The government will do temporary repair works on jetties in the Grenadines as boat traffic is expected to increase as it rolls out the Hurricane Beryl recovery efforts, Minister of Grenadines Affairs and Seaports, Senator Benarva Browne has told Parliament.
Canouan has been without a proper jetty for almost two decades and the ones in Bequia and Union Island are now inadequate, the MPs for the districts where those islands are located have said.
Browne told Parliament on Thursday that there has been a significant uptick in traffic to the Grenadines over the last 23 years.
“As we all know, increased traffic indicates accelerated development and activity,” she said, adding that there is no development without increased transport, whether it be by air, land or sea.
She said boat traffic to the Grenadines is expected to significantly increase as the government and people roll out the post-Beryl reconstruction programme within the archipelago.
Browne said the government was working to improve the ports in the Grenadines and the facilities in St. Vincent to ease the traffic to the cays.
“Several projects are in progress or are about to start to deliver improved service to the Grenadines,” she said in response to a question submitted by MP for the Southern Grenadines, Terrance Ollivierre.
In the question, which was read on Ollivierre’s behalf by West Kingstown MP, Daniel Cummings, Ollivierre pointed out that over the years, members of the opposition have highlighted the need for improvement of the jetties in the Grenadines to accommodate the increased boat traffic.
He said many of the shortcomings were recently highlighted in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.
Ollivierre asked Browne to say whether the government had any plans to fix and improve these jetties and if so, what the plans entail.
Browne said that the Port Authority maintains effective berth management that ensures that vessels that are scheduled to operate can do so and that vessels that are not working vacate the berth when required.
“The Port Authority already uses a digital vessel berthing scheduled application through its digitisation initiative,” the minister said.
She said the application manages international and regional vessels but the port is looking into expanding this to cover local vessels to and from the Grenadines.
Grenadines wharf to be repaired
The minister then detailed the work that the government is doing on seaports facilitating travel to and from the Grenadines.
She said that in Kingstown, the damaged access stressor to the Grenadines wharf will be repaid at an approximate cost of EC$1 million.
A contract has been awarded and the repairs are scheduled to start before the end of October and are expected to last six months.
Browne said that K Electric, which was awarded the contract to repair berth No. 5, has started the work there.
“This project will run approximately two months and cost $600,000. The project will be completed before the busier part of the year commences,” Browne told Parliament.
She said that re-establishing berth no. 5 will return the terminal to optimal efficiency by increasing the berthing capacity from four vessels to five roll-on/roll-off vessels and one lift-on/lift-off vessel.
“It will also return the circular traffic that increases the safety level of the terminal and reduces the congestion at the cruise ship and ferry terminal,” the minister said.
Bequia wharf in good condition adequate
She said that the main Wharf in Bequia is in good condition and adequate for the level of activity there.
“Once the berth continues to be managed so that vessels in active operation and on their assigned schedule are permitted, the jetty in Bequia will be more than adequate for the level of activity in Bequia.”
The minister said Bequia can accommodate three roll-on/roll-off vessels and two lift-on/lift-off vessels at the same time.
She said repair of the main tender jetty in Bequia that cruise ships use was scheduled to be completed on Friday, Aug. 23 at a cost of EC$60,000.
“Additionally, the port is exploring the possibility of expanding the size of this jetty to accommodate larger cruise ship tenders in this location,” Browne said.
$200,000 on temporary works in Canouan
In Canouan, the temporary jetty would be improved to enhance its service quality and extend its life a little bit longer.
“Therefore, about $60,000 will be spent resurfacing the jetty and restoring the armour packing,” Browne told Parliament.
“Additionally, piles will be installed at the head of the jetty to ensure that the platform can continue to operate as desired,” she said, adding that the temporary works are estimated to cost over EC$200,000.
“Regarding the permanent solution for Canouan, when the government was considering several factors in rebuilding this jetty, the decision was made to rebuild this jetty with some improvements compared to the previous jetty,” Browne said.
“The new jetty is designed to accommodate future growth and be climate resilient. The new jetty will comfortably accommodate two roll-on/roll-off ferries and a lift-on/lift-off vessel all at the same time, at a draft of five meters.”
Browne said the government has designs and drawings to construct the wharf and was actively seeking financing of over EC$15 million to construct this new jetty.
“Once funding is secured, the process of construction will begin of this new jetty.”
Mayreau jetty ‘dated’ but ‘fully functional’
The minister said that the jetty in Mayreau is “dated” but “fully functional”.
She said it simultaneously accommodates a lift-on/lift-off vessel and a roll-on/roll-off vessel while providing two tender jetties for smaller yachts and dinghies.
“This jetty is expected to continue to function effectively in the immediate future, with some work being done to repair damage caused by Beryl amounting to $15,000.”
The minister said the Port Authority has also requested proposals to repair tender jetties used by cruise ship tenders in Mayreau.
She said contractors were conducting preliminary assessments on the two tender jetties in Mayreau and these will be repaired before the 2024-2025 cruise ship season begins.
Union Island jetty requires ‘minor repairs’
The minister said that the Union Island jetty is generally in good condition and only requires minor repairs, which impedes its effective function.
“Additionally, the jetty is adequate for its workload, therefore it is currently not identified for major modification,” Browne said.
She said that once the activities on the jetty continue to be managed effectively and efficiently, all vessels will continue to be comfortably accommodated.
The jetty can now accommodate one lift-on/lift-off and one roll-on/roll-off vessel at the same time.
Navigational lights to be repaired
The minister also addressed the issue of navigational aids in the Grenadines, saying that the Port Authority is also commissioning a project to repair comprehensively all of the aids to navigation in the southern Grenadines and improve on the existing navigational lights, especially in Mayreau.
“Today, one of these contractors, K Electric, is completing on-site assessments to commence the repairs and reinstallation. Over EC$200,000 have been spent to purchase the lights alone and to install them in these locations.”
Browne said three of those lights have been fully restored and the remainder will be installed once the infrastructure is in place.
“The provisional sum to repair the navigational aid lights is a half a million dollars,” Browne said.
“It is, therefore, evident that the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Port Authority, is making safe and effective navigation to and from the Grenadines a high priority.”