Port Authority drafts Maritime Port Policy…

The Belize Port Authority has been hard at work since the middle of last year to establish a draft Maritime Port Policy, which is expected to outline government’s vision for the port sector in the years to come. That draft was presented to key players in the shipping industry as well as environmentalists, trade unions, government representatives and Port Operators at the Radisson this afternoon and according to Ports Commissioner Major Lloyd Jones, the document has been well received. Jones gave us some insight on the policy and its purpose.

Major Lloyd Jones, Ports Commissioner
“This is, as far as I am aware, the first time the government would have put in place a clear policy regarding the maritime ports. So this is a first and so we’ve only finished the initial draft, gotten approval from the ministry and that is what we are presenting to the stakeholders today, hoping to solicit their final inputs and then from here, it goes back to the ministry and then on to the Cabinet for its endorsement. We had, initially, consultations with a narrow group of stakeholders. And now, that we have the final draft as we would like to see it, meaning the government side, we have now expanded that consultation process to a broader selection of the stakeholders to hear what they have to say about this draft and then to make the necessary adjustments before we finalize it.”

Delahnie Bain
“What exactly is the purpose of the policy?”

Major Lloyd Jones
“The purpose of the policy is really to set out in clear terms what government’s vision is for the port sector. As you know, the government no longer owns ports so they take a regulatory view of the ports. But ports are critical to the economic well being of the country. When you consider that about eighty-five to ninety percent of all goods moved in and out of the country must go through our ports. They play a very critical role in the overall economy and the logistics chain of the country. So, government is setting out very clearly what it would like to see happen in the port sector over the next fifteen to twenty years.”

Major Jones says the stakeholders have been vocal during the workshop and have stated that they feel the implementation of the Maritime Ports Policy is necessary and timely. They have also indicated that they want to ensure that when the policy is put in place, the government adheres to it.