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NI mayor’s office eyes own vessel
To lessen the burden of waiting for quarterly rides to the Northern Islands, Northern Islands Mayor Jerome K. Aldan is considering the idea of having his office purchase a passenger and cargo ship.
Aldan, along with Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council chair Antonia M. Tudela, met with the U.S Coast Guard Marine Safety Office last Sept. 8 at the Horiguchi Building to discuss acquiring a vessel.
Aldan proposes to purchase a vessel that could carry about 50 passengers and cargo.
“It is part of the redevelopment process and we’re trying to build our own goals and take off with the redevelopment of the Northern Islands so we could have a vessel ready and come and go when we need to,” Aldan said.
Right now, according to him, it takes about three months or more to charter a vessel for the Northern Islands and this is too long a wait.
“If we acquire a vessel, it would eliminate the timeframe and the frequency of the visit would be more readily available instead of every quarter,” he said. “If we own one, it is a one-time purchase and we can use it anytime.”
He declined to come up with a projected cost for the project, saying they are still in the exploratory stage.
“We’re going to tap funds and we’re working with the CNMI Governor’s Office Grants Management Office to do this and we’re doing the legwork right now,” he said.
The USCG office provided them information on the logistics of purchasing and operating a passenger and cargo vessel. The USCG recommended three options: One, acquire a U.S.- certified vessel that would go through initial inspection under U.S. standards; two, purchase a vessel and put it under a foreign flag that would still be inspected by the U.S. and required to comply with the rules of the country it is under; and three, get a foreign-built boat and the U.S. can certify it under U.S standards.
