Anguilla – development progresses
2021, August 1: Work has started on the new Blowing Point Ferry Terminal in Anguilla. On Monday, June 28, 2021, government officials among others participated in a brief ceremony to signal the start of construction. The new terminal will provide about 20,000 square feet of space structured to facilitate ‘a seamless inbound and outbound process’.
The Blowing Point Ferry Port is Anguilla’s primary passenger port for excursions between St. Martin and St. Maarten. Most passengers are ferried from St. Martin/St. Maarten, fewer from Saint Barthélemy and other neighbouring islands. In 2020, vessel movement (departures and arrivals) at Blowing Point were down by over 72% as compared with 2019. Reflecting this, passenger departures and arrivals in 2020 were both down, each by more than 77%.
Road Bay Cargo Port is the main cargo handling facility for imports and exports to Anguilla. Its new multifunction jetty now under construction, delayed by disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, is now expected to be completed by year end 2021. The jetty will be able to berth larger cargo ships and small cruise ships. Specifications include 75m length and a 5m wide approach; circulation space of 40 metres x 55 metres; four ro-ro and three lo-lo platforms. Dredging will be required to reach the planned 8m draft. Road Bay saw an increase in total tonnage of 37.55% from 95,300 in 2019 to 131,200 tons in 2020, due largely to shipments of materials for projects being funded by the United Kingdom now underway. Otherwise, container movement in and out of Road Bay showed decline as reflected in TEU data: in-bound down by approximately 17%; outbound declined by 29%.
Meanwhile, planned development and infrastructural changes planned for Corito Port, Anguilla’s only dedicated facility for bulk fuel, has been halted for a while. Corito Port, with two bulk fuel depots, Sol and Delta Petroleum, receives tankers carrying diesel, gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). This port has been identified as a location for future expansion and development and a major deep water port facility. []
