St Kitts and Nevis govt working to secure ports from hostile activities: Minister Grant

2024-07-07 15:35:08

Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis: Minister of Tourism, Transport and Ports - Lindsay Grant, in his recent statement, notified that St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) is putting all its efforts to make ports secure for the staff working there, customers as well as visitors. The Minister made the remarks during the SCASPA FV "O Land of Beauty" patrol vessel's commissioning ceremony, which was conducted on March 9, 2022. Saint Kitts and Nevis' tourism minister mentioning the government's efforts in building a safer environment at ports, asserted, "We cannot be complacent, particularly at this time when so much focus is being placed on personal safety and security. Our actions to innovate, reenergize and revitalize the numerous sectors and the various industries must be very systematic and must be very intentional." He then underscored that the procedure of upgrading as well as enhancing the safety and security measures at each port of the twin-island Federation has already begun with the implementation of the SKN government's Port Reformation Plan at SCASPA. "We have already commenced the process of upgrading and enhancing security measures at all of our ports, so we operate in strict adherence to internationally acceptable standards," the tourism minister added. Grant highlighted the loss suffered by the tourism, travel, and transport industries during the challenging times of the COVID-19 outbreak, which brought down the global economies. He then reminded that the pandemic is not over yet, adding, "we are not completely out of the woods as yet, but things are looking up." Following the above statement, Minister Grant underscored securing the ports also means detecting and lowering down the hostile acts being conducted. He stated, "This high-level performance ensures the whole chain of security at SCASPA and sharpens our vigilance and abilities to detect and lower risk of terrorism, criminal and other unlawful or malicious acts that can adversely affect the smooth operations and service delivery at our air and seaports". Meanwhile, the cruise and tourism sector of St Kitts and Nevis is reviving back from the damages caused by the pandemic. Hundreds of cruise ships have returned to the shores of twin-island Federation's ports, assisting it in boosting its economy.

Monika Walker

Monika Walker is a senior journalist specializing in regional and international politics, offering in-depth analysis on governance, diplomacy, and key global developments. With a degree in International Journalism, she is dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices through factual reporting. She also covers world news across every genre, providing readers with balanced and timely insights that connect the Caribbean to global conversations.