News
Turks & Caicos Ports Make Spectacular Rebound and near $7 million in earnings
By Deandrea Hamilton
Editor
#TurksandCaicos, July 15, 2022 – Revenues were up 25 percent for the Turks and Caicos Islands Ports Authority over last year and that meant goods brought into the islands achieved record breaking levels; a bitter sweet accomplishment for the British overseas territory.
“I am sure you will agree, the performance of a nation’s ports is an important barometer of the strength of its economy. There was a rebound in shipping during the year. We received 754 vessel calls, which was a 21% increase over 2019/20. We recorded a 59% increase in imported cargo volumes in 2021/22. We handled 594,498 tons of cargo compared to 374,194 tons in the previous year.
The rebound in shipping had positive implications for our revenues, we ended the year with a revenue outturn of $6,928,891, which was 25% higher than estimated,” reported Urban Francis, Chairman of the Ports Authority at the
Annual General Meeting held on June 23, 2022.
Nearly 600,000 tons of cargo came in and the earnings for the Ports Authority is leading to some major re-investments to modernize ports spaces in the country.
“My fellow Directors and I are proud of the many infrastructure developments taking place on ‘our watch, with a planned investment of about $60 million.’ This will be our legacy. We are pleased that we have projects taking place on all Islands such as the Welcome Center, Master Plan, phase 2 and dredging at Bellefield Landing, North Caicos; and the South Caicos Port Rehabilitation Project,” informed Mr. Francis.
Staff motivation efforts also ranked high in the report by the Chairman, from staff longevity and training hours, to community projects and regional leadership which he surmised helped in the Ports Authority’s brand awareness.
“The Ports Authority continues to develop positive brand identity through our community Outreach program, while giving back to the communities we serve. During the year we:
- recognized our Nurses on International Nurse’s Day;
- collaborated with the Social Welfare Department to bring Christmas cheer to fifty (50) foster children;
- recognized local seafarers in our publications;
- held an Online Photography Contest to select photos for our 2022 Calendar; and
- supported the Middle Caicos Valentine’s Day Cup.
Internationally, the Ports Authority hosted the 24th Annual Meeting of the Port Management Association of the Caribbean in June 2021. At end of the meeting, we were awarded the Nova Port Cup, which represented the best performing member port, based on several objective KPIs. Our Director of Ports was also elected Vice Chairman of the association for a 2-year term of office.”
Seven major staff development achievements were cited in the meeting held at the Sands at Grace Bay.
“One Thousand and One Hundred and Ninety (1,190) hours of staff training was undertaken, an average of 22 hours per staff.
We promoted Ms. Shawna Lewis and Ms. Sharea Rigby to the positions of Deputy Director and Financial Controller, respectively. Mrs. Sharona Walkin and Mr. Pierre Clerveaux were promoted to positions of Port Facility Security Officer and Safety Officer at South Dock, Provo, respectively; while Mr. Ronadio Roberts of the Grand Turk port and Mr. Jarrad Forbes of the Provo port were promoted to the position for Security Supervisor.
Fourteen (14) staff completed ten years of service, and were celebrated on November 11th, 2021 at an event held at Beaches Resort; we also bade farewell to Mr. Walter Hanchell, a stalwart of the Ports Authority.”
There were scholarships and professional upgrades.
“Three Hundred and Ninety-Two (392) hours of external virtual staff training was sponsored. Four female officers benefited from scholarships with the Galilee International Management Institute in Israel, resulting in them building capacity in advance security and port management.
Three (3) staff benefited from tertiary level scholarships, sponsored by the Ports Authority.
We sponsored 2 oil spill managements training workshops for over 29 participants; consisting of our staff and stakeholders to build response capability and an organizational restructuring exercise commenced, to have in place an effective structure which maximizes productivity and staff job satisfaction.”
In order to improve the operations and chart a clear path for the future of the Ports Authority, there was consultancy; efforts to vesting crown land assets; a review of the strategic plan and a safety risk assessment among other initiatives.
The Chairman said they would have liked to have signed next phase agreements for port developments underway in the family islands, but that was not to be in the fiscal period.
“Whilst we able to close the tenders for Phase 1 and 2 and the Port office complex associated with the Redevelopment of South Dock, Provo; and the Bellefield Landing Boat Slips project, we are disappointed that we unable to sign contracts for these projects during 2021/22.”
Francis wrapped up his report with a look to the future.
“Some key work plans for upcoming year include: Concluding arrangements to commence Phases 1 and 2 and the Port office Complex associated with the Redevelopment of South Dock, Provo and the Bellefield Landing Boat Slips project; Implementation of agreed recommendations for Organizational Restructuring Exercise; Concluding stevedoring arrangements;Organizational Culture reforms; Preparation of a work plan take forward observations from the risks. assessment of port approaches and internal waters of the TCI; Introduction of Port Emergencies Management Plan prepared by the Organization of American States for PMAC; Preparation of Port Maintenance Dredging Policies and Plans; Concluding arrangements for PMAC Data Intelligence Project to improve statistics and an evaluation of the impact of our public awareness programs.”
The Minister of Border Services, with ports in his portfolio, Arlington Musgrove was thanked, “for his unwavering support and continued confidence in the Board and Staff.”
The meeting was held at the conference room of the Atrium, Leeward, Providenciales.
Bahamas News
Sister Province/Island Relationship Agreement Signed between Grand Bahama Island and Hunan Province
By LLONELLA GILBERT
Bahamas Information Services
NASSAU, The Bahamas — A significant milestone was made in the development of bilateral relations between the Governments of The Bahamas and the People’s Republic of China by the signing of the Sister Province/Island Relationship Agreement between Grand Bahama Island and Hunan Province.
The signing took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. The Hon. Ginger Moxey, Minister for Grand Bahama; the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville, Minister of Health and Wellness; Kingsley Smith, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry for Grand Bahama and Joel Lewis, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Grand Bahama represented The Bahamas at the signing.
His Excellency Mao Weiming, Governor of Hunan Provincial People’s Government; Qu Hai, Secretary General of Hunan Provincial People’s Government; Cui Wei, Charge d’Affaires, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China; and Yang Peiran, Interpreter represented the People’s Republic of China.
Minister Moxey explained that in February 2022, she and the former Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas, Her Excellency Dai Qingli began discussion on the establishment of a province-island relationship between Hunan Province and Grand Bahama Island because of their “immense synergy”.
“Hunan has a vibrant creative industry and its capital city, Changsha is known as the entertainment capital of China, whilst Grand Bahama is poised to become the home of entertainment in ‘Our Bluepoint for Change’.”
She said Hunan Province boasts 11 industrial sectors and Grand Bahama is the industrial capital of The Bahamas. Further, innovation driven development has been a new driving force for Hunan, while Grand Bahama is poised to become the home of innovation for The Bahamas.
Minister Moxey said she is confident that an exchange of knowledge, ideas and culture will happen between the residents of Hunan Province and Grand Bahama.
“There is potential for robust trade in various sectors, opportunities for tourism promotion and intercultural appreciation, exchanges to support performing arts programs on our island, foster growth within the Orange Economy, and tap into China’s innovation, technology and vast expertise.”
She said that the formal signing aligns with the mission of Sister Cities International, which is to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation, one community at a time.
The Minister said, “Through collaborative programs and initiatives, this connection will support the government’s vision to diversity Grand Bahama’s economy to become the Home of Maritime and Logistics, Home of Events and Entertainment and Home of Innovation.”
She noted that in addition to signing the agreement, she looks forward to Grand Bahama residents benefitting from the signing of the Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding between Central South University and University of The Bahamas (UB), which will expand educational and technical cooperation between the two universities. The northern campus of UB is located in Grand Bahama.
His Excellency Mao Weiming said although geographically far apart, China and The Bahamas are friends with mutual respect and understanding as well as sincerity.
He explained that 27 years ago, both countries established diplomatic relations and China and The Bahamas have deepened their cooperation, strengthened their friendship and carried out many activities in the field of economy, trade and people-to-people exchange.
His Excellency recalled that in August 2022, he and Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis had a video conference where they both reached a consensus to cooperate in order to usher a new chapter in the relationship between Hunan and The Bahamas.
“Today, we are here to sign a sister-to-sister relationship between Hunan and Grand Bahama. It is [a] concrete move to implement
our consensus reached before and also to embark on a new journey of friendly exchanges.”
He added, “By establishing the relationship of sister cities, I believe the two sides will develop further in terms of economic and trade cooperation, people to people exchange, as well as friendship, and we will embrace new opportunities and deliver concrete benefits for the two peoples.”
He explained that Hunan, which is the home town of Chairman Mao, the founder of the People’s Republic of China, has developed very advanced industries of manufacturing, agriculture, education, culture as well as tourism.
His Excellency said he believes that Hunan and Grand Bahama enjoy very broad room for cooperation.
He said, “More efforts should be made to conduct cooperation in the fields of agriculture, tourism, culture, education and the film industry so as to realize a connectivity between our two sides in terms of logistics and the platform cooperation; so as to deliver concrete benefits for the people and to make our due contribution to the bilateral relationship between China and The Bahamas.”
PHOTO CAPTION
A significant milestone was made in the development of bilateral relations between the Governments of The Bahamas and the People’s Republic of China by the signing of the Sister Province/Island Relationship Agreement between Grand Bahama Island and Hunan Province. The signing took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Shown from left: Qu Hai, Secretary General of Hunan Provincial People’s Government; Cui Wei, Charge d’Affaires, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China; Yang Peiran, Interpreter H.E. Mao Weiming, Governor of Hunan Provincial People’s Government; the Hon. Ginger Moxey, Minister for Grand Bahama; the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville, Minister of Health and Wellness; Kingsley Smith, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry for Grand Bahama and Joel Lewis, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Grand Bahama.
(BIS Photos/Anthon Thompson)
Nassau, Bahamas: The Nassau Cruise Port has donated $1.95 million towards projects that will assist the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources in its aim to increase food security for The Bahamas.
The donation officially occurred at the Ministry’s offices recently, where Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Hon. Jomo Campbell, Minister of Labour Hon. Pia Glover-Rolle, Permanent Secretary Neil Campbell and Nassau Cruise Port CEO Mike Maura listened to a number of presentations including one for a poultry programme for schools, a chicken broiler production programme, the redevelopment of the Blue Hill Road Farmers Market and an Authentic Bahamian Cultural Concept Store,
Mr. Maura said he was impressed by the presentations.
“I had the privilege to listen to the presentations and review presentations that touched on food security and the need for us to be self-sufficient, which as a Bahamian I support completely. At the Nassau Cruise Port, we get excited about the prospects of offering more authentic food to the millions of visitors that we have each year,” he said.
“And then, in addition to that, we had presentations around the further development of our artisans, which is so important to us as well. The guests visiting our shores are looking for something that really touches The Bahamas and can’t be found somewhere else. The Nassau Cruise Port has made a pledge to BAIC and its affiliates. We will be supporting the projects that were presented and we can’t wait to get started.”
Minister Glover-Rolle, who is also the Member of Parliament for Golden Gates, hailed Nassau Cruise Port as a “great community partner.”
“Thank you for the opportunity to not only present but agreeing to participate. Our Minister of Agriculture has a goal of reducing food imports by 25 percent by the year 2025 and our project in the Golden Gates Community speaks to that,” she said.
“We have a number of backyard farmers, farmers and fishers in our community in Golden Gates. Being able to use the Blue Hill Road Farmers Market, which is going to be dubbed the ‘Fish Fry of the South,’ as a hub for food security but also a hub where artisans and handicraft persons can come and sell their wares is wonderful. So, we are happy that you have agreed to partner with us and we look forward to a partnership and we hope to welcome some of your visitors when this amazing renovation is done.”
Minister Campbell also lauded the Nassau Cruise Port for its efforts.
“I would like to say thank you to the presenters for the presentations that are several steps in the right direction for our country, to Mr. Maura and his board at the Nassau Cruise Port and I would like to say thanks to God for this partnership and bringing us all together as we move forward, upward, together in building a better, brighter, future for The Bahamas,” he said.
Caribbean News
Agriculture Ministry Providing Two Water Trucks to Serve St. Elizabeth and St. Catherine
#Kingston, Jamaica, April 24, 2024 – The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining is to unveil two more water trucks this week, which will be used to service communities in St. Elizabeth and St. Catherine.
Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, made the disclosure during Wednesday’s (April 24) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.
He also informed that of the $90 million earmarked to support farmers being impacted by the current drought, the Ministry will be
providing additional support for storage and drip-irrigation systems.
“So, we have targeted about 600 water tanks and about 400 12-millimetre drip irrigation hoses, and that distribution has already started. Additionally, we have earmarked about $8 million to really help with our livestock farmers,” Mr. Green said.
“We know the difficulty that you’re facing now in this time; [it’s] very hard to get the right nutritional support for your animals. As such, we will be providing some hay, and we will [also] provide some trucking of water to you. Again, our livestock farmers, if you are in need, please contact the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and let us see how we can help in these times,” he further stated.
Mr. Green also encouraged farmers to download the RADA App, so that the Agency can “help guide you, not only in relation to what is happening on the rainfall side, but also in relation to your integrated pest management”.
“We do see some increases of certain types of pests during this time, and it’s important that our farmers are paying attention to that. It’s also important that you’re taking drought management seriously [by undertaking] soil mulching, looking at planting drought-tolerant crops, timely harvesting, implementing land husbandry treatments and contour ditches,” he stated.
Contact: Latonya Linton
Release: JIS
Photo Caption: Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, speaking during Wednesday’s (April 24) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.
Donald De La Haye Photo
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