinian… we will try to do something.”

Local officials from the Tinian municipality have pledged to help Tinian Shipping & Transportation, Inc. deal with the legal problems that have forced the company to halt its ferry service.

A meeting was scheduled this week with company executives and other municipal officials, but there is no information whether they had reached an agreement on how to address the problems stemming from TSTI’s financial woes.

Two vessels owned by TSTI, a subsidiary of Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino, were seized by the federal court over the weekend due to its failure to settle its loan to Debis Financial Services, Inc.

The order has cut ferry service between Saipan and Tinian — a popular mode of transportation to the hotel and casino, leaving only the air service as the only link to the island municipality.

While local carriers Pacific Island Aviation and Freedom Air have been helping the casino bring in the tourists and guests, officials fear that the absence of the ferry has affected their arrivals.

Anthony Ha, TSTI spokesman, has said it would appeal the court ruling and has asked Tinian residents and the municipal government to rally behind the company to allow them operate the ferry service while awaiting court dates for appeal.

The shipping company had borrowed a total $7.6 million from Debis Financial to finance the acquisition of two vessels — Saipan Express and Tinian Express. But it has been in default in paying arrears amounting to $753,270 every six months due to declining tourist arrivals to the CNMI spawned by the Asian economic troubles.