The Veendam will bypass St. George for its final visits to the Island this year after the Bermudian was damaged during Hurricane Igor.

The Government tender had been used to ferry passengers on the cruise ship into the Old Town.

It has been out of commission since it was pulled from its moorings during the September 19 storm and became lodged on rocks near Wellington Slip Road in St. George's. "It's very unfortunate that the tender has been damaged but it was an act of God," said St. George Mayor Kenneth Bascome yesterday.

"In these circumstances I feel sympathy for the business community of St. George's, but there's nothing we can do and I just hope arrangements can be made through ferry, bus and taxi to bring the passengers back to St. George's."

The Veendam will bypass St. George and dock in Hamilton today and on October 6, its final call into the Island, said Meyer Shipping agent Joe Simas.

Meanwhile, an internal investigation into how the Bermudian managed to escape its storm moorings is expected to be completed within two weeks.

Marine industry sources have said the chain holding the ferry in place was too thin. Officials have refused to comment more until the investigation is finished.

Asked whether another vessel could ferry passengers into St. George, Mr. Simas said: "It's not as easy at it sounds. Bow-loading vessels are more difficult to line up with the doors on the [cruise] ships."

He ruled out ferries as an option because they are front-loading and they don't have the capacity of the Bermudian which was "the biggest thing we had".

And he pointed out that using one of the Department of Transport's ferries would inconvenience residents.

"The only other option is to hire local, private boats. The Elizabeth carries about 250. But you'd need four, five boats for that. They're not really suitable for carrying passengers in that way. The seating's plastic chairs and if it hits a swell those chairs aren't going to work. They could break or someone could fall."

He said the "best option and the only option" is to use the Bermudian.

The Department of Marine and Ports was able to refloat the vessel with assistance from tugboats on Saturday after an unsuccessful attempt two days prior. An internal inspection found two one-inch holes where the tender's keel joins its bottom plating. These were plugged temporarily with cement cofferdams before the Bermudian was towed to Dockyard.

A full assessment of damages will be made once underwater video has been viewed by Marine and Ports.

A spokesperson said yesterday: "It is our intent to repair the vessel locally on our marine cradle in Dockyard and once the vessel is dry-docked we will be better positioned to provide firm timelines for completion. One of the advantages of a steel hull is that it is generally easy to repair by cropping out damaged areas or sections and inserting new steel. Therefore we don't anticipate the period for completion to be protracted once the repair work has commenced."

Government gives every passenger a free bus/ferry pass to St. George whenever the Veendam is forced to bypass the area.

Despite that incentive, Mayor Bascome summed it up as "bye-bye the rest of the season" so far as the Old Town is concerned.

"They've talked about using the ferries [as tender]," he said. "But as it stands now, I don't think they'll be able to do that.

"We will have to work to encourage those visitors who want to visit St. George's."