By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

SOUTHERN Long Island residents say they are fed up with unreliable mailboat services to the island, citing long waits in receiving essential goods, medication and other supplies needed for everyday life.

Erica Darville, a longtime Clarence Town resident, called the situation “ridiculous,” saying the reduced service is affecting residents and businesses.

She said the M/V Mia Dean Ltd, which services southern Long Island, used to make three trips to the island each month but now only makes two.

“It’s affecting everybody because that's our lifeline. Everything comes from Nassau,” she said, adding that this has been going on for the past three months.

Ms Darville, who also own a bakery store, said she has to be resourceful in finding ingredients when supplies run out.

“It frustrates me so much. Like people in Nassau, they be like well the stores just need to order extra. You can't order extra lettuce, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and stuff. What they're gonna be? They're gonna be no good. That’s why you only get them week to week.”

The island is also serviced by another mail boat, the Island Link, but it primarily serves northern Long Island.

Residents cannot rely on it as a suitable alternative, as it also carries freight for Exuma.

One business owner, speaking anonymously, told The Tribune yesterday: “That can’t service the whole of Long Island plus Exuma.  Now at times, we get stuff on there but if anything goes missing, we don’t get compensated for it so it’s too risky.”

Ms Darville, meanwhile, said people who need car parts to repair their vehicles are forced to endure long waits, while residents are unable to purchase groceries in large quantities because of the limited mail boat service.

The unreliable service has also affected residents who depend on medication and other essential medical supplies.

She said her daughter, who suffers from seizures, went without her prescribed medication for five days after her supply ran out because the mail boat did not arrive on time.

Ms Darville said the medication is prescription-only and cannot be refilled until her daughter’s existing supply is nearly finished, making reliable mail boat service particularly important.

“Why does the Mia Dean still have a contract,” she said. “Cancel it ands give to somebody with a boat because we’ve been dealing with this for too long now.”

Their concerns are not new. Residents have long expressed frustration over the quality and reliability of mail boat services.

When contacted yesterday, Long Island MP Dr Andre Rollins acknowledged the “deplorable state” of mailboat services and said he was told by the minister the matter would be addressed at an upcoming public meeting.

“Unless there is a failure on the minister’s part to honour his commitment to rectify this matter in a timely fashion, I will not seek to level criticism at him that may prove premature,” Dr Rollins said, “However, the patience of residents and business owners in South Long Island is wearing extremely thin.”

Officials at M/V Mia Dean Ltd were contacted by The Tribune yesterday but had not responded up to press time.