Opening hours have been extended at the Port to accommodate customers during the Christmas holidays and what is expected to be an increase in cargo operations there.
General Manager of the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority Darwin Telemaque said the staff cadre has also been increased to allow the smooth flow of cargo delivery.
The Christmas Barrel Initiative started on November 2, and thousands of goods are expected to arrive at the Port, along with the usual cargo.
“We brought in almost 20 young men temporarily to ensure that the bottleneck that we would find where goods are not available is not going to exist this Christmas season. So far, we have seen the ability to prepare the cargo and get it ready. That has advanced availability and therefore increases our ability to deliver,” Telemaque said.
The Port will also be opened on Saturday, according to Telemaque who was excited about operating from the newly re-developed US$90 million facility that was handed over to the government last week.
He said there are also plans to further improve operations at the port, saying that left up to him, hours will be extended indefinitely.
“I would like the port to emerge, to be a whole different space. Why do we do things the normal way? For example, let us extend the hours of the port to 6 o’clock every day. The warehouse hours. And let the people who work have some time to come and get their goods. It can be done. It’s not impossible. The more deliveries we make, the more revenue the government gets, and the faster the treasury get the money. We don’t want to have cargo locked up,” he said.
Telemaque said he is envisioning a reshaping of the entire logistic landscape at the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority.
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