President Leonel Fernandez visited the naval yards at Las Calderas, near the southwestern city of Bani yesterday and came away impressed with the operations there. So much so, in fact, that he suggested that the shipyard construct oil tankers to reduce the cost of shipping fuel to the Dominican Refinery. The President made the visit to witness the launch of two new “fast ships” built in the yard with Dominican and Dutch technicians. The Hamal (LR-151) and the Vega (LR-152) are fast rescue ships that will be put to use as drug interdiction vessels. (As a note of interest, all Dominican Navy patrol boats are named after stars and constellations, and larger vessels are named for historical figures such as the tugs Guaroa and Guarionex.) The two new vessels will be particularly handy as they are designed to operate efficiently in shallow waters near the coastline.
More ominously, El Caribe reported that the First Lady tried 17 times to break the champagne bottle on the Hamal’s bow, under the embarrassed gaze of the President, and all without success. Fernandez broke the tension, however, saying, “That must be the strongest bottle in the world!” The bottle was finally broken under the guidance of Felipe Canot, the yard’s chief of maintenance. El Caribe gleefully noted that when former President Hipolito Mejia launched a vessel back in July, the then-First Lady broke the bottle on her first try.