St. Kitts Marine Works gets high-tech equipment

By VonDez Phipps
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ST. KITTS MARINE WORKS LTD. is now better equipped to fulfil its role with the acquisition of its own crane and barge that arrived at Port Zante on Thursday, September 25.

The heavy machinery and construction company has a long record of mining stones at the quarry, trucking boulders throughout the island and completing the Port Zante Marina. It now can extend its scope of service and list of achievements as it currently boasts its advance piece of equipment, the only one of its kind on the island.

Speaking with SKNVibes, CEO of St. Kitts Marine Works Ltd. Regiwell Francis said he is extremely pleased in owning the only crane and barge on the island, as he recognises the opportunity to provide local help to nationals who may not have had the means by which to do major projects.

 “We were definitely seeing projects or potential projects, and so, I had decided to extend my business by purchasing a crane and barge. We are the first locally-owned company to own and operate a barge and crane on the island and the only one in federal waters. They [companies undertaking major projects] would usually bring in a barge and crane from outside, but we now have the equipment to do it all here in St. Kitts-Nevis.

 “We believe that once the equipment is here, the jobs will come and people working on such facilities will be able to get it done with our equipment. We have to refurbish the Port Zante Marina.
 
We are going to use it down at the boatyard and we have received calls for projects to be done. There are many possibilities because it can be used to rectify the problem at hurricane stricken Old Road Bay, and having this type of equipment on island would drop the cost of constructing breakwaters in St. Kitts-Nevis.”

Francis detailed that the barge comprises of a 60-tonne crane with a 120-foot boat and is fully equipped with advanced, high-tech equipment for heading stones, 12 buckets for scooping up sand, and hammers for dredging and vibrating stones out of place. He informed that the equipment was registered in Antigua, but has only local workers operating it to “facilitate major projects and satisfy the needs here in our Federation”.  ~~Adz:Right~~

He further stated that although the company has been requested to do projects throughout the Caribbean, the equipment is “sticking in St. Kitts-Nevis because it has enough work here to be done”.

Francis mentioned that he has strived to accomplish such expansion and it should serve as a reminder to locals that they could accomplish whatever they strive to do. He added that he also has plans of training locals to use the equipment in order for the company to be self-sufficient.