Committee set up to look at port operations

A COMMITTEE has been established to look into the operations of the Port-of-Spain port and to make recommendations to Junior Finance Minister Conrad Enill on ways to improve the entire operations, especially with respect to cargo coming off the port. In an interview with Newsday, committee member and Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association’s president Anthony Aboud said the committee held its first meeting yesterday, with a follow-up session scheduled for Wednesday.

Describing the meeting as productive, Aboud explained that the committee looked at several issues including ways to get cargo moving and plans for the growth and development of the port. He said the problem at the port was not a small one and added that the issues of real estate, equipment and management systems must be dealt with. He noted that over the last few years the port’s capacity had been growing and things must be put in place so that management systems can manage the growth.

“Shipping costs have doubled, the bigger vessels were refusing to come to Trinidad because of the time it takes to offload the goods here. We cannot continue to function like this,” said Aboud. Regarding the situation involving the haulers at the port, Aboud said a proposal had been submitted to the minister that all haulers be paid compensation for the use of their equipment. He said the package might be similar to the one in place at the Point Lisas port. President of the Haulers Associa-tion of Trinidad and Tobago Kelvin Baldeosingh was unavailable for comment.