GUADELOUPE
Guadeloupe to build container terminal G
uadeloupe has been moving with a sense of purpose as it positions itself to become, by the year 2015, a transshipment hub for container traffic destined for the Lesser Antilles. Last year, was a time for study and assessment of the project. This year Guadeloupe will be discussing the project with stakeholders and the public. The planned public consultation will be followed by the launch of the ‘international call to projects’.
investment This will of course require significant capital investment in infrastructure, buildings and equipment and a wellequipped, effective and efficiently run container terminal. With this understanding, the Port Authority of Guadeloupe (PAG) has given the development of a container terminal top priority status.
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CARIBBEAN MARITIME I MAY - SEPTEMBER 2011
With the current trends in world shipping favouring bigger ships with fewer ports of call; and, with the expansion of the Panama Canal about to be completed, it is felt in the Guadeloupe port community that the time is right for building its container terminal. The plan is to reconfigure current installations, now close to saturation. The PAG plans to dredge 350 metres of quays to a draught of 15 metres; and, to
class D quays proposed will guarantee a continuity of performance in the event of a major earthquake. Studies carried out in 2009 revealed that this container terminal development project offers additional development potential.
opportunity A second phase of development presents an opportunity to construct 350 metres of new quays (for a total linear develop-
the Port Authority of Guadeloupe has given the development of a container terminal top priority status surface some 25 hectares of yard space. The new terminal will have a capacity of 540,000 teu per year. According to the PAG, the new
ment of 1,300 metres) and 15 hectares of additional yard space, for a total surface area of 52 hectares. The draught would also be deepened to 16 metres.