COGNISANT of the importance and intricacies of the maritime sector, the government has been investing millions, particularly with substantial investment on port infrastructure, and has been continually addressing issues surrounding the country’s maritime space.

Over the past two years, under the Ministry of Public Works, the government has spent hundreds of millions in maritime development in areas including updating of navigational charts, the acquisition of a new pilot boat, the removal of wrecks and the dredging of several rivers, and the construction of beacons marking rocks in the river.

Moreover, in addition to building out the physical infrastructure, attention has also been placed on capacity building of the human resource involved in maritime work.
This was highlighted by Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, who saw it fit to outline the government’s advances in this sector, as he responded to Opposition Member of Parliament Amanza Desir’s call for a marine spatial planning (MSP) for Guyana.

Desir wrote on her social media account, Facebook, that such a plan would guide the development of Guyana’s marine space, especially in light of the emerging oil and gas sector, and increased maritime traffic.
“Since its return to office, the government has made it its duty to transform the maritime sector to ensure that it is prepared to operate in a modern economy.

“Since 2020, the Government of Guyana has invested heavily into the updating of navigational charts to facilitate the rapid progress being made in port development.
“It therefore cannot be said that issues surrounding the maritime space are not being addressed,” Minister Edghill said.

Minister Edghill pointed out that the government continues to make efforts to create and implement a National Maritime Strategy that is aligned with the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and Guyana’s overall development objectives.

According to the Minister, the government has been constantly organising and executing various elements of the Commonwealth Marine Economy Plan, with the Maritime Administration (MARAD) being in constant contact with the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO), which has been lending support to the country’s hydrographic surveyors.

Minister Edghill noted that Since 2020, the government has invested heavily into the updating of navigational charts to facilitate the rapid progress being made in port development.
The Minister emphasised that the government is committed to managing the space in a sustainable and responsible manner for the benefit of all the people of Guyana, and humanity.

“It therefore cannot be said that issues surrounding the maritime space are not being addressed. It should be emphatically stated that since assuming office in August 2020, the President Irfaan Ali-led Administration has invested substantially in the maritime sector. One such example of substantial investment is that on port infrastructure in Guyana,” Edghill noted.

Though port infrastructure is customarily privately funded, the government, over the past two years, has rendered tremendous support to the sector, having recognised the importance in ensuring that our ports are resilient.
“Concomitantly, MARAD and other regulatory agencies are currently processing several applications for the construction of port facilities. This is not an overnight process, but one that calls for thorough research and planning which is obviously foreign to Ms. Desir and her opposition colleagues,” Edghill posited.

The Minister pointed out that in preparation for the increase in marine traffic, some $787 million has been spent, thus far, to remove the three wrecks at the mouth of the Demerara River, while dredging of the main access channel is currently ongoing as well.

However, the Demerara Main Ships’ Channel is not the only area being dredged.
“Dredging activities are currently ongoing in the Waini access channel. It is crucial to note that this area hasn’t been dredged since the early 1980s.

“MARAD is also in the process of organising dredging activities in the shallow areas up to Port Kaituma. This area will soon be cleared of debris and other obstructions that hinder safe navigation,” Minister Edghill noted further.

The government has also allocated $117 million for the construction of 15 concrete beacons marking rocks in the upper reaches of the Essequibo River. This project is still underway, with eleven beacons having been built thus far.

In the area of building out the human resource capacity to deal with this growing sector, measures taken include the certification and appointment of nine new pilots to guide ships in the Georgetown Pilotage District, and the appointment of five new inspectors of shipping to inspect and certify vessels operating in Guyana.

“The department is cognisant that more manpower is needed in the sector to meet the exponential growth.
“As such, the Department is currently finalising plans to train scores of young men and women as cadets for service as ships’ officers, pilots, inspectors, surveyors, marine communications officers, etc.

“To safeguard national infrastructure, MARAD’s pilots are also now required to be on all seagoing vessels transiting the retractor span of the Demerara Harbour Bridge,” the minister further added.
To accompany the influx in the demand for pilotage services, $530 million was spent on a new pilot boat, the ML ABDULLAH. This vessel, which is the first of such nature to be acquired since the early 1980s, is expected to be delivered within the first quarter of 2023.

“This is a remarkable achievement by the Administration, and it is a demonstration of its commitment to the development of the maritime sector in the face of the steady growth of marine traffic,” Minister Edghill stated.
“This vessel since it can be seen as a saviour when compared to the previously acquired pilot vessel, David P, which was bought in April, 2018, under the APNU+AFC Administration.
“The ‘David P’, to date, has never worked to its full capacity and is a festering wound in the administration since it has been costing the Department huge sums of money to maintain,” Edghill noted.