Saint Lucia: Port facilities in Castries and Soufriere to undergo major transformation

Saint Lucia: Global Port Holdings is all set to give a major transformation to port facilities in Castries and Soufriere. These changes are anticipated to provide Saint Lucia with a competitive edge in the cruise industry.

The company is undertaking this task on behalf of the Saint Lucia Air and Seaports Authority and the Government of Saint Lucia.

GPH manages around 30 ports across the world, and they move roughly 18 million passengers annually and that is growing continuously.

The government of Saint Lucia is collaborating with GPH to bring some of its best practices to the island nation. Also, the proposed infrastructural works will enable Port Castries to berth the world's largest and most advanced cruise ships.

According to the information, one of the first things which will be done is to improve the berthing capacity at Point Seraphine, which is a dedicated cruise berth. This is to take the largest vessel in operation at this point, which is the Oasis class vessel.

In Castries, the project will involve the construction of a boardwalk along the waterfront, improvements to Laplace Carinage and the vendor's arcade.

[caption id="attachment_66730" align="alignnone" width="1600"] Proposed development for Vendor's Arcade (PC - Facebook)[/caption]

It will also see the transformation of Bananes Bay into a modern fishing village and a transportation hub for land and sea-based tours.

[caption id="attachment_66729" align="alignnone" width="1600"] Proposed development for Bananes Bay (PC - Facebook)[/caption]

It will also allow Saint Lucians to participate because it does have a very strong collaborative approach to it, whereby players and practitioners in the cruise industry will participate in this whole transformation that is being planned.

The intention is that within 24 months, all of the infrastructural developments should have been completed. The objective of Global Ports Holding is to develop a facility that will benefit all from vendors, farmers and food processors to the creative and transportation sectors. Notably, the port development works in Castries and Soufriere will allow Saint Lucia to accommodate more cruise passengers and consequently improve the contributions of the cruise industry to the economic development of the island. [caption id="attachment_66728" align="alignnone" width="1600"] Soufriere Port in Saint Lucia[/caption]

This development will give a major boost to the island's cruise industry and will also bring luxurious vessels to the island.