ST. JOHN’S, Antigua — A new port planned for Barbuda is expected to allow container ships to deliver cargo directly to the sister island, eliminating the need for goods to first be unloaded in Antigua and then transshipped, Prime Minister Gaston Browne says.

Speaking Saturday on the Browne and Browne Show, Browne said the new facility will be built on Barbuda’s south coast and is intended to replace the existing port, which he said is vulnerable because of its location.

“So we’re building a bigger and better port,” Browne said.

He said assessments conducted after Hurricane Irma struck Barbuda in 2017 concluded that the existing port should be relocated.

“The reports that were done at the time indicated that we had to move the port,” Browne said. “The current one, it’s on a sandbank and could be easily washed away.”

The government subsequently searched for a more suitable location, according to Browne.

Browne said the location selected for the new port offers better conditions for a cargo facility, including suitable bedrock and water depth.

“So the site where we’re about to build this new port is the best site now in terms of the bedrock,” he said.

Some dredging will be required, but Browne said the site would be capable of handling container traffic.

“The depth as well as the water there is such that you can bring in container traffic,” he said.

That would significantly change the way goods are transported to Barbuda.

“So ships with containers can now travel directly to Barbuda instead of having a situation in which they come to Antigua, then they have to offload and then transship to Barbuda,” Browne said.

The development will also include a marina.

“The facility also includes a marina from what you can see there, and that’s a public facility that we are creating there,” Browne said.

During the programme, Browne agreed that direct container shipments should help reduce some of the additional costs associated with transporting goods through Antigua before they reach Barbuda.

The discussion specifically referenced the cost of construction materials, merchandise and fuel currently transported to the sister island.

Browne said allowing containers to go directly to Barbuda was intended to address those additional expenses.

“That’s the whole idea,” he said.

The prime minister also expects the port to stimulate commercial activity in the surrounding area.

“You’re going to see an ecosystem of businesses being formed around that port,” Browne said.

“In fact, you may even have a hotel there.”

Browne said the existing port area is expected to become part of a nearby luxury development, where a smaller marina would accommodate boats belonging to homeowners.

He argued that maintaining a commercial cargo port beside a luxury development would be incompatible with the area’s intended use.

The prime minister said developers associated with the Ritz-Carlton-branded project have agreed to advance as much as US$5 million to the government to assist with development of the replacement port, with the amount going toward lease payments.

“They’ve agreed to advance as much as five million U.S. dollars to the government,” Browne said.

He cautioned, however, that he was uncertain whether the entire amount had already been advanced.

The new port is therefore expected to serve two major purposes: providing Barbuda with a more resilient cargo facility and allowing goods to arrive directly by container ship rather than passing through Antigua first.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: New Barbuda Port Expected to Support Direct Cargo Shipments.