The Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is building a new deep-water port in its capital city, Kingstown.
The USD $250 million Kingstown Port Modernisation Project, the country’s second-largest capital project is funded by the Caribbean Development Bank, the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UKCIF), and the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and other officials visited the project on Tuesday, August 22, 2023. During the tour, Mr. Lenski Douglas – Project Manager of the Kingstown Port Modernization Project said the project is 36 percent complete.
Here are five (5) incredible things that are happening at the project.
- An environmentally-friendly concrete batching plant: The project has its own concrete batching plant with a capacity of 36 cubic metres. The plant has a sufficient output to meet the concrete needs of the port project.
During a tour of the facility on August 22, 2023, Project Director at Aecon Group Inc., Mr. Tam Smith described the plant as “quiet and dust-free”.
Mr. Smith told Prime Minister Gonsalves that the concrete testing has been successful and some concrete works have started.
He said: “From an environmental point of view, [there are] facilities on the other side which recycles the water so that nothing gets discharged into the sea,” adding that the concrete plant is “state-of-the-art”.
2 Construction of a three-floor building: Construction has already begun on the three-floor Customs and Port Administration building.
Construction has begun on one of the largest buildings in the reclaimed area.
3 Compacting of the sand used to reclaim land for the port: The sand that was used to reclaim the 16 acres of land is being densified using modern technology.
Fiber needles are sent over 30 metres into areas of the reclaimed land and vibrate to help densify the sand up to the required density, and that reduces the amount of settlement that happens over the years, Mr. Smith told Dr. Gonsalves during the tour.
“So, they are now almost finished. They are about 95 percent complete, and we are ready to start the piling,” Mr. Smith told Dr. Gonsalves during the August 22nd tour.
4 Piling will begin in early September.
According to Arcellor Mittal, a company that has developed and produced sheet steel piles for over 100 years, “a sheet pile wall placed in front of an existing quay wall allows the harbour bed to be dredged to depths required by modern vessels. Sheet piles have also proven their efficiency when it comes to the construction of new ports. The straightforward installation and reduced workforce requirement allows the new port to be operational in a short period of time,” the company states on its website.
At the Kingstown Port Modernisation Project, piling will begin on September 1, 2023.
The piles are 32 metres long 1.4 metres in diameter and they will be driven down into the sand. As they are driven down into the sand, concrete will be poured in. The piles are made of materials that are strong and resistant and they have an extra layer of special steel, Mr. Smith said.
It has a 50-year design life, but that doesn’t mean it will only last for 50 years. In 50 years’ time, it will still have a lifespan beyond that, Mr. Smith said.
They will be treated further rather than replaced.
5 Skilled Local Labour: A 35-year-old Vincentian is leading a team of about 30 people to do all the steel works on the site.
People have been trained and certified to operate large cranes and other sophisticated machines and equipment.
Ninety of some 120 people are currently employed at the port, some 90 of them are Vincentians, Project Director of Aecon Group Inc., Mr. Tam Smith told Dr. Gonsalves during the August 22nd tour.
They are learning transferable skills, Mr. Smith told Dr. Gonsalves.
Brief background information on the project:
Canadian firm Aecon Group Inc was awarded the contract for works on the Kingstown Port Modernisation Project while engineering firm Sellhorn Investment – independent consultants from Germany who the Government of SVG hired with approval from the Caribbean Development Bank to monitor the port construction is working along with Aecon to construct the new port.
According to the Caribbean Development Bank, the project will facilitate, among other things, improved efficiency in the provision of cargo services and enhanced environmental sustainability and climate resilience of the Kingstown Port.
The new port will will have a container storage yard, and break-bulk vehicle storage and maintenance areas, and terminal buildings. Terminal buildings will include administration and customs, workshops, warehouses, and a container freight station.
Some 1.17 million cubic metres of sand was dredged from the seabed off the cost at Argyle/Stubbs in the southeast region of mainland, St. Vincent to reclaim sixteen acres of land.
The project is set to be completed in 2025.
By Demion McTair
Assistant General Manager – Administration & Public Relations
National Broadcasting Corporation
