The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENIZE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

SMALL Bahamian shipping companies are being offered port charges disciunts of up to 50 per cent, the Arawak Port Development (APD) Company’s chief executive telling Tribune Business the incentives would facilitate Family Island shipping and sustain Bahamian operators.

Michael Maura said: “We have reduced our landing rates and given them privileges that we don’t provide to large operators.

“In some instances they have as much as a 50 per cent discount on port charges versus what Tropical and MSC are paying. We are trying to help them, and also the Family Islands, who do not have the docks and the drafts available for MSC and Tropical.

“We’re also working with the larger ships to facilitate the transshipment of global cargo across our dock on to he smaller Bahamian shipping companies vessels.”

The APD incentives, announced yesterday, include: 50 per cent off landing fees on domestic cargo landed at Nassau Container Port (NCP); 50 per cent off landing fees on duty not paid on cargo landed at NCP when a Family Island is to be the final destination; and 25 per cent off landing fees for duty not paid on cargo earmarked for New Providence and shipped by 100 per cent Bahamian-owned and operated vessels only.

“We have three terminals here at the NCP. We have a container terminal, a bulk terminal and a break bulk terminal,” Mr Maura said.

“The container terminal is the terminal where the MSCs and the Tropicals, the large foreign carriers, berth. We have 28 feet of water there and those ships need that depth.

“At the break bulk terminal we have 21 feet of water because the Bahamian ships are smaller and, for the most part, they are also roll-on/roll-off, so they don’t require a crane to take the cargo off. Based on the nature of their business and how they operate, they’re able to do a lot of the work themselves,” he added.

“For example, they don’t have to pay the port stevedoring. We charge Tropical and MSC $40 per TEU for our cranes to reach over and grab it and put it in the yard. We don’t charge anything at the break bulk terminal because they literally just get a driver to get in his truck and pull the container off the ship. We charge for terminal handling but they don’t have terminal handling because it’s their driver putting the container away.”

Mr Maura added: “We also give a discount to the big carriers as well, because we want to encourage them to take and bring that freight to George Town, Governor’s Harbour or Clarence Town.

“We’re trying to create an incentive to transship cargo through the Family Islands, because in many of those ports they may only have seven feet of water and you can’t get one of those big ships in there.”