Marine access to the island of Montserrat is set to improve, as the Board of Directors of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has approved a grant of £14.4 million to develop the port at Little Bay.
The funds are being provided through the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UKCIF), and will assist in financing the construction of an offshore breakwater and quay.
Head of Infrastructure Partnerships at CDB, Andrew Dupigny , noted that the development of the port is critical to providing a safe harbor and accessibility for vessels up to 150 meters in length.
“ The current jetty at Little Bay is exposed to rough seas intermittently, as there is no offshore breakwater. This makes it unsafe for vessels to dock at times, and means that Montserrat is unable to provide a continuous safe harbor for cruise ships, ferries, yachts, cargo and other vessels, which impacts economic activities on the island ,” said Dupigny.
In addition, sections of the harbor will be dredged to allow larger vessels to berth along the jetty. It is expected that phase one development of the port development works will be completed by 2021.
Counterpart financing of £7 million will be provided by the Government of Montserrat.