Building of US$4M trans-shipment facility starts

Oct 19, 2009 News

Major boost to Linden…

A US$4M facility, which will be known as the GNCS Container Trans-shipment Terminal, is expected to boost economic growth in Linden.
The project is a collaborative one between the Guyana National Industrial Company (GNIC) and the Linden Economic Advancement Programme (LEAP).
Chairman of GNIC, Glen Khan, and other senior executives from the company, including Director, Norman McClean, along with senior officials from the LEAP, on Wednesday took media operatives among other stakeholders on a tour of the site.
Khan recalled that after taking over the company some 14 years ago, he realised that new visions had to be formulated and recognised that the future of GNIC had to be rooted in Linden. He noted too that with the exorbitant cost of road transport and with the potential for cheaper transportation by river, the viable alternative of barging was considered.

Construction of a US$4M trans-shipment facility under way at Linden.

A fact finding mission to Brazil in 2007, was subsequently undertaken by GNIC, LPK and LEAP personnel to assess the potential of the Linden/Lethem corridor to Boa Vista and beyond.
It was found that the overland route through Guyana is very feasible, as Georgetown is about 500km from Boa Vista.
It was also confirmed that the route through Guyana could cost up to 30 percent less. Thus the establishment of the trans-shipment facility would result in a reduction of some five days in the transit time for cargo, to and from Boa Vista and Manaus, and the Atlantic Ocean, reducing transportation cost significantly.
With the commissioning of the Takutu Bridge, greater opportunities now exist for faster cargo movement into and out of the Roraima and Amazonian states, in the northern region of Brazil. The shipping of cargo through Linden is expected to boost trade tremendously. And new employment will be created as a result of the two way traffic between Guyana and Brazil.
Some 45-50 persons are expected to be employed in the initial phase of the project.
Indirect employment, from satellite industries, is also expected to mushroom.
The hospitality sector is one of the areas, chief among these, as the movement of cargo and people through the mining town will automatically see a demand for those services- once Linden becomes a ‘stop’ over point, and not just a ‘passing through’ point.
Regional Chairman, Mortimer Mingo, during a press conference after the tour of the trans-shipment facility site, told the GNIC executives that “we encourage and cajole that skills in Linden be fully utilised and you do not bring skills that are readily available here!”
Mingo noted that the facility is a very important initiative, which is welcomed by the Regional Democratic Council, and that he is “well aware of the benefits to come to Region 10 as a result”. He further emphasised that residents ought to take a very positive outlook and take advantage of the new facility by ‘boosting’ manufacturing.
However, Khan assured that since he has deep roots in Linden he will ensure that residents fully benefit from employment opportunities that would become available, at the trans-shipment facility.
International Project Manager for LEAP, Kathleen Whalen, said that of all the projects undertaken by LEAP, there is no doubt that the trans-shipment facility is the most important for Linden, and one that will present opportunities that will determine the future of the town.
Although the trans-shipment facility is expected to take between two to three years to complete, shipping for the domestic market would commence within three to six months, by which time the completion of the first phase of the project is expected to be completed.
This early commencement of domestic barging was made possible through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the gold mining firm ‘I am Gold’, to utilise their wharf facilities for a period of two years.
The ‘I am Gold’ terminal is adjacent to the 18-acre plot of land at Christianburg, which GNIC has leased from the government, for building their trans-shipment facility.
The project involves the establishment of a terminal and wharves and is intended to cater for, and facilitate the handling of an anticipated surge in containerised and break/bulk cargo traffic within the Guyana/Brazil Road Corridor, since it is suspected that the Linden/Georgetown road network, and the Wismar/Mackenzie bridge will be inadequate for accommodating this surge in heavy traffic.
Other infrastructural works include the construction of a 200’x40’wharf and a hydrographic survey to determine the depths alongside the wharf to facilitate loading and offloading of cargo to and from barges.
Apart from lease payments totaling G$3.393M (US$16,965) to date, G$1.2M (US$6000), has already been expended for the cadastral and topographic surveys to properly establish the boundaries and contour of the site, and existing equipment(tug, barge, crane etc) valued at US$1.5 M to be used on the project.
Clearing of the site has been completed in readiness for the erection of a security fence, and three buildings which will serve as offices and temporary workers quarters. This aspect of the project is being funded by LEAP at a cost of some G$63M.
To date GNIC has spent G$35M on the preparation of the site, including backfilling, foundations and internal roadways. Another $35.5 M will be expended on building the actual wharf, according to Clinton Williams, CEO of GNIC.