GOVT. FORGING AHEAD WITH DEVELOPMENT OF VERNAMFIELD

By: ALPHEA SAUNDERS

Minister of Transport and Works, Hon. Michael Henry, displays a graphic outlay of Jamaica’s ideal geographical location for an international air cargo hub.

The Ministry of Transport and Works is forging ahead with plans for the development of the Vernamfield Cargo Aerodrome, in South West Clarendon.

Mid-October saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Port Authority of Jamaica and Surrey Paving and Aggregate, following Cabinet’s approval of the joint venture project.

"Cabinet has approved the availability of the necessary Government land space for the development of Vernamfield, of which the first area of development will be the acreage needed for the Caribbean Aerospace College, and by extension, the MROs (maintenance repair and overhaul), which must flow from that in the repairing of aircraft engines, and by extension, the development and out-build of Vernamfield," Transport and Works Minister, Hon. Michael Henry, told a press briefing on October 14.

Cabinet also approved the final assessment of the feasibility study, which was done by Surrey Paving.

Under the MoU, the Port Authority is designated as the executing agency for the Government. The agreement also contains provisions for the Government's exclusivity in the use of the lands needed for the project over 24 months, or the period of the MoU, whichever is shorter. This is in lieu of the vesting of Government-owned lands.

Highlighting the financing and economic benefits of the development, Mr. Henry said the project is likely to cost anywhere from US$500 million to US$1.2 billion. He informed that financing will not come from the Government of Jamaica (GoJ) or from GoJ guarantees, but is expected to be a combination of public and private sector investment, as well as multi-national financing.

The redevelopment is scheduled for approximately five years, and 5,000 workers, or five per cent of the local construction workforce, are likely to be employed during construction, earning $6.13 billion over the period.

Meanwhile, the Works Ministry continued discussions with the Ministry of National Security and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), to work out the transition of the Air Wing to Vernamfield. The aerodrome also has potential for an aircraft maintenance facility, which will cover more than 1.96 million square feet of floor area in a three-storey sorting facility, housing cold storage and sorting equipment to handle more than 120,000 parcels per hour; centralised cargo sorting and clearance centres; and a state-of- the-art aerodrome with telecommunications centre and runway capacities.

Singaporean Delegation

In July, Minister Henry said the visit of a Singaporean business delegation to Jamaica that month, would lead to increased co-operation, especially in improving air and sea links.

Leader of the Singaporean delegation, Dr. Aloysius Tay, suggested that Vernamfield in Clarendon offered huge potential for a multi-modal transportation and logistics hub, as well as tourism spin-offs.

"Vernamfield is not too far away from Kingston, and Milk River Bath is not too far away. There are so many things that are advantageous to Vernamfield that can be used. Trans-shipment is something that Singapore has been relying on, and it is very possible that we can grow Jamaica through Vernamfield," he suggested.

He said that there are also great possibilities for a Jamaican airline that goes beyond the region, and into the Far East. "What excites me is that I can get from the Far East to Kingston, Jamaica within 24 hours. That really could enhance tourism for Jamaica," he pointed out.

Minister of Transport and Works, Hon. Mike Henry (left), speaks with Jamaica's Trade Counsel in Singapore, Dr. Aloysius Tay, during a meeting with members of a Singaporean team of investors in July.

"We have been working hard to ensure that all of us enjoy the fruits of what is being done, both in Jamaica and Singapore, for companies to benefit from the relationship. We, at the trade office in Singapore, will ensure that we do our best to promote brand Jamaica, not only in the Caribbean, but in the Far East, as well," he assured the Minister.

The delegation held high level discussions with various Government agencies and a number of private sector interests, and was the result of a similar visit to Singapore by a Jamaican delegation led by Mr. Henry, in May. The team also included: Trade Officer and Deputy Registrar of the Jamaica Ship Registry in Singapore, Mr. Arthur Gerard Kok; Managing Director of Asian Cargo and Charter Consultancy, Mr.  Alex Soh; Procurement Representative of Asia (Rum and Coffee) Company, Mr. Weixiu Guo; Director, ST Electronics, Mr.  Wang Kwang Meng; and Chief Executive Officer  of Jupiter Innovations, Mr. Chan Chee Kheong.

Asian Cargo and Charter Consultancy expressed interest in streamlining air services between Asia and Jamaica, while ST Electronics is interested in supplying simulators for the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI); and Jupiter Innovations is focused on providing e-learning infrastructural platform for the CMI.

A Jamaican trade office has been established in Singapore, and discussions begun on the extension of the Singaporean-based Air Transport Training College's aviation maintenance training curriculum, as well as the launch of the Jamaica Ship Registry in Singapore, and re-opening of negotiations on a bilateral Open Skies Air Services Agreement between both countries.

Jamaica Aerospace College begins classes

Meanwhile, orientation for the Jamaica Aerospace College, which is a major plank of the development, was held on October 9. This saw the college, which will provide training in aircraft engineering, opening its doors to 13 students, five of whom began programmes in flight dispatch, and eight in aircraft maintenance.

Courses offered include aircraft maintenance engineering (diploma); flight dispatch (certificate); and airport management (certificate). In the academic year 2011, other courses will be added, including flight attendance; aviation management, and other aviation certification programmes.

The College, now headquartered at Dumphries Road in New Kingston, is a partnership of Surrey Paving and Aggregate, and Singapore’s Air Transport Training College (ATTC). The institution is a non-profit organisation, operating as a satellite school of the ATTC, which is the training arm of the Singapore Institute of Aerospace Engineers (SIAE). Classes are held at the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) campus, Air Jamaica Aircraft Maintenance Training facility, and the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA).

Brady Re-Elected Chairman of IMO Sub-Committee

Meanwhile, Director General of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, Rear Admiral Peter Brady, was re-elected as Chairman of the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO's) Sub-Committee on Standards for Training and Watchkeeping.

This is Rear Admiral Brady's sixth consecutive election as Chairman of the sub-committee. "I am proud to be representing my country Jamaica and indeed the Caribbean at this level in the IMO," Rear Admiral Brady said at a meeting of the sub-committee held in London, England, where he was re-elected. He further expressed thanks to the group for its continued confidence in his work.

The Brady-led sub-committee is far advanced in its deliberations regarding the second major revision of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) for seafarers, which was first revised in the early 1990s, and the amendments accepted at the 1995 Diplomatic Conference.

The STCW Convention is accepted as the international standard for seafarer training and is considered as one of the four pillars of international maritime legislation, along with the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS), the Pollution Prevention Convention (MARPOL) and the recently adopted Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).

Meanwhile, Minister Henry told JIS News in December that the building  of the Falmouth cruise ship  pier, in Trelawny, is well advanced.

Students get a close look at some of the equipment used by members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), in the daily execution of their duties, at the Maritime Awareness Week Open Day activities at the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI), in September.

On September 16, the House of Representatives approved a Government guarantee loan of US$121.65 million to enable the Port Authority to proceed with the construction and development of the Falmouth Cruise Ship Terminal.

The loan, granted under the provisions of the Approved Organisations and Authorities Loans (Government Guarantee) Act, was made available through the HSBC Bank in London, and supported by Eksport Kredit Fonden (EKF). The EKF is the Export Credit Agency of the Danish firm, E Pihl and Sons, which is to be contracted to undertake the construction of the terminal on behalf of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL).

When completed, the terminal will be able to accommodate RCCL and Genesis class of vessels, which represent the largest cruise ships in the world.

As the implementing agency, the Port Authority will be in charge of the marine works, which involves the development of the berths, and the terminal areas and building.  RCCL, which has also invested US$102 million in the project, will be responsible for the land development, which entails the construction of shops, restaurants, landscaping, and beautification of the facility.

Some 180,000 square feet of shopping space will be made available and already, RCCL has received applications for 200 shops from the private sector.

Projections in relation to revenue are based on a guarantee of arrival of a minimum of 800,000 passengers to the port per year, Finance Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw told the House."It is on the basis of the per passenger fees that will be collected at that port, that the loan will be serviced out of those fees," he noted.

Repayment of the loan, which has an interest rate of 2.25 per cent, and a moratorium on principal payments for six months, will begin after construction is completed. Some 500 jobs are anticipated during the construction phase and it is estimated that some 900 direct and permanent jobs will be created.

Jamaica Re-elected to IMO Council

Jamaica was also re-elected to Category C of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council for 2009-2011 at the elections held at the 26th IMO Assembly, in London, this month.

Minister Henry, who headed the Jamaican delegation, noted that this was a significant achievement for Jamaica.

"This once again shows that Jamaica has a credible ranking in the maritime world and will again serve to raise our profile at a time when the Government is looking at establishing Jamaica as a shipping centre for the provision of a number of new services, to build on the success of Kingston Container Terminals, cruise tourism, the Caribbean Maritime Institute, the Jamaica Ship Registry, bunkering and logistic services," he said.

This was the island’s second consecutive successful bid for a seat on the highest decision-making body of the IMO Council, a United Nations specialised agency, with responsibility for maritime safety, security and the protection of the marine environment.