Roadtown, Tortola - Delegates from 11 member countries of the Port Management Association of the Caribbean (PMAC) attending the 12th Annual Meeting being hosted in the Territory, will wrap up their deliberations today.

The delegates received a warm Virgin Islands welcome yesterday at the opening ceremony which is being held at Maria’s By the Sea.

Managing Director of the British Virgin Islands Port Authority Mr. Vincent Victor O’Neal told the delegates it is a privilege and an honour to host this year’s meeting in the Territory and he spoke about the changes which are occurring around the world. “As the cultural climate of the world changes, so should we at the port authorities,” he said.

“We are at a point in the history of the Caribbean where our ports are becoming more vital than ever to our countries’ economic competitiveness and well being,” Mr. O’Neal added.

The Managing Director reaffirmed Governments commitment to work with PMAC and other regional organisations in order to ensure that the Virgin Islands ports along with other Caribbean ports become known as “unique world class ports of the international maritime industry and global supply chains”. 

Mr. O’Neal added that on a daily basis ports are faced with a number of different operational issues that are of very high political importance.
“We are compelled to face a myriad of thorny issues while maintaining the smooth flow of commerce in and out of our ports,” he told the gathering, adding, “how we face these challenges is absolutely crucial to the efficiency and sustainability of our ports.”

Acting Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Dancia Penn, OBE, QC told the delegates that they are meeting at a time when there are continued growing fears about the instability of the global economy and the depth of its impact on our local economies. “I trust that as you deliberate on this topic and other subjects, you as a body will be able to refocus and develop strategies that will help you to weather the storms”.

“As we know our ports of entry are avenues to our countries for commerce and industry and indeed for tourism,” she said, adding, “Ports are the gateway through which the goods and supplies that we need reach us and they are an integral part of our border and national security."

The Acting Premier said ports are a significant source of revenue and it is therefore critical for them to be managed effectively and efficiently.  “Active plans are on the way to improve all of our ports facilities here in the Virgin Islands,” Honourable Penn announced.

“Within the next few months work will begin on several projects which will include improvement at the West End port.  We are aiming in a very short time to have a more practical and functional facility at that port as well as to improve the aesthetics,” she stated.

The Virgin Islands (UK) became a PMAC member in 1998. PMAC was established in June of that year having succeeded the Port Management Association of the Eastern Caribbean which was established in 1988.