PRESIDENT Dr. Irfaan Ali on Friday announced that Guyana has partnered with its Caribbean Community (CARICOM) counterparts, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago to establish a ferry service that will transport cargo and passengers.

The Head of State, while speaking at a contract signing and sod turning ceremony for the new US$35 million Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge in Region 10 said the company was formed on Thursday.

However, he said that discussions are still ongoing with the respective leaders.

The ferry service is expected to unlock massive opportunities for the region.

Last year, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) had announced that it will finance consultancy services for a study to explore options for establishing a Maritime Cargo Service between Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago primarily for the movement of agricultural products.

The initiative according to the CDB is a part of the institutions pledge to improve food security within the Caribbean, and to promote Regional Co-operation.

“It also demonstrates the bank’s support for the imperative, announced last year by CARICOM Heads of Government, to achieve a 25 per cent reduction in the region’s food import bill by 2025. The Heads identified lack of adequate regional transportation as a major obstacle to the movement of agricultural products within the region and major contributor to food insecurity.”
Currently Caribbean leaders have been working to reduce the region’s

$US6 billion food import bill by 25 per cent by the year 2025.

The project will explore options for addressing a range of factors affecting the conveyance of agricultural products by sea including management and operational systems, onshore facilities, food safety provisions, and customs and plant quarantine operations. The main objective of the initiative is to identify opportunities for urgent improvement in maritime transportation capacity, recommend transportation modalities and provide solutions which utilise existing shipping assets, the CDB said.

A Technical Working Group will be established to provide oversight of the study. The body will include representatives from governments of the participating countries, the CARICOM Secretariat, the CARICOM Private Sector Organisation, and the CDB.