Losing Port prowess
The Port of Port-of-Spain, whose cargo handling operations have expanded rapidly in recent years, has clearly outgrown the area originally reserved for it. In turn, the development of the waterfront complex, has added to the problems of space for the port and its users. Within past weeks there have been indications that freight handling operations at the port would be soon relocated. This signal was given last week by Trade Minister Ken Valley when he declared that trans-shipment cargo destined for the Port of Port-of-Spain might have to be shifted to the Port of Point Lisas or additional berths constructed at Port-of-Spain or Point Lisas. Works Minister, Colm Imbert, had hinted as well at the Port of Port-of-Spain being too small to handle existing and anticipated cargo handling demands and talked about a proposal for the construction of a man-made island. But whether the port is rebuilt or a "man made island" South of the Caricom jetty set up, what is extremely urgent is that early steps be taken to ensure that we do not lose the valuable trans-shipment trade. The trans-shipment cargo handling business has always been seen as the proverbial icing on the overall cargo handling cake. It brings in millions of dollars in additional revenue. In turn, it results in the creation of additional employment opportunities for scores of port workers and, in the process, provides them with needed income. The economic benefits of an expanding trans-shipment trade to Trinidad are immense. In earlier years the Port of Port-of-Spain had dominated the trans-shipment landscape in the Southern Caribbean until Venezuelan ports and Bridgetown, Barbados, wooed a great deal of the business away from Port-of-Spain. Within recent years, however, Port-of-Spain and Point Lisas have managed to win a great deal of the trans-shipment business back. But for the Port of Port-of-Spain, in particular, to retain its clearly profitable share of the trans-shipment trade it must both be in a position to offload cargo rapidly and have a faster turnaround of freighters, so that trade ships calling to take on trans-shipped cargo to respective final destinations do not have to wait an inordinately long time. The slower the turnaround of ships the greater the add-on costs to the trans-shipped cargo. Whether freight lines continue to use us as a port or call here to offload cargo for transfer to another port will depend on our efficiency.
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"Losing Port prowess"