Port, at 60, unveils new brand identity, green energy push

Barbados Port Inc., the state-owned corporation of the Port of Bridgetown, has officially rebranded as the port marked its 60th anniversary Thursday, declaring it is now positioning itself to become one of the world’s highest-rated green maritime ports, its CEO said.

David Jean-Marie made the comment as he addressed the unveiling of the new corporate identity and logo for the BPI at its Blue Cube headquarters on Thursday.

Jean-Marie said that the new corporate identity is in line with the BPI’s objectives of increasing its efficiency and capabilities to international standards.

He said: “The key objective of this rebranding, was to create a corporate visual identity that differentiates us among other ports. We hold steadfastly to our name but wanted to create an image that better aligns us with our bold new vision, of becoming the most innovative, green maritime hub in the world by 2030.

“We felt like the occasion of our 60th birthday, could not be a more auspicious time to introduce our company’s new logo, and new strategic direction.”

The  corporate update strategy also reaffirms the BPI’s commitment to its clients, said the port chief who outlined the organization’s five key values

“We value sustainability; we prioritize the safety and well-being of our people and environment,” said Jean-Marie.

“We value efficiency, we constantly aim to be more efficient in the delivery of all of our services. We value reliability; you can depend on us to keep our promises and follow through on our commitments.

“We value innovation; we explore new options and improve solutions to exceed expectations in everything we do, and we value teamwork, we work collaboratively towards the achievements and our shared goals.”

BPI Chairman Peter Odle stressed the port’s goal of being a big player on the world stage, both in cargo handling capabilities and a small carbon footprint that is helpful in maintaining a sustainable ecosystem in and around the port. He said that it s with this goal in mind that the port installed photovoltaic power systems and a waste-to-energy generation, among other investments in green energy.

Odle said: “We made remarkable strides towards becoming a green port, with investments in both photovoltaics as an alternative power source, and a new waste to energy facility.

“The deployment of new hybrid electric-diesel equipment in our cargo equipment fleet, we being the first port in the Caribbean to make these acquisitions, would lend to a significant reduction in our carbon footprint.”

The port chairman disclosed that in response to some consumer complaints that some of their barrels were allegedly tampered with before they received them, efforts were on to implement a  fully transparent system so that future clients can be confident in knowing that their packages are always safe and intact.

Odle declared: “As I said to my CEO this morning, what we need to do is to set up a system that is totally transparent, which I have given the minister [Kirk Humphrey] the undertaking that we are going to do, so that anybody who comes to collect their barrels, whatever it is, will see that there is no way that anybody within the port could have tampered with it.

“What that does not necessarily mean, is that people are allowed to come back into the port, because I think that is possibly part of the challenge that we are facing. So I just want to make that pellucidly clear.”

The Deep Water Harbour, as the Bridgetown Port was then known was opened by Sir Grantley Adams, then Prime Minister of the 1958-1976 West Indies Federation, on May 6. 1961. The harbour, which incorporated Pelican Island, a former quarantine station then 600 yards off the mainland’s shore, cost $28 million dollars to build.

In its first major upgrade, another 6.5 hectares of land was added through a land reclamation project in 1978. The port’s Shed 4 and gantry crane were added to accommodate the break-bulk to containerized cargo freight. A  shallow draught facility, flour mill and the eventual base of the Barbados Coast Guard followed at the port’s northern end, encompassing Land’s End. (SB)