EXPANSION PLANS FOR ST. KITTS' DEEP-WATER PORT 'VERY MUCH ALIVE'
     SAYS WILLIAMS
     
     BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS (JULY 30TH 2002) - Construction of a new US$8.5 million berthing facility at St. Kitts' commercial deep-water port, is expected to result in a doubling of the cargo handling capacity, General Manager of the St. Christopher Air and Sea Port Authority, Thomas Williams has disclosed.
     
     Williams said, the expansion, which was put on hold late last year as a result of the reduction in cargo handling due to the downturn in the local and world economies caused by the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, 'is now very much alive.'
     
     He said the Port Authority has seen an increase in cargo handling particularly towards the end of this year and this is expected to rise next year with the opening of the new 900-room Marriott and additional flights at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport, 'which will result in more consumables and more construction. It is obvious that this would be reflected in an increase in cargo throughput. So it (expansion) is now on the cards again, that we will expand the cargo port.'
     
     According to the Port Authority General Manager the ongoing expansion is being undertaken in such a way that it impacts in a positive manner on the persons who clear goods at the port. The cargo warehouse, known as Shed #1, will be removed from its present location at the end of the pier and relocated nearer to the existing customs warehouse.
     
     'It will either be a combination of both warehouses in one or another warehouse. What it means is that one would not have to interact with port operations and port machinery in coming to clear goods. If you want to clear goods, you will go via the Bird Rock Road into the Customs warehouses where you will clear your goods and move on,' said Williams, adding: 'the Port yard will be reserved for operations and there would be a lot more space for speeding up the turn around time for cargo ships.'
     
     The General Manager disclosed that in anticipation of the expansion at the commercial port, the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority has purchased a US$750,000 Reach Stacker, which allows the port to stack containers as many as five high during good weather. 'We only stack as many as three high and the equipment has already made a great impact on efficiency at the Port,' said Williams.
     
     'We feel that with the shed removed, there will be a lot more room for storage of containers which are leaving in quick time. It means we would not have to put them at the top of the (port) yard when they would be leaving in a matter of hours.'
     'So there is improved turn around time, improved (more) space, new and improved machinery and we are looking forward to making everyone within the industry quite happy,' said Williams.
     
     He said the construction of the US$8.5 million new berthing facility would result in a state-of-the-art new layout for the cargo pier and the cargo operations yard.
     'We are thinking of shifting our service and mechanic shop to another location, paving the container part which will accommodate the longer staying containers. The long-term view of the Port Authority is to make sure that we are strictly an operations center in this particular area,' Williams told the Communications Unit of the Prime Minister's Office.