New port legislation coming to Parliament

Speaking with journalists following a swearing-in ceremony for the new Port Authority of TT’s (PATT) board of directors, Imbert said the existing Port Act is "a hangover from colonialism" and Government is currently in the process of overhauling the legislation in order to meet the current "explosion in demand for ports."

Recalling that Prime Minister Patrick Manning has indicated that six new ports will be built over the next two years to handle the increasing levels of industrial activity in the country, Imbert said the ports would include one at Galeota (in Mayaro) to service the oil industry, and four other ports along the western coast of Trinidad.

Against this background and the fact that the PATT has not been able to fully enforce regulations over all of TT’s existing ports over the last 40 years, Imbert said Cabinet has decided to create the NPC in order to separate regulatory from commercial matters where the nation’s ports are concerned. He added that the NPC would operate in a manner similar to the Civil Aviation Authority, and while this was an idea before his time, it was one which he fully endorsed. Imbert said "just like the (Uriah Butler/Churchill Roosevelt Highway) Interchange," the legislation to revamp the Port Act will come to Parliament before December 31, 2006, and "by the end of 2006, you should have an NPC."

Imbert also disclosed that British port management company, Portia Management Services, has been selected to bring "modern management practices" to the PATT, and will come on board in 2006. The minister said Portia, which currently manages the Port of Liverpool in England, will be heavily involved in training local port personnel in the most sophisticated management practices used at ports worldwide.

The minister confirmed outgoing PATT chairman Noel Garcia’s statement that the three operator companies (Port of PoS, PoS Infrastructure Company and the TT Inter-Island Ferry Service) into which the PATT will be divided, are "already in train" and will be operational in 2006.

Imbert also said agreement has been reached with the Finance Ministry to relocate the Customs and Excise Divison’s container examination station from the PoS port to a site at Invaders Bay by mid-2006.