Read the interview to Mr. Darwin Telemaque, Manager of the Antigua & Barbuda’s Port Authority.

How will this seaport revitalize Antigua & Barbuda?
The Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority (A&BPA) possesses a number of advantages which differentiates itself from other sub-regional Ports.

The Port has been strategically located on a peninsular call ‘Rat Island. Since there are no encumbrances surrounding the Port this makes expansion and development much easier. Additionally, since the Port occupies the entire peninsular, space becomes the port’s biggest asset. Most regional ports are confined by towns, roads, villages or other developments. A&BPA has another major advantage which is reflected by the fact that the Cargo Terminal is separated from the Cruise Terminal. As a result of the current redevelopment and expansion of the Cruise terminal, Antigua can now boast the ability to berth five (5) cruise vessels including the Oasis class cruise ship at the cruise terminal and three (3) full size cargo vessels. In most regional ports, cargo ships are forced to wait for an entire day, while the cruise ship is at the sole berth on those islands. In Antigua, cargo and cruise vessels are berthed on arrival.

What makes this sea-port different from the others in the region?
The Port Authority of Antigua and Barbuda will be the first sub-regional port to delineate a cargo terminal from the Container Freight Station (CFS). Once again, every Caribbean port has a warehouse in the middle of the operation. This leads to significant risks as containers, people, trucks, and other heavy equipment combine to facilitate cargo handling. This process is usually very inefficient and high risk. Our current development will see the Port’s Transit shed (CFS) relocated outside the container operations area. This major transformation will yield greater container terminal efficiencies, reduce the traffic within the container yard and minimize the risk associated with the old structure.

With the creation of a dedicated container terminal we anticipate attracting significant trans-shipment business. This would enable A&BPA to facilitate the last mile delivery to the neighboring Islands. This would introduce new revenues to the Port and create a new service that can be offered locally and regionally.

Approximately how much is invested in the project and how many phrases are there?
The Port of St John’s redevelopment project was financed by the Government of the People’s Republic of China. The actual funds were provided by the Exim Bank of China and the amount financed was USD100, 000,000. The terms of the government to government concessionary loan was at an interest rate of 2% and payment term of 25 years with a five-year moratorium.

The project comprises of multiple phases:

A. Container Terminal
B. An Administrative building
C. A new Warehouse (Container Freight Station)
D. A new Roll on Roll off Ramp (RORO)
E. A new extended Quay
F. Deeper Drafts from 10.4 meter to 12 meters.
G. A marine administration building
H. New Container Yard
I. A new and modern maintenance workshop
J. New Stores building
K. A new Operations building
L. A modern gate building
M. A new Generator rooms

Is the China Civil Engineering Construction Company the sole provider of funding for this project?
The project contractor is China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC). This Chinese firm was selected by the Exim Bank of China. In addition to the contractor, the Bank also provided an independent supervising Company, Guang Zhou Huashen Engineering Management Co. Ltd (GHEM) that oversees the construction quality and provides updates and reports to the Port Manager.

How many mega ships/vessels will be able to berth at the same time?
Upon completion of the construction project, the new cargo terminal will be able to adequately berth three (3) full size container ships. The main berth will accommodate two main line container vessels. The other will be accommodated at our newly constructed RoRo ramps (Roll on Roll off).

When is the projected opening date?
The completion date for the project will be within the first quarter of 2022. There is a possibility that we could advance this date depending on the future challenges created by the COVID -19 pandemic.

As the port Manager, how do you feel about the realization of this project and its progress?
This project has the potential to transform the future of the A&BPA. As we prepare for this transformative moment, there are some clear objectives which we would like to achieve. First, we are convinced that a productive and efficient Port has the potential to create new social and economic outcomes. To that end, we have introduced a new tag line for the Port “Transforming the Inland from the Coastline”.

Ports in the region are usually challenged in many ways: Large workforce, limited technology, limited equipment pool and in many cases challenges with multiple stakeholders. Our aim will be to significantly improve relationships between the vessels that visit our Port, the agents who act on behalf of these vessels and to positively impact the experience of our local customers. We aim to ensure that the new facility will translate into major benefits for the citizens.

“Argos is proud to be the cement provider of choice for such a major development. The merge of their tagline Transforming the Inland from the Coastline + Argos’ tagline Imagine what we can build together is a true reflection of how together we will positively change lives,”

Interview by: Lesley Davis, Office Manager of Argos in Antigua.