Minister Rawdon Turner is leading a government delegation to Holland this week to negotiate directly with suppliers as Antigua and Barbuda moves to take control of critical harbour dredging projects. The team includes the Port Manager, a Ministry of Works engineer, and leadership from the newly state-owned Blue Ocean Dredging Company.
After years of stalled progress and skyrocketing costs from foreign contractors, the government is now placing its trust in local capacity to complete dredging works at St. John’s Harbour and Crabbs Harbour.
At St. John’s, approximately 140,000 cubic meters of rock and silt remain to be cleared, while Crabbs Harbour has roughly 150,000 cubic meters outstanding. Officials warn that delays have hampered expansion in shipping and cruise tourism.
Attempts to contract international firms proved prohibitively expensive. Dutch company Boskalis quoted nearly USD 2 million just to mobilize equipment; Van Oord requested USD 430,000 per day without guarantees; and Jan De Nul priced the job at USD 9 million. Other quotes ranged from USD 57 to USD 380 per cubic meter, far above what the local market could sustain.
By contrast, Blue Ocean Marine, based in Antigua, has been dredging at just USD 21.50 per cubic meter. The company’s previous limitation—lack of heavy-duty equipment—is being addressed through Cabinet approval to purchase a Caterpillar 6015 Excavator, lease a pontoon barge, and recruit experienced operators and mechanics.
Plans extend beyond harbour maintenance to beach replenishment, sand mining for construction, and regional contracts, positioning Antigua as a potential hub for dredging services. The hopper dredger M.B. Amaru is expected to play a central role, with operating costs projected at just over USD 600,000 for three months.
Officials emphasize that the initiative will save millions while finally delivering projects long trapped in negotiation limbo.
“We cannot continue to pay inflated prices and wait indefinitely,” a Cabinet statement said.
“Investing in our own capacity is the only sustainable solution.”
The delegation’s findings will be returned to Cabinet in the coming weeks, marking a decisive step toward Antigua and Barbuda controlling its maritime future.
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Somebody making money of all this dredging work. Thats madness. You realize how long that machine working? Who does it belong to? Find out
It’s about time Antigua invested in its own capabilities! Paying sky-high prices to foreign companies was never sustainable.
Curious to see how quickly they can get the M.B. Amaru fully operational. Fingers crossed for smooth progress!
I never realized that this was such a costly project.the quotes quotes are like serial numbers cause when converted in EC I may not even be able to read it. That’s a hell of a lot of money.
I hope the trip results in a lit cheaper solution
It’s a good initiative, but we’ll be watching closely to see how effective this government-led approach is
Dear Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda
You claim local capacity offers competitive and sustainable rates, but requires equipment upgrades since the company lacks the specialized equipment needed to complete large-scale projects.. Yet despite years of delays and shifting timelines this company has suffered no penalties Does this mean that now than the government owns it it will now descend even deeper into mediocrity !!!
Does Blue Ocean Marine (Antigua) own the present dredging equipment working at the Crabbs Harbor area that has been a blight on the seascape for way too long now ? Why has the equipment been allowed to stay there for so long if the company cannot complete the project because of a lack of specialized equipment???? The equipment seems to be working every day so what is it doing there if it cannot complete the project ???
Since the company lacks the specialized equipment needed to complete large-scale projects
will the flow sensors and surveying equipment / team(s) also be upgraded as well to ensure transparency going forward so that the material being paid for to be removed is actually removed ,if as stated this is being done using a fixed cubic-meter pricing system?. It is logical to think that the sensors and survey equipment/ team will also need up grading if the rest of the equipment needs to be ???
Does the present company even have flow sensors and survey equipment ??
It would be a wonderful thing if this project could actually accomplish its stated goals and not just become another waste of taxpayer money that “Creatively enriches” a few individuals
Best Regards
Rad Trad