Senate panel hears former Vieques mayor allege rushed, secretive award of long-term ferry contract to HMS Ferris

Víctor Manuel Emeric Catalino, the former mayor of Vieques and a past member of the Autoridad de Transporte Marítimo (ATM) board, told a Senate investigative hearing March 19 that local officials were effectively excluded from a confidential selection process that led to a long-term contract with HMS Ferris.

"A esta compañía HMS se le otorgaron unos privilegios...que jamás se le dio...a su propia autoridad de transporte marítimo," Emeric said, describing a process in which he and other municipal representatives were not given competing bids or contract details and were told the negotiation was 'secret.' He said the board was called to a virtual meeting on short notice and that the ratification vote occurred 3‑2 in favor after the community representative was absent, an outcome he described as "forzado" (forced).

The statements came during a session convened under Senate Resolution No. 31, opened to gather testimony about the contract that transfers operation of ferry service to the islands-municipalities of Vieques and Culebra. Emeric said press reports and statements attributed to government officials indicate the concession includes a 23‑year operational period and fixed annual payments to the operator that could range "entre los treinta y uno punto uno millones y los treinta y siete millones" per year; he recalled a $34 million figure cited in a board meeting.

Committee members pressed Emeric on facts they said were missing from his account. Senator María de Lourdes Santiago asked whether Emeric had seen the contract before the ratifying vote and whether the virtual meeting used Zoom; Emeric answered he and other island mayors were not given full contract details in advance and that the Zoom meeting included Carlos Contreras (secretary of Transportation and Public Works), Joel Piza (ports), Mayor Iván Solís (Culebra), Emeric, and Fermín Fontanes. Santiago cited Article 6 of the ATM law and requested documentary evidence of meeting minutes and recordings covering the last six years.

Emeric also described fleet and operational concerns: he said HMS reportedly lacks vessels suited to exposed Atlantic conditions and that the operator will rely on ATM-owned boats (he named Cayo Blanco, Isla Bonita and Isleño among vessels needing repair). He warned that certification expirations (he cited Cayo Blanco's certification as due March 31 in his testimony) and the retirement or replacement of ATM employees could worsen service disruptions. Emeric testified that recent ATM employment has shifted toward short, 90‑day contracts and that the APP terms would allow early retirements and rehiring at lower cost.

The panel noted the need to verify Emeric's assertions against records. Senator Santiago formally asked the commission director to require ATM to provide all recordings, minutes and records of board meetings from the past six years; the presiding senator agreed to take that step and the committee discussed a five‑day compliance target for the request. The chair also said absent island mayors José Colsino (Vieques) and Edilberto Romero (Culebra) would be invited to a future session.

The hearing focused on three core questions the committee said it will pursue in follow-up work: whether the ATM board's composition and voting on the contract complied with the statute; whether the procurement and RFP process complied with applicable public‑private partnership rules; and whether federal or transition funds were diverted to private profit rather than improving ATM's public service.

The session adjourned at 12:18 p.m. after the committee recorded Emeric's testimony and set immediate requests for documentary evidence as the next step.