New Kingstown Port inaugurated

KINGSTOWN (CMC):

The new Kingstown Port opened on Saturday with the first ship calling at the facility shortly after the formalities, two days before St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) celebrated its 46th anniversary of Independence from Britain.

Minister of Seaports Senator Benarva Browne posted a photograph on Facebook showing the FOUMA, a Cyprus-flagged container ship that is 166.15 meters long and 25.26 meters wide, docked at the port, during a scheduled call.

The vessel conducted its business at the port before sailing on to Grenada .

“This is not just an opening, it’s a rebirth, a moment that affirms our collective will to build a resilient, forward-looking St Vincent and the Grenadines,” she said during the opening ceremony of the port.

“The port is a symbol of what vision planning and partnership can achieve. It signals that our nation is ready to trade smarter, connect faster, grow stronger, with a modern, competitive and many-sided, post-colonial economy.”

Former project coordinator and assistant project manager for the Port Modernisation Project, Lenski Douglas, who went on to work with Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) before the completion of the port, gave the project overview.

Douglas said over EC$720 million was committed to the project for project preparation, infrastructure works, engineering and construction-related services, project management, institutional strengthening, goods procurement and other project support.

He noted that the project was financed through loans from the CDB, grant support from the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Fund and resources secured by the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, including a loan from the Ex-Im Bank of Taiwan and a loan secured by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Port Authority.

“This project has been delivered within contractual time, with just five months’ extension on the timeline announced at the groundbreaking. The quality of the work is evident for all to see,” he said.

“And this is an important one, when all is accounted for, by every indication, the total amount spent to date is tracking very close to the original EC$650 million, which is less than the total EC$720 million in funding budgeted and or approved for this project,” Douglas said.

“The point there is government actually saved while implementing the Port Modernisation Project.”

He said that during the implementation of the project, EC$135 million was directly retained in the local economy.

He said that with the completion of the project, three of the four strategic objectives had been met, namely, to improve infrastructure and working conditions, to support livelihoods and to reduce poverty, and to enhance safety and climate resilience.

The terminal layout includes container storage, break-bulk (general cargo) and vehicle areas, reefer racks, maintenance zones and integrated systems for lighting, signage, closed-circuit television, wireless Internet connectivity, electricity and potable water.

“The flexible pavement will reduce the wear on our mobile equipment, and it simplifies future maintenance. Run-off is treated to ensure that no contaminated water from this facility enters directly into the sea.”

He said safety and security are reinforced through the use of intercom, smoke detectors, fire alarms and card access control, while robust IT systems, designed with cybersecurity in mind, further strengthens the operations.