– thousands of jobs being created for Berbicians

EXECUTIVE Director for CGX Energy Inc., Dr. Suresh Narine said the company is moving ahead with its US$180-200 million investment in Guyana’s first deep water harbour and onshore base at Crab Island, Berbice.

With the closure of two sugar estates in Berbice recently, and an abundance of skilled and semi-skilled labour available, Dr. Narine said that the investment represents hope for Berbicians.

“We are moving forward with the facility, will be investing with our partners between US$180-200 million in the deep-water harbour and shore base facility. Whilst that facility in its own right will not solve Berbice’s unemployment issues, it will be an important nucleus for growth. Other services with see trickledown effect… it will also have the impact of bringing the oil industry into Berbice in a way that is very lasting and very impactful. When you think even of the construction efforts that such a project will engender, we are talking about hundreds if not multiple thousands of jobs followed by second tier jobs, jobs for our educated people,” the CGX executive director, who was at the time addressing the Berbice Expo, said to a resounding applause.

Speaking with Guyana Chronicle afterwards the event, Dr Narine disclosed that the recommendations of 10 different independent studies all pointed to Crab Island as being perfect for a port and work has commenced work on phase one of the three phase project to build the deep water harbour and onshore port facility.

“We already have the logistics yard already fixed up and ready to go; it operational. At the wharf facility which was designed by Ballast Nedam, a very reputable Dutch Firm, we have already done all the vertical drains and we have a tender out that was closed a week ago for about $100 million to start revetting the facility. It’s small in the grand scheme of works but it has already started putting real dollars into Berbice and we are very excited,” he said.

The first phase of the project will see the setting up of a 90-metre wharf and 10,000 metre open logistics yard with a service building. It will also include storage facilities and the dredging of a channel and turning basin to accommodate ships.

The second and third phases will see the expansion of the facility and the construction of the deep sea harbour and commercial container facility.

EMPLOYMENT
According to Dr. Narine, CGX Energy Inc. has a policy to train Guyanese if a position can be filled by them without affecting the efficiency of the company.

Noting that all of the company’s board members are Guyanese, along with a manager, Dr. Narine said that recently 20 Texans were turned down to conduct a geo-chemical survey and instead 30 Guyanese will be trained to do the job.

He said the training of Guyanese where possible is a worthwhile investment.

“We have to have an entry, but Guyana is blessed with all these innovative people, and I am willing to bet that once they have entry into the business they will be making unique contributions to that business as well. We are not only going to be doing this with geo-chemical surveying, that is a start, but when we do our seismic surveys, when we start drilling our wells…”

The labour pool required for the deep water harbour and the onshore base project will be drawn mainly from Berbice. And, CGX is planning to work closely with the University of Guyana’s Berbice campus, GuySuCo Training Centre and other technical institutes within Berbice to facilitate training.

The project, he said, will have massive spin-off effect, including the emergence of several new businesses.

“We have a wide spectrum of people who are engaged directly and those that would end up indirectly, so when you think of a deep-water facility you have got a requirement from logistical people, sub-contractors, supplying fuel ,drilling fluids, storage, decanting facilities, trucking. We have an increase demand for customs and excise, housing, entertainment and transportation, so a major facility like that engenders not only jobs but relocation of labour to the site. It will have far reaching impacts on businesses and accommodations in the area. Many of the developments are difficult to match because the natural entrepreneur spirit takes over and you can’t predict everything, but those that we can predict suggest a large volume of business,” he said.