KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – The new Kingstown Port opened on Saturday with the first ship calling at the facility shortly after the formalities, two days before St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) celebrates its 46th anniversary of independence from Britain.
Late Saturday, Minister of Seaports, Senator Benarva Browne, posted a photograph on Facebook showing the FOUMA, a Cyprus-flagged container ship measuring 166.15 meters long and 25.26 meters wide, docked at the port during a scheduled call.
The vessel conducted its business at the port before sailing on to Grenada later Saturday night.
“This is not just an opening, it’s a rebirth; a moment that affirms our collective will to build a resilient, forward-looking St Vincent and the Grenadines,” she said during the opening ceremony of the port.
“The port is a symbol of what vision planning and partnership can achieve. It signals that our nation is ready to trade smarter, connect faster, grow stronger, with a modern, competitive, and many-sided, post-colonial economy.”
Former project coordinator and assistant project manager for the Port Modernization Project, Lenski Douglas, who later worked with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) before the port’s completion, gave the project overview.
“A new chapter in our national story begins. The seed of an idea for modern port facilities in St Vincent and Grenadines has matured into a transformative reality,” he said.
Douglas said over EC$720 million was committed to the project for project preparation, infrastructure works, engineering and construction-related services, project management, institutional strengthening, goods procurement, and other project support.
He noted that the project was financed through loans from the CDB, grant support from the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Fund, and resources secured by the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, including a loan from the Ex-Im Bank of Taiwan and a loan secured by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Port Authority.
“This project has been delivered within contractual time, with just five months’ extension on the timeline announced at the groundbreaking. The quality of the work is evident for all to see,” he said.
“And this is an important one, when all is accounted for, by every indication, the total amount spent to date is tracking very close to the original EC$650 million, which is less than the total EC$720 million in funding budgeted and or approved for this project,” Douglas said.
“The point there is that the government actually saved while implementing the Port Modernization Project.” He said that during the project’s implementation, EC$135 million was directly retained in the local economy.
“Cumulatively, more than 500 Vincentians had the opportunity for direct employment with the contractor over the past 42 months, including 31 women. Local employment consistently hovered near 45% of the workforce on site for the duration of construction.”
Douglas said the achievement reflects vision, strategic foresight, leadership, strong partnerships, and an unwavering commitment to delivering a climate-resilient, future-ready cargo port built on reclaimed land and engineered to withstand the tides of change and the shocks of climate.
He said that with the completion of the project, three of the four strategic objectives had been met: to improve infrastructure and working conditions, to support livelihoods and reduce poverty, and to enhance safety and climate resilience.
“economic and trade impacts will follow in due course,” he said.
Douglas said the port is “a resilient, future-ready gateway designed to enhance durability, climate adaptability, operational efficiency, and an example of environmental stewardship.”
He noted that work commenced on May 12, 2022, and that sand from the seabed off the east coast of St. Vincent was used to establish a 380-meter by 130-meter footprint within 5 weeks and 4 days.
The port can handle 56,000 20-foot equivalent units annually. It has a 380-meter quay with a draft of -12.5 meters, allowing multiple vessels to berth simultaneously. It is elevated to account for sea-level rise and engineered for extreme weather.
“This facility replaces aged and inadequate infrastructure for these times and strengthens our national resilience.”
Douglas said that Hurricane Beryl, which impacted SVG on July 1, 2024, was the first real-world test of this facility, adding, “and it validated our designs.”
The 25-meter-wide apron enables efficient container operations with mobile harbor cranes and ensures efficient horizontal transport by terminal trailer units between the berth and the yard.
“This arrangement will surely improve the efficiency of vessel offloading by the modern port operating company.”
The terminal layout includes container storage, break-bulk (general cargo) and vehicle areas, reefer racks, maintenance zones, and integrated systems for lighting, signage, closed-circuit television, wireless internet connectivity, electricity, and portable water.
“The flexible pavement will reduce the wear on our mobile equipment, and it simplifies future maintenance. Runoff is treated to ensure that no contaminated water from this facility enters directly into the sea.”
He said safety and security are reinforced through intercoms, smoke detectors, fire alarms, and card access control, while robust IT systems, designed with cybersecurity in mind, further strengthen operations.
The port came into focus earlier this year when it became public, through non-government sources, that some sheet piles had detached and that sand was leaking into the ocean, forming large pools inside the quay wall.
“When declutching was observed, the honorable Prime Minister, within a few days, assured the nation that rectification costs would fall within the contractor’s obligation; that assurance holds,” Douglas said.
“The government’s team’s contractual management on this issue deserves the highest commendation.” Meanwhile, Browne said the port was intended to expand trade and human capacity.
“At peak construction, over 140 Vincentians, which represented more than 70% of the workforce, were employed,” the seaports minister said.
“Young Vincentians gain skills in engineering, heavy equipment operation, logistics, and project management, just to name a few areas. These skills will now power future national projects.
“As operations commence, hundreds more opportunities will open in the shipping industries, customs logistics, ensuring that our people remain at the heart of the progress.”
She said the port stands as a climate-smart flagship for the Eastern Caribbean. “It is built to endure sea level rise and severe weather with robust coastal defenses and efficient drainage.”
Browne said the solar system on the roof of the administration building will enable the port to generate some of its electricity and reduce dependence on the national grids, saving over 170 tons of CO2 emissions per year.
“This is practical climate action infrastructure aligned with environmental stewardship,” she said. And, Carl James, CEO of the Modern Port Operating Company, said Saturday’s event was more than the opening of a port.
“It is the opening of opportunity. It is the beginning of a new chapter for our people, our economy, and our nation’s future,” James said.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves delivered the featured address at Saturday’s event.
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