The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net 

TRANSPORT Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis announced yesterday that long-awaited upgrades to Abaco’s shipping port in Marsh Harbour will soon begin, with a Bahamian company selected by US partners to restore the transhipment port.

She said the upgrades will include improved lighting, stormwater drainage, an administrative and security building, CCTV connections to backup generators, power connections to new buildings, paving, and a perimeter fence.

However, she did not provide details on the future of Cooper’s Town Port, saying more information will be announced before the end of April.

Her comments in the House of Assembly came amid growing concerns over the fate of Abaco’s two commercial shipping ports, with the island’s private sector warning it is critical to address the devastation Hurricane Dorian inflicted on the facilities more than five years ago.

Abaco businesses have described the lack of repairs and improvements at the Marsh Harbour port since Hurricane Dorian as “the sword of Damocles hanging over our heads.”

They have repeatedly warned that continued delays could lead to the port being declared non-compliant with international shipping regulations.

Bids from private sector operators to invest in and take over the management and operations of each were submitted in August 2023.

Former Abaco Chamber of Commerce president Daphne DeGregory-Miaoulis recently said: “How can businesses expand, and how can businesses attract new business when we don’t have a secure port of entry for goods to come into the country?”