Cargo and passengers to be separated on entry at VG Yacht Harbour
The Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour marina is expected to undergo a number of upgrades which will seek to separate cargo from passengers while travelling to the marina.
Minister for Natural Resources, Labour & Immigration Vincent Wheatley stated at his recent Ninth District meeting on Virgin Gorda that a short-term plan is being worked on to regain more activity within the marina.
He said, he spoke with the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour Romney Penn, and said the aim is to have passengers shifting from the now usual ferry dock to the marina by the second quarter of 2020.
“One of the reasons we are going to transform the marina because we want to separate the cargo and the passengers into the marina. I told Mr Penn that I will take no one in there until the place looks decent and nice,” Minister Wheatley stated.
“Also for a very practical reason because during the day, the barge bringing the materials can’t come to the dock, so the barges have to stay out in the ocean all night, and have these poor guys working all day and driving these trucks all night, endangering their lives, messing up our roads and keeping us awake,” he added.
Wheatley further said that by shifting the passengers off the dock, these truck drivers will now have all day to conduct their duties in a much safer environment, as they continue to contribute to the development of Virgin Gorda.
Contract signed for ground work at marina
Meanwhile, the Ninth District Representative also revealed that a contract to start groundworks at the marina has been signed, which will see the beautification of the facility in the coming weeks.
“We are going to start landscaping around the new building, we are going to be paving that parking lot where those containers are. By February, end of February, all orders should be done and tourists will be building the marina back into a real top centre,” Wheatley stated.
“All the metal for the new building is on island now, so we are going to see a whole transformation taking place in the marina,” he added.
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Why is Government beautifying private property and that of the Investment Club?
What is this transfer of passengers into a PRIVATELY owned marina going to cost Tax payers ? We know there is “ a per head “ fee for passengers using their docks . So “ enlighten “ us ; Ferry fares going up ? An environmental fee to CLEAN passenger area ? Another “ windfall “ for INVESTMENT CLUB share holders ? SAFETY is of paramount importance Yes ! Will this go down in the HISTORY books as the cost of doing business ?
Great move Hon Wheatley; While you are Negotiating “ passengers safety “ Lets get REASONABLE rates for Virgin Gorda based boats that use this Facility
VG. STRONG
If the NDP did something like this all hell would broke loose, but the sweethearts VIP can do no wrong in this Territory. Time alone my friends, time alone!
These literally were my thoughts on the matter. It’s a great move that was needed, but we need to know the details of the agreement and I don’t want to pay more money for the ferry ticket to be honest.
Great News, after some 20 plus years or more, of kicking the can down the road, (so to speak) regarding making the decision to solve the double (Cargo/passenger) nightmare at VG Ferry dock in Spanish Town. Because the Ferry boats, several of them, have full daytime laccess/use of the dock, the cargo barges must unload at night by drivers who have already completed their day schedule; sometime driving until sunrise; in order to get out of the way of the ferries.
In wrestling, its called a “high flying maneuver” when a wrestler climbs the rope around the ring to jump on another wrestler lying on the canvas to pin him.
The real question is, was this already on the cards with the former Government? I am betting it was! Imagine if the NDP gave this gift to the VG Yacht Harbour, AKA BVI Investment Club, what would be the cry? Would it still be ‘great news’? We need to stop the political nonsense around here because whether you like them or not, BVI Investment Club are OUR PEOPLE!
@Hmmmm We not wexx about giving to investment club you know bcse a LOT of us involved . But let’s have transparency; tell us what’s going on . Some one said Passenger Safety is IMPORTANT
I agree this is a great idea that was longgg over due
When would you do the same for Anegada so the picking up of goods can have smooth transitioning when the ferry reaches Anegada
This needs addressing asap!!!!!!
Yet another undisclosed figure like the last time when we had to use this same compound
The say tis ah “green” party and that is true. Ploitically the are all green. But, they are spreading the green around feh sho.. Wonder when real political maturity and political products will materialize?
STRUPE COMMENTS
Out of all the comments only ONE had the common sense to see this as the positive development that it is. Every single other comment is a STRUPE presuming information without actually knowing, or being negative without offering other ideas. Those STRUPES are why BVI is slow to recover
This is pure BS. Economic activity on Virgin Gorda is growing at a fast rate. While I understand Government priority is safety for passengers. I have a few concerns/questions:
1. Have they (Govt) check to see if the docks in the marina are safe, in terms of physical structure, weight bearing, etc., since the hurricane.
2. Is there a fee associated with this per passenger. Which will be passed down to the tax payer whether it will be directly or indirectly.
3. Will the marina now be an official port of entry resulting in Govt. (Customs & Immigrations) to have a physical presence in the marina. More cost on the public purse.
4. Insurance, should something happen. Who is responsible the Govt. or the Marina.
5. How will parking work. The marina as it is right now limited.
I have more concerns but I will stop here for now.
The only solution to this situation is for the Government to invest in building a deep water habour for the island, at Manchineel Bottom. A port with docking space for 3 cargo vessels at once and warehouse and storage space at least 4 times what we now have will solve our problems for the next 30-40 years. Then we can look at developing a proper port of entry for Virgin Gorda. We need to start looking at the bigger picture.