New arrangements for the full reopening of the Port of Bridgetown

The Port of Bridgetown will open on Saturday, May 2 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. to facilitate the delivery of containers only.

In a statement issued by the Port, it was noted that this opening was to ensure that businesses opening on Monday, May 4 had the required stock available.

As a result, an invitation is being extended to all consignees with commercial cargo to contact their agents and brokers to arrange for delivery, using a newly introduced appointment system.

The statement noted that container cargo will continue to be delivered on demand, but all other cargo will be delivered by appointment only.

During the period of the national shutdown the Port of Bridgetown remained open to deliver only essential cargo, but resumed the delivery of all commercial cargo from Thursday, April 30, after Cabinet approved a new protocol for Port operations.

Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy, Kirk Humphrey, who is responsible for the Port, said: “The Port is rolling out a new model of operations which balances the need to efficiently deliver cargo from the Port with this new public health normal we are challenged by.

“Every effort is being made to be as efficient in delivery while minimising the number of persons on the road and entering the Port facility. As a Government, we see it as our responsibility to ensure that we keep all of our citizens and essential workers safe by introducing health and safety requirements for the conduct of all transactions.”

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Port Inc., David Jean-Marie, stated: “The Port is open to business, though it will not be business as usual. We utilised the shutdown period to rehabilitate and enhance the operational systems, focusing on integration and collaboration of services among the Port Agencies, wider utilisation of digital platforms to do business, and deeper consultation of customer needs to maximise satisfaction and the ease of doing business.”

He added that the legacy impact of the new processes across the service chain will be revolutionary to Port operations and will translate into a more cost-efficient port logistic system.(BGIS)