Business View Caribbean October/November 2018

76 77 THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS PORTS AUTHORITY subvention, but, according to Akeem Pickering, the Authority’s Deputy Managing Director, “the cruise ship industry is what allowed the BVIPA to grow to a place where it no longer needed government contributions to handle its affairs. Today, we generate our own revenue stream.” In 2015, the BVI government spent $82.9 million for a major expansion of the cruise dock and the development of a five-acre site alongside the pier, which included the addition of several restaurants, a marketplace, retail stores, a pool, a bar, and a trolley line, among other features.This year, an estimated 550,000 cruise passengers are expected to land at the Tortola Park Pier, growing to approximately one million by 2020. As a result, the people of the BVI will be the beneficiaries of $100 million per year from the cruise line industry. Last year, Hurricane Irma caused substantial damage to some of the BVIPA’s facilities, includ- ing the West End ferry terminal, the Road Town jetty, the cargo dock at Port Purcell, and the Torto- la Park cruise ship pier. Pickering reports that re- pairs are ongoing. “We’re about 70 percent there,” he says. “At our Port Purcell cargo facility, Irma did destroy one of our main warehouses, so we still have that to rebuild, and we still have to rebuild a structure a the West End ferry terminal.” Repairs at the pier park include the replacement of roofs on several of the larger buildings, as well as rep- arations to doors, windows, floors, and electrical systems. Pickering adds that repairs have been paid for out of the Authority’s operating budget (284) 494 3282 | info @ drakestraders.com | www.drakestraders.com We guarantee the quality and reliability of our products and customer service | Visit our showroom located at Fish Bay, Tortola while it awaits the conclusion of its insurance settlement. In addition, post- hurricane, Pickering says that the Authority decided to revamp some of its operating procedures. “Initially, we were not responsible for handling equipment – such as the reach stackers, lifters, and the jockey trucks. (A reach stacker is a vehi- cle used for handling intermodal cargo containers in small termi- nals or medium-sized ports. Reach stackers are able to transport a container short distances very quickly and pile them in various rows depending on its access.) The only equipment that we have, and use, and are responsible for, are the forklifts that deliver the cargo to the vehicles. After Irma, we really felt the need for the BVIPA to be the one in control of everything, because with the confusion, it put the Authority in a very tight position, where we did not have equipment to be able