Real News Antigua: Longest-ever dredging exercise is causing the country to lose Oasis-class ships’ revenue, says MP Smith
MP Anthony Smith Jr. is criticizing the Gaston Browne Administration for the length of time it is taking to complete the dredging of the St. John’s Harbour.
Smith, the United Progressive Party (UPP) spokesperson on tourism, says it is costing the country much-needed tourism revenue, since the Harbour is not able to accommodate the Oasis-class ships that could bring millions of passengers here on an annual basis.
The Opposition MP says the Browne Administration must take the country’s tourism product more seriously.
He notes that millions upon millions of dollars have been spent at the expense of taxpayers, to date, and the non-completion is unacceptable.
The Government needs to have this exercise fast-tracked, Smith says, since it should not take this long to dredge a harbour.
The UPP spokesman says that being able to attract much larger vessels would double the tourism numbers and boost revenue within the sector.
The dredging exercise – being undertaken by Blue Ocean in partnership with the National Asset Management Company (NAMCO) – has been going on for nearly a decade now, and is the longest dredging exercise in the history of Antigua and Barbuda.
There have been several excuses for the delayed completion – the last being the inability of the equipment to penetrate the very dense rock encountered.
This was since 2022, and the right equipment to get the job done was to have been sourced. However, it is now 2024 and there is still no word on when the dredging will be completed.
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Yesterday we had homeporting and we saw a million tourists visiting our shores from Viva Aida P&O.
The harbor was clean
The sea line was beautiful.
We might not have hosted the Icon, Mr. Smith, but we have to say kudos to global ports and minister Fernandez.
We take a lot for granted, and I am neither blue nor red, SO DONT GO THERE…& we do have a lot of issues to resolve, but in that moment on February 10, 2024, I FELT SOMETHING THAT I RARELY FEEL, I FELT PROUD, REALLY REALLY PROUD.
This Guy is seeking relevance. For a young man He speaks the GARBAGE that D GISEL ISAAC feeds Him. You are a one term MP. We in ALL SAINTS W.EST are not happy with your garbage. Just shut up if you don’t have the facts. You are on the track to becoming UPP STOOGE. Shame on you Anthony Smith. My Family and I will NEVER vote for you again. Anthony Smith and Pringle are Two UPP STOOGES
People, all these big cruise-ships do is cause environmental damage to our ecosystem and drop a few coins for a t-shirt or so. And, their numbers off-shore are minimal. Their shops and entertainment onboard are way outside of our lowly platform of offerings. We are being used by the cruise lines and profits go to Global Ports in the Caribbean.
Plus check out the owners of the dredging service sold to our Government!
Enrichment entrepreneurs!
Well said @ I don’t know my name; and I would go even further. The cruise ship passengers (and those that hideaway in All Inclusive hotels) do not spend anywhere near as much as those from the diaspora. A missed marketing opportunity!
Why not focus more on the diaspora who – in the main – spend their money on local, small Antiguan businesses (and the wider community), and who also hang-out and party with the locals. Great!
Yet, our tourist industry keeps rolling out the red carpet for those who continually fill the pockets of the overseas entrepreneurs.
Come Max Fernández, you can and should do a lot better …
I know my name and while the global ports agreement may be a bit one sided, I don’t see any local enterprise trying to provide an alternative and I swear we can’t cause any more environmental damage than one of the many hurricanes
Besides the catamarans that made some $$$, some taxi men at the air and sea ports made some $$ too. All the entities that benefit from homeporting can chime in here
BTW The T-shirt is no longer a thing
Who is doing the dredging contract and are any ministers behind them?
@ Commenting from the distance
Ask SAM J and Antiguan-
Anthony Smith is on target. This government don’t like opposition voices, for the time and money spent in dredging the harbour is only to put money in the pockets of the ministers and facilitate the enrichment schemes.
I do not speak for Anthony but I wouldn’t want your corrupt votes, all because Gaston and the ABLP could not buy him and Shuggy out with money and offer of senatorships. These guys are principled guys who have not sold their souls like Dwayne George for a few pieces of silver. As a result and I can guarantee these seats will be returned to the UPP with even bigger winning margins.
Stop y’all bitterness and help Trevor Young overcome his!
This shows that there must have been some bobol in the granting of this contract to Blue Ocean in which either the government or a top politician os supposed to have shares. How do you quote on a job without understanding the full scope of the job?Was there not a scientific survey of the sea bottom made? Years after the contract is granted you come back with excuses that the sea bed is too hard and you need more time, equipment and money. Please publish the contract. As far as I am concerned Blue Ocean has broken the contract and there must be penalties written if this was a proper contract.
WHO ARE THE OWNERS OF THE COMPANY DOING THE DREDGING OF THE HARBOR? THAT HARBOR HAS BEEN DREDGING FOR ABOUT 3 YEARS NOW.WHEN WILL IT END?IT IS OPUR MONEY PAYING FOR THAT CRAP.WHILE SOME IN HIGHER PLACES ARE GETTING THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS FILLED WITH OUR MONEY.THAT HAS TO STOP NOW.
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