Addition by
Expansion
Carr’s Bay project a game-changer
for Montserrat Port Authority
D
esign is well under way for a new port and
marina facility in Carr’s Bay – just more than
a kilometer south of the existing facility on the
western Caribbean Sea coastline of Montserrat – a
project whose estimated value exceeds $100 million
(U.S.) and whose construction, according to the
manager of the Montserrat Port Authority, will take
roughly four years to complete.
The design changed from where it’d been at the 60
percent stage. Representatives from the port project’s
lead design firm, London-based Halcrow, reported
to the Montserrat government that docking facilities
had been upsized to accommodate vessels of 294
meters. Also new were allowances for fuel vessels to
unload at the docks rather than staying offshore, and
the disclosure that the breakwater wall would be built
75 percent from land rather than via more expensive
ocean construction.
The overall port footprint was bumped to 4.22 acres
from 4.0 and the marina – whose progress will be
overseenby theMontserratDevelopment Corporation
– is up to 5.49 acres from 4.0. An integrated waterfront
town center is also planned and will cover 7.11 acres, as
opposed to the original 5.55.
Halcrow officials said the changes were made to
boost the project’s functionality. Site work has begun in
the last several months and all pieces are anticipated to
be up and running in roughly five years.
And for JosephO’Garro, the port authority’s manager
since April 2013, the project’s ultimate success isn’t
optional. It’s a matter of survival.
“The port is the most significant infrastructure piece
for the entire island, and our entire development
will depend on it going forward,” O’Garro said. “If
we cannot deliver, the future of the island will be
compromised in terms of sustainable development.
Without that infrastructure, it’s very unlikely we could
find a way forward for the island as a whole.”
The new facility, he said, will provide not only an
improved atmosphere in which to handle the island’s
ongoing and future cargo transport needs, but also a
better overall environment in which to do business.
The design phase
has
included
input from many
stakeholders and the
incremental iterations
of
the
project
have
prompted
several rounds of
feedback from those
stakeholders
and
others.
A tedious process,
perhaps, but also one
O’Garro believes will
result in the best possible end product.
“We’ve been very engaged with the management
team to ensure that it is fit-for-purpose. Not just
handling the cargo but presenting a very good
customer interface,” he said. “At the end of the day the
Montserrat Port Authority are the custodians of cargo.
Essentially we’re in the customer service business and
as such we must be able to serve customers quickly
and effectively.
“I believe we’ve come up with a plan now that is not
only fit-for-purpose now, but one that will be fit-for-
purpose for the next 20, 30 to 50 years as well.”
Beyond simply providing a better environment in
which to do business, the new port brings with it the
potential to both enhance the services offered by many
existing businesses, as well as the promise that its mere
presence will bring more economic possibilities to the
island.
The upgraded facilities will be able to service tourism
vessels with onboard capacities as high as 2,000 to
2,500 passengers, which means increased interest in
Montserrat as a cruising destination. A new marina
with additional boat slips will mean increased potential
for luxury yacht traffic.
The port will also allow the island to serve as a direct
destination for imported cargo, eliminating much of
the need for the goods used on the island to make
an intermittent stop at St. Maarten. Direct shipping will
mean lower costs and improved profitability for island
businesses.
The modern closed breakwater design is also
intended to ensure a minimum of weather-related
downtime during the seasons when the island is
buffeted by large sea swells.
Put it all together and it’s no wonder the new leader
is nearly bursting with optimism.
“This will serve as a gateway to Montserrat,” he
said. “Everything is going to flow through our port. It’s
certainly going to serve as a world-class facility and a
world-class tourism product and it will provide access
for the world at large to come in and partake and
experience Montserrat.
“This is our home and we must do what we can to
ensure that the quality of life remains good.”
O’Garro was a career veteran of the cable and
wireless industry before taking his current position,
where much of his tenure has been spent immersed
in an agenda brimming with immediate and long-term
priority items for the port, which is based in Little Bay
and is the main venue for entrance and exit of heavy
cargo on the Caribbean island of 5,000 people.
Joseph O’Garro –
Port AuthorityManager
