The West Indies Oil Company and the French multinational fuel supply company Rubis signed an agreement which will now have them sharing the business of supplying aviation fuel to aircrafts at the V.C. Bird International Airport
The 15-year agreement signing took place on Thursday at the Office of the Prime Minister in the presence of Prime Minister Gaston Browne, WIOC CEO Gregory Georges and Mauricio Nicholls of Rubis.
Georges spoke on the new deal saying it was an historic agreement.
“I say it’s an historic agreement because in the 55 years of operation in this market between Antigua and Dominica, we have not been in there providing fuel at the airport. Effective after this agreement is signed, we are now a joint player in the joint operation
at the airport.” said Georges
He also added that “It took approximately 9-10 months to pen the agreement because these joint operations agreements are very complex, they’re very technical, and it’s imperative that we try to ensure that both parties are fairly dealt with in these agreements.”
Browne also spoke on the agreement saying it was a deliberate move to facilitate greater ownership whether individual or private sector ownership.
“It is part of a deliberate economic strategy to facilitate greater ownership. As far as practicable, we will want to support individual and, certainly, private sector ownership. But where these investments are extremely large and private entities are unable to participate, the government through its various business entities will establish those partnerships for the benefit of the people,” He explained.
Browne also spoke on the past relationship with Rubis in late 2016 which involved Rubis trying to take control of local petroleum retail dealerships and how his government has come to a solution.
“They were partnering with another private entity in the past and my government took a policy decision that, going forward, they had to partner with West Indies Oil Company to ensure that some of those profits are retained within the domestic society.” said Browne.
This service of supplying aviation fuel was previously monopolized by Rubis and its American predecessor enterprises Chevron-Texaco.
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Under the Gaston Browne administration, Antigua and Barbuda is certainly destining to become a true Economic Power House…
Hon. Gaston Browne …Antigua is AN ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE. I hope Harold Lovell and the UPP now see the REAL meaning of an ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE. This shows LEADRSHIP at its best. We shall take ALL 17 seats in the next ELECTION. UPP DONE / DEAD.
Notes From A Native So Of The Rock! “Everything can be explained to the people, on the single condition that you want them to understand.” ― Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth!
Which is it, “Entrepreneurial Socialism” or “Empowerment Capitalism!”
Give Praise and Thanks that WIOC is now able to provide fuel at the VCBIA for aircraft! 55 Years of WIOC! 53 Years of Statehood In Association! 39 Years of Independence! 6 Years of the Gaston Browne Administration!
When was the Pipeline, from WIOC to the VCBIA, Built! Who Owns The Pipeline!
“It goes without saying that the Afrocentrist cannot function properly as a scientist or humanist if he or she does not adequately locate the phenom in time and space. This means that chronology is as important in some situations as location. The two aspects of analysis are central to any proper understanding of society, history, or personality.” – Dr. Molefi Asante, Afrocentricity: The Theory of Social Change!
From From Pipeline Construction to Commodity to Delivery to Energy Ecology to Taxes! Who Sets the Prices! Who gets the Storage and Transportation Charges! Who gets the Delivery Fees! With The Greening of Antigua and Barbuda, Who gets the Clean Energy and Ecological Levies! Has there been an agreed to Carbon Tax! “For a colonized people the most essential value, because the most concrete, is first and foremost the land: the land which will bring them bread and, above all, dignity.” ― Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth!
Missing from the article are the issues of Technology Transfer and Skills Training which both PM Browne and WIOC CEO Georges highlighted in their respective comments! LEST WE REMEMBER. The Re-Fueling Operations at the VCBIA had been managed by The two Edwards Gentlemen from Ovals and Michael’s Village and later by Walling From All Saints Road beginning at the Old Coolidge Terminal to the present Location! These three Nationals had the Technological Skills! Why the deficiency and how did this develop and flourish during Independence! “The Afrocentric method is a form of cultural criticism that examines etymological uses of words and terms in order to know the source of an author’s location. This allows us to intersect ideas with actions and actions with ideas on the basis of what is pejorative and ineffective and what is creative and transformative at the political and economic levels.” – Dr Molefi Asante!
How will AA and other American carriers react to buying fuel from a company which is 25% owned by Venezuela which has US sanctions against it?
Notes From A Native Son Of The Rock! “The basic confrontation which seemed to be colonialism versus anti-colonialism, indeed capitalism versus socialism, is already losing its importance. What matters today, the issue which blocks the horizon, is the need for a redistribution of wealth. Humanity will have to address this question, no matter how devastating the consequences may be.” ― Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth!
The answer is blowing in the wind! Ask the Government of Curacao which has a massive Oil Refinery that can process 335,000 barrels per day and the other ABC islands of Aruba and Bonaire which have been caught in the Sanctions debacle! All of the Crude since time immemorial for the ABC Operations come from The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela! Recently Curacao received a US Treasury license from OFAC that would clear the way to contract a new Geneva based partner for the refinery without running afoul of US sanctions on PdV.
SAM Maintains one of the Largest Listening Posts in the Caribbean on Curacao complete with Planes and Ships! Border Control is based in Curacao!
Take Your Pick! For: “At the U.N., I routinely encounter countries that do not want to impose sanctions or even to enforce those already on the books. The hard-line sanctions skeptics have their own self-interested reasons for opposing sanctions, but they ground their opposition in claims that America uses sanctions to inflict punishment for punishment’s sake.” or Against: “We believe that unilateral sanctions violate international law, in fact. They violate free trade. They violate human growth and development, human development, and that when you actually sanction a bank of a country, the meaning of it is quite clear. You’re sanctioning medicine for the people.”
Oh Gad! Have Mercy Pon Us! “The widespread use of economic sanctions constitutes one of the paradoxes of contemporary American foreign policy. Sanctions are frequently criticized, even derided. At the same time, economic sanctions are fast becoming the policy tool of choice for the United States in the post-cold war world. The United States now maintains economic sanctions against dozens of countries; indeed, sanctions are so popular that they are being introduced by many states and municipalities. What is critical, moreover, is not just the frequency with which economic sanctions are used but their growing importance for U.S. foreign policy.” // “What explains this popularity? Sanctions can offer what appears to be a proportional response to a challenge in which the interests at stake are less than vital. In addition, sanctions are a way to signal official displeasure with a certain behavior. They can serve the purpose of reinforcing a commitment to a behavioral norm, such as respect for human rights or opposition to proliferation. American reluctance to use military force is another motivation. Sanctions provide a visible and less expensive alternative to military intervention and to doing nothing. The greater reach of media is still another explanation. The CNN effect can increase the visibility of problems in another country and stimulate a desire on the part of Americans to respond. The increased strength of single issue constituencies in American politics is also a factor. Small, organized, focused groups—often acting through Congress—can have an impact far beyond their actual strength, especially when no equally focused countervailing force exists.” – The Brookings Institution Policy Briefs!
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