“My scope involves our operations department, which primarily handles the berthing of ships, the cargo management of cargo that comes into the BVI, our security team that manage the entire facilities of the port and also our marine department that deal with all our navigation aids and berthing of vessels at our facilities,” Fahie explains. His responsibilities also include maintenance teams across the territory’s port infrastructure. The scale of operations under Fahie’s oversight becomes clear when examining the numbers. Port Purcell, the authority’s main cargo facility, can simultaneously accommodate 10 ships along its 244-meter quay front. The facility’s six acres of paved container storage area and 6.7-meter depth capability make it a critical gateway for goods flowing into the territory. Meanwhile, the cruise operations have proven their significance with the BVI achieving a milestone in 2024 by welcoming over 1.09 million visitors, marking only the second time since 2016 that the territory has exceeded the one million visitor mark. SECURITY IN THE DIGITAL AGE Port security has evolved dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated technology adoption across maritime operations. The BVI Ports Authority operates within a global environment where cybersecurity threats have become increasingly sophisticated, with industry experts warning that 2025 will bring AI-driven attacks, ransomware, and vulnerabilities in operational technology systems. For Fahie, this reality translates into continuous adaptation of security protocols across all port facilities. “Constantly at present now we’re looking at training our security staff, updating them in terms of various aspects of security,” Fahie says. “In terms of AI, we are looking at different areas in which we can assist our security team or help the security team be more effective in terms of monitoring and securing all facilities. We have not fully opened up to that process yet, but we are looking at areas that we can go into for the future.” The authority maintains a structured approach to security preparedness.“We have training beginning as always next month in some areas to update our security staff, keep them abreast of the threats that are there for various port facilities and to ensure that our security staff are adequately equipped to deal with the issues that may arise at various points of interest,” Fahie explains. Cybersecurity is a parallel front in the authority’s 39 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 12, ISSUE 09 BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS PORTS AUTHORITY
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