KINGSTON - The Ministers of Public Infrastructure today, January 18, 2016, met with United States Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway for a tour of the Georgetown Lighthouse, with the hope of partnering for the restoration of the historical landmark.
The tour was a part of the U.S.’s commitment to the preservation of historical sites in Guyana, under the U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.
Ministers of Public Infrastructure, Honourable David Patterson and Honourable Annette Ferguson, accompanied Ambassador Holloway up all of the lighthouse’s 138 steps. During the tour, Ambassador Holloway expressed pleasure with the landmark and marvelled at its ingenuity and resilience. He also had all of his questions answered by Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) Harbour Master Michael Tennant and MARAD Director General, Claudette Rogers, who were also present.
Ministers Patterson and Ferguson shared that they were “quite pleased” with the Ambassador’s interest in restoring the Georgetown Lighthouse and said that they were excited to see where the partnership would head.
The Ministers had initially met with Ambassador Holloway last week where proposed designs for the upgrade of the lighthouse were discussed.
Ambassador Holloway also indicated that the U.S. Government is also looking at other historical sites in Guyana for possible preservation and restoration.
The 31 metre (103 feet) high lighthouse was originally built as a wooden structure in 1817 by the Dutch, at its current site on Water Street. It was later replaced by brick by British engineers and commissioned in 1830.
KINGSTON - The coalition government intends to place significant emphasis on the transformation of the infrastructural network, which will see the aviation sector benefitting. A newly established Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Board has a high mandate to work towards this goal of transforming the sector.
Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, yesterday, in delivering a charge to members of the newly appointed Board of the GCAA, indicated that the board is expected to oversee the process of transforming and modernising the sector to attain global standards.
“Guyana’s level of effective implementation is currently 44.21% with regard to eight critical elements of safety oversight as established by ICAO…with your help it will be fixed,” Minister Ferguson charged.
Further, her vision is to see the civil aviation system modernised and changed to match global standards, as such she committed herself and the government to work closely with the Board, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and other stakeholders to increase Guyana’s effective implementation to at least 60 percent.
“This in my view is a key pre-requisite for the sustainable development of aviation, and to aid Guyana’s efforts in reaching benchmarked timelines established in ICAO’s global aviation safety plan and global air navigation plan,” Minister Ferguson explained,
In that regard, the Board was charged to do the following; provide effective leadership and guidance to the authority; transform the GCAA into a high performance organisation that is one that is results-oriented and people focused; develop a succession planning framework; establish a clear strategic direction and corporate plan for the authority; renew and develop strategic partnerships with key stakeholders for the achievement of the organisation’s mandate and address the financial sustainability of the authority.
The ICAO has been pushing the ‘no country left behind’ initiative which means that significant work has to be done in the sector with regards the implementation of its recommendations.
Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson said that there is a tremendous opportunity available in the aviation sector, hence the need for the board to push to ensure that those opportunities become a reality.
Lawrence London, Chairman of the board, in response to the charge given by both ministers with responsibility for the aviation sector said he expects the board to work as a team to remove processes. Further, in noting the amount of work that has to be done, he said there is no time to spare.
“When we meet early next week, we will chart a course and set out a work plan so that what you’ve charged us to do will be done,” London said.
Chitrani Heeralall, Director General (ag) GCAA said it is refreshing to see that the newly appointed members have a wealth of experience in the aviation sector. “Aviation is a dynamic industry which has demonstrated growth and a continued trend upwards… It is one of the main sectors to improve our socio-economic structures in Guyana for all of our people,” Heeralall explained.
The GCAA board members are as follows Lawrence London, Chairman; Hugh Denbow; Sadie Amin; Rodwell Astil Paul; Duke Pollard; Cargill Kyte; Ramesh Ghir; Chitrani Heeralall and Balraj Balram.
KINGSTON - Representatives from the Canadian company, Greenheart Tree Energy, lauded Guyana’s solar energy potential during a meeting with the Ministers of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure on January 13, 2016.
A team from Greenheart Tree Energy paid a visit to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure where they engaged the attention of Minister of Public Infrastructure, Honourable David Patterson; Minister within the Ministry, Honourable Annette Ferguson; and Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Honourable Raphael Trotman.
During the meeting, the Ministers were informed that the team’s visit to Guyana was in direct response to calls made by His Excellency, President David Granger, for members of the diaspora to invest in Guyana. It was also noted that President Granger had stated that the new Guyana Government would be one committed to a green economy.
“So, we represent two elements of the President’s vision for Guyana: one, the need for Guyanese to come and invest and two, a green economy for Guyana.”
The company’s primary goal is to establish solar farms in Guyana to provide a better alternative for energy. Greenheart Tree Energy is also interested in the establishment of assembly plants for solar panels.
According to the representatives, they have been to several areas in Guyana and have noted areas where significant improvements can take place. It was stressed that Guyana has great potential for solar energy but this potential has not yet been realised.
The team also made a presentation to the Ministers which outlined their target projects. In the presentation, targets were clearly introduced, from the selection of sites right up to operation and maintenance.
According to Greenheart Tree Energy Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Esmonde Klass, the company’s focus is on Guyana. “Our company was developed with the aim of serving Guyana and we’re keeping that as our primary focus,” he said. He further said that the team is made up of experts in solar energy who have had success stories across the world.
“We think we have the resources, experience, and access to finances to make a difference,” Klass added.
The team also had a focus on improving the skills of Guyanese and proposed the use of local workers to foster long term employment as well as technical skills.
In turn, Minister Patterson expressed pleasure at the proposal and shared that Guyana has started to take the necessary steps to harness its renewable energy potential. He shared that as efforts begin for the harnessing of Guyana’s renewable energy potential, more companies will be able to bid for projects. The Ministers urged Greenheart Tree Energy to partake in this process when the time comes.
“This administration is one that prefers green energy,” Minister Patterson stressed. Towards this end, he said, Bartica will be Guyana’s first green town and from there the Government will move to other areas, including Berbice, Essequibo and Linden.
“There has been tremendous interest from stakeholders for a green economy and we are committed to doing, at the end of the day, what’s best for our energy consumers.”
The team from Greenheart Tree Energy will depart from Guyana this Sunday, January 17.
KINGSTON - A significant step in the fight against crime was taken today, January 14, 2016, when the Demerara Harbour Bridge Company (DHBC), under the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, commissioned its wireless link with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Guyana Police Force.
The commissioning took place at the CID Lab, Eve Leary during a simple ceremony which saw the attendance of Minister of Public Infrastructure, Honourable David Patterson; Minister within the Ministry, Honourable Annette Ferguson; and General Manager of DHBC, Rawlston Adams. Also present were senior representatives of the GPF, including Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud, and Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum.
According to Mr. Adams, the establishment of a wireless link with the Police Force was one that had been in the works for more than a year. He said that he had been approached by Superintendent Phillip Azore in 2014 to extend the Demerara Harbour Bridge’s feed. In 2015, Azore’s idea was initiated and work began on the project in 2015. By early December 2015, the project was completed.
The project saw the erection of a 100ft tower at Eve Leary which links the bodies. This tower, Mr. Adams added, was installed in November 2015.
According to Minister Patterson, the partnership between DHBC and GPF was a laudable one. He shared that about $3M was invested by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure towards the wireless link. He stressed that the partnership was one which aimed to make Guyana safer and also to provide a better and safer traffic experience for all road users.
Minister Patterson further said that the Ministry is willing to do whatever it takes to better the lives of Guyanese and will be looking to better its partnership with the Police Force in other ways.
Meanwhile, Crime Chief Blanhum deemed the commissioning a “small yet significant” move. He said that the wireless link would allow live access to cameras strategically placed on both ends of the Demerara Harbour Bridge. He explained that, thus far, the police would have recorded successes thanks to the use of DHBC’s footage.
Mr. Blanhum further expressed hope that the Police Force’s partnership with DHBC would be a continued one and he thanked Mr. Adams for the support given over the years.
Additionally, Commissioner Persaud said that the wireless link went beyond the monitoring of crime; the feed, he said, would also aid the police in its traffic monitoring and traffic control.
“This all might appear simple but this is significant for us. We’re very grateful for the assistance provided here,” Persaud stressed.
The commissioning ceremony also saw the presentation of a 48 inch monitor from DHBC to GPF to monitor the direct feed. There was also a brief demonstration of the link’s capabilities, including the capturing of snapshots of vehicles from live feed; playback of videos; and monitoring of traffic build-up with zoom in functions.
KINGSTON - The Ministry of Public Infrastructure and the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) will be working closely together in a number of areas for 2016 and the two bodies have already begun their coordination.
On Friday, January 8, 2016, Minister of Public Infrastructure, Honourable David Patterson, and Minister within the Ministry, Honourable Annette Ferguson, met with several representatives of M&CC. Among these representatives were Mayor Hamilton Green and Town Clerk, Royston King.
During the meeting, Minister Patterson emphasised that it was important that the two bodies coordinated their efforts. He said that duplication, due to poor coordination, would have been noted in the past and would have resulted in the waste of much needed resources.
“I want these meetings to be on a regular basis so that we can meet and coordinate our projects,” Minister Patterson said.
He added that 2016 was particularly important since Guyana will be celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, come May 26. He further said that with the anniversary will come a slew of activities which will be held primarily in Georgetown. Thus, the Ministers concurred that M&CC had an integral role to play and partnering with the Infrastructure Ministry would only strengthen its efforts.
In response, Mayor Green lauded the Infrastructure Ministers’ decision to host the meeting and proposed the formation of a technical team to draft plans before execution.
During the meeting, a number of topics were discussed. Amongst them were drainage; the clean-upof Georgetown; preservation of trees; building regulations; and traffic congestion.
KINGSTON - Manager of the Moleson Creek Canawaima Ferry Service, Louise Williams has projected that there will be an increase in the number of passengers utilizing the ferry service which travels between Suriname and Guyana, this year.
Last year, the total number of passengers moved by the MV Canawaima amounted to 120,000, a decrease of 8.8 percent in comparison to 2014, in which the company recorded 132,000 passengers utilizing the service.
The Manager also noted that there was a 2.5 percent decrease in the amount of vehicles transported by the Canawaima in 2015.
Speaking at a recent conference, Williams outlined that a number of marketing strategies are in the pipeline to boost the output of the vessel.
She noted that the marketing strategy will see an increase in traffic by at least 2 %. According to Williams, the company will also embark on setting up a website as part of this strategy.
There are also plans for the refurbishing and docking of the ferry; various aspects of the boat are set to be upgraded. The Manager also spoke of improving the vessel’s security system. This, she said will include installation of baggage scanners and perimeter lights, which is in keeping with the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) code.
Williams disclosed that last year the vessel faced a number of challenges such as mutli-failing outside of peak periods, which contributed to the increase in operational cost and restrictions, which were implemented against Guyanese tour operators on the Surinamese end. This, she said also contributed to the decline in the numbers of travelers.
In addition, the MV Canawaima was docked last year for the replacement of plates to the bottom of the boat as well as painting, which was done to areas of the vessel. Williams said a total of $95.1 million was expended on the ferry, an increase of approximately 22 % in comparison to $78.33 million in the previous year.
Despite this, the service recorded a surplus of 84.2 million. She also noted that among the achievements for last year, the Canawaima was able to acquire re-certification from the ISPS.
The company was also able to conduct a number of community projects in the Moleson Creek area and donations were made to several aspects of development in the community.
The Canawaima Ferry Service was established since 1998 to connect travelers en route from Moleson Creek- 10km south of Corriverton- to the South Drain in Suriname. It is the only legal marine travel connection between the two countries.
By 2013, approximately 72,000 persons utilized the Canawaima Ferry Service to travel between Suriname and Guyana. The transport vessel has become an essential partner in trade or tourism.
The Guyana/Suriname ferry service plays an integral role in attracting tourists from the Dutch speaking country, with regards to the commercial and personal tourism.
Additionally, the service has reinforced bilateral trade relations. The service has proven to be a cost effective, efficient and reliable link between the territories. According to recent statistics provided by the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD), the Canawaima Ferry Service Incorporated facilitates a significant influx of at least 40,000 visitors from the Dutch territory annually. (Kaieteur News)
KINGSTON - A meeting today, January 11, 2016, between the Ministers of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and representatives of the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has seen the Middle Eastern nation offering technical support to the Infrastructure Ministry in desired areas.
Minister of Public Infrastructure, Honourable David Patterson, and Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Honourable Annette Ferguson, received a courtesy call this morning from Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State of UAE. H.E. Reem Al Hashimy was accompanied by five UAE representatives.
During the fruitful meeting, H.E. Al Hashimy indicated that her visit to Guyana is her first in this hemisphere. The UAE delegation expressed interest in Guyana’s energy sector, particularly in the country’s renewable energy potential. A representative shared that UAE is an early adopter of renewable energy and invests in the sector, both domestically and internationally. The representative further said that UAE has been bringing together key players in the energy sector, ranging from investments to technology.
In turn, Minister Patterson indicated that Guyana is now embarking on the greening of the nation and the harnessing of its renewable energy potential. He shared that the goal is to start on a small scale, with the aim of having 75 to 100 megawatts of renewable energy available in five years.
In response, H.E. Al Hashimy said that UAE is open to providing technical support to Guyana, particularly in the areas in which UAE thrives. She stressed the desire to improve relations between Guyana and her nation.
“We’re very willing to share our expertise…if our success can be replicated with you then that makes all of us stronger,” H.E. Al Hashimy said.
Outside of renewable energy, the Ambassador indicated that UAE is willing to offer support in other areas, including the aviation sector. H.E. Al Hashimy noted that UAE has great strength in this sector.
This news was well received by Minister Ferguson who has responsibilities for aviation under the Public Infrastructure Ministry.
H.E. Al Hashimy further urged the Ministers to identify areas which need support under the Infrastructure Ministry.
“If you know what you want and what you need then we can match make with the right agencies. If you can articulate what you want and show how it aims towards your overall vision then we’re willing to share our support and knowledge,” she said.
Ambassador Al Hashimy’s visit to Guyana came to an end today. During her two-day visit, H.E. Al Hashimy and her team met with a number of Ministers. She explained that the aim was to “cover as many areas as possible to see how we can strengthen ties as furthest as possible.”
KINGSTON - The Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s Force Account Unit has officially been renamed and is now the Special Projects Unit.
The new name recently took effect after a decision was made last month. According to Minister of Public Infrastructure, Honourable David Patterson, the name change was a needed one. He explained that the Unit was initially created to conduct minor and emergency works. However, Minister Patterson said that over the years the Unit evolved and took on greater responsibilities.
“The Unit moved from simply being for emergency works and it took on some special projects. Due to this expanding role, we decided to find a more suitable name,” Minister Patterson explained. He further said that the rebranding will allow the Unit to play an active role in the Ministry’s annual workload.
The Special Projects Unit will still fall under the Ministry’s Works Services Group.
KINGSTON - Bus drivers of the Route 56 Minibus Association today, January 8, 2016, met with Honourable Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson and Minister within the Ministry, Honourable Annette Ferguson, to voice their concerns over the impact of the Berbice River water taxi service on their livelihoods.
A dozen Berbice bus drivers turned out at the Ministry where they received full attention from both Ministers.
During the meeting, President of the Association (Ag), Dennis Chesney, indicated that the bus drivers were “under serious pressure” since the introduction of the Berbice River water taxis.
According to Chesney, the association is a very structured one with seven groups of established drivers who work according to a schedule. In total, there are approximately 50 buses in the association. He explained that before the introduction of the water taxis, the schedule had seen the operation of about four groups of drivers each day.
However, he said, this schedule was changed when the water taxis came on stream. Now, the daily groups have been reduced due to reduced bus users, Chesney said.
“There are days when, if the four lines come out, those on the last line would not have work,” another driver said. “Three days of work is not enough…right now we don’t know where we’re headed.”
The drivers stated that the situation has greatly impacted their lives and those of their families, particularly during the Christmas season.
“Almost all of my earnings go to paying insurance and other fees,” an emotional Chesney said.
While the drivers expressed pleasure with the recent news that the Government of Guyana provided a $31M commuter subsidy to allow the reduction of tolls from $2,200 to $1,900, they believed that more must be done for them.
Hence, the association presented a few proposals. Among the proposals were reduced hours of operation for the water taxis and the removal of the service on weekends. In regards to the reduction of hours, the association suggested a new schedule of 6:00am to 9:00am followed by 3:00pm to 5:00pm. These hours, the association said, would cater for schoolchildren and workers who travel during weekdays.
“At least cutting the hours would help us catch our hands,” a driver said.
These proposals were noted by the Public Infrastructure Ministers. However, Minister Patterson emphasised that “decisions must not be made in a vacuum”. He noted the benefits of the service, including improved school attendance and improved business in New Amsterdam, and said that these benefits have gone a long way in bettering the lives of the public.
Minister Patterson further said that while he understood the bus drivers’ concerns, it would not be fair to serve only one section of the populace while neglecting another. Both Ministers Patterson and Ferguson particularly expressed concern over the parents of schoolchildren who have greatly saved due to the water taxis.
Hence, Minister Patterson said, common ground must be found. He further emphasised that the impact on all relevant stakeholders must be taken into account before a final decision is reached.
Additionally, the Ministers committed to giving serious consideration to the proposals and indicated that they would confer with technical personnel to determine the feasibility of the proposals.
The Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) will soon minimiseits operational cost as the Vreed-en-Hoop wharf which was constructed by BK International to the tune of $242M, will begin to serve its purpose.
Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson who has ministerial oversight of the agency at a recent press conference indicated that the trucking of fuel to the Vreed-en-Hoop station is expected to cease by mid-January, 2016 to a more economical method of discharging fuel, which is the use of the wharf.
“On December 16 last, an initial attempt was made to us the constructed wharf which saw 15,000 barrels of fuel being discharged…however the tide changed which resulted in the vessel being grounded off…Maritime Administration (MARAD) was contracted to execute emergency dredging in front of the area…the dredging should be finished by mid-January,” Minister Patterson explained.
He added that because 15,000 barrels of fuel were discharged, the number of trips the fuel truck needed to make to deliver fuel to Vreed-en-Hoop was reduced from 14 to 8 per day. In so doing, this minimised the operational cost of the agency.
To improve efficiency in its services to customers, GPL constructed a new power station at Vreed-en-Hoop, which has a demand of approximately 1,000 barrels of fuel per day. Recognising this fuel need, a wharf with fuel lines was constructed to allow fuel vessels to berth and offload into the lines.
