Tourism and Transport Minister Shawn Crockwell has accused his shadow counterpart Lawrence Scott of fabricating a figure about the cost to taxpayers of the charter ferry Millennium.

Opposition MP Mr Scott issued a press release claiming the private vessel, chartered by Government in May to run the Dockyard to St George route throughout the cruise ship season, had cost the public purse a “hefty price tag” of $5.5 million so far.

But Mr Crockwell rubbished that claim, telling The Royal Gazette: “The $5.5 million figure is simply a fabrication. A comprehensive outline of costs and ridership totals will be communicated to the public once the season [has] ended and the Millennium has departed.”

The Millennium, formerly a ferry in Rhode Island, sparked controversy soon after she arrived in Bermuda, with Marine and Ports staff claiming the $1.2 million spent to charter the vessel should have gone on new engines for the public fleet.

Mr Scott said in his statement earlier this week that the Marine and Ports budget had been used to “pay for the housing and furnishing of the properties that have been leased/rented to foreign Millennium workers”.

He added that, contrary to the Minister’s statement to Parliament that the vessel would cost $1.2 million, “reports emanating from reliable sources declare that the actual amount being spent is approximately $5.5 million — four times the Government estimate — after you factor in the cost of fuel, staffing, housing allowance [and] airfare [for the crew].”

Mr Crockwell responded that the ferry crew was being accommodated at a Government property owned by Wedco.

He added: “The $1.2 million is the basic charter fee that was previously announced in the House of Assembly. We always knew there would be additional costs for fuel and other supplementary expenses such as accommodation for the crew.”

Mr Scott said in his statement that his “grave concerns’ regarding the Millennium were now “reportedly being realised”.

He claimed that:

* Costly overtime for maintenance work had been spent to keep the Millennium running;

* Two new engines had been brought to Bermuda which could only fit the Millennium;

* A policy limiting the operating hours of the ferry meant the public fleet had to assist her to get “stranded” passengers home from St George;

* The Bermudian, a Marine and Ports ferry, could cover the same route using less fuel; and

* The Millennium had cancelled journeys due to winds reaching 19 knots, when the public ferries only cancelled for winds reaching 30 to 40 knots.

Mr Crockwell said any maintenance work was typical preventive mechanical work when the ferry wasn’t in use and there had been no loss of service.

He said the two engines brought here were for local boats, not the Millennium.

The Minister said extra ferries were used to shuttle passengers between Dockyard and Hamilton and Hamilton and St George and that the “flexible approach appeared successful”.

He said the Bermudian used less fuel but took twice as long as the Millennium so the number of trips a day would be limited. And he said the Millennium’s journeys had only been cancelled due to Tropical Storm Gabrielle, along with other local ferry routes in the Great Sound.

Mr Crockwell told MPs in September that the Millennium would be chartered again next summer.