​General Manager of the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority Darwin Telemaque has said that the revenues and volumes at the Port Authority in the first quarter of this year outperformed the first quarter of 2022.

He told State Media on Tuesday that tourism and construction accounted for the larger part of the increased activity at the port.

“The first three months, January, February, and March, we saw 2023 outperform 2022 in terms of volumes at the port. In terms of revenue, our revenues were also in line and a little bit ahead,” he said

Telemaque said however there has been a slowing seen in June, he said when the second quarter ends this month, he will be able to provide a more definitive analysis of the growth

He did confirm however that growth in volumes and revenues is a direct result of the booming construction and tourism sectors

“A lot of that would be hotels, cruise ships but construction continues to be strong. The PLH project on Barbuda is one of the factors for our continued strong volumes. We have seen some movements in Barbuda with a few other projects that are starting on” the said

Meanwhile, Telemaque said some of the revenue received following the sale of the Alfa Nero will be used to purchase new equipment to optimize the new facilities that it now has.

“To achieve some of the operational advantages and benefits, we have to now move from just focusing on that beautiful structure and put the right technology and equipment in place to help us to get there,” he added.

The newly developed US$90 million port was constructed by the Chinese construction giant, the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

Work began in 2018 but was beset by delays, exacerbated by the Covid pandemic.

The port now boasts a new cruise berth, cargo and logistics facilities, and other amenities. Offices have also been built to house Customs and Excise, the Plant Protection Unit, Immigration, and other services.

It is the hope that the newly redeveloped Deep Water Harbour port will help put Antigua and Barbuda on track to becoming a transshipment spot for the Eastern Caribbean.

It is the facility that is the only container terminal port in the OECS, enabling it to provide services to neighboring countries.