Shirley projects US$20m yearlong repair timeline for Ocho Rios Cruise Terminal
Published:Wednesday | June 5, 2024 | 12:12 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter
Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) CEO Professor Gordon Shirley says it could take another year before the damaged berth at the Ocho Rios Cruise Terminal in St Ann is repaired and the pier made functional again, but at the cost of some US$20 million.
In February, the Carnival Magic cruise vessel damaged the breasting dolphins and the concrete berthing structure after a collision at the pier amid rough seas. The vessel also sustained damage as its mooring ropes broke.
Shirley was giving an update on the situation at a PAJ Open Day session in downtown Kingston on Tuesday.
“We have had to examine, very carefully, the conditions which led to the damage and to do the engineering to rebuild that berth in a way that would make it capable of withstanding even greater shocks. We have done that work and we have the approvals to proceed with that and we are quite advanced with that,” he told The Gleaner. “We expect to have the berth repaired by this time next year.”
In the interim, Shirley said all the vessels which had been scheduled to make calls on Ocho Rios have been redirected – some to Reynold’s Pier, which is also in St Ann, and others to Falmouth, Trelawny, and Montego Bay, St James.
The PAJ CEO said the agency would be managing the cost as carefully as it can as it executes the repairs.
He added that the PAJ is also exploring the option of having a finger pier with two berths, of which the engineering has started, but the first order of business is to get the damaged berth functional again.
Looking eastward, he said plans for the Kingston Harbour and Port Royal are also moving along smoothly.
CARGO VOLUMES EXPANDING
“The Kingston Harbour continues to develop on the cargo side. KFTL (Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited) is growing by leaps and bounds. Kingston Wharves is also growing by leaps and bounds, so the cargo volumes are expanding quite substantially. In Kingston Harbour, we have a new dry dock ... .We have a lot more bunkering that is happening in Kingston, so the ecosystem of Kingston is expanding,” Shirley told The Gleaner.
“In terms of Port Royal, we continue to expand our facilities there. The challenge with Kingston as a cruise destination is that it’s on the south coast, so getting the cruise lines to come around [from] the north coast all the way to the south coast is challenging, but we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel, and we are continuing to interest them in coming to the south coast,” he said.
Shirley also indicated that there is room for improvement to attract tourists to the south coast, and this connects with the development that needs to take place with attractions in the capital city.
The PAJ Open Day aimed to attract new persons and the next generation of the working force to consider having fulfilling careers in harbours and port services.
The day’s proceedings included a tour of the Jamaica III utility vessel, pilot boat tours, and a tour of harbour and pilotage workstation tours.