New $535M pilot boat to cost taxpayers $20M annually to maintain

Apr 21, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday commissioned a $535M pilot vessel to be used by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), which will be cost $20M to maintain annually.

The vessel PD Arapaima was custom-built for MARAD by Ocea Shipbuilding Limited in France. The 14-person vessel is built from aluminum.

Notably, 10 persons were trained and certified to operate the boat.

On Wednesday, President Ali, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill, Deodat Indar and other officials were at the commissioning ceremony of the vessel hosted at the National Coast Guard Headquarters at Ramp Road, Ruimveldt.

The Head-of-State delivered the featured address at the event.

The Department of Public Information (DPI) reported that President Ali pointed to a number of measures the government is implementing aimed at completely transforming local maritime operations. He noted, however, that the acquisition of the PB Arapaima is just a small step in a series of larger efforts to mitigate difficulties being faced in the sector.

“We have aging assets. Bad decisions in 2018 by the last government led to the acquisition of what was supposed to be a new asset for just around $300 million. One year afterwards, we spent more than $300M on spares, and that takes it to about $600-plus million. That vessel is costing us about $50 million annually to maintain,” President Ali explained.

The $535M pilot vessel

He contrasted it with the new, improved acquisition, highlighting that this vessel is much more efficient for the purpose it was purchased for.

“This vessel, on the other hand, was acquired at $535M, one-year free maintenance on warranty, and from the second year, it is anticipated that will cost no more than GY$20M in maintenance [annually]. It will also utilise 30 percent less fuel than the current fleet. That tells a story by itself,” Dr. Ali underlined.

The president also congratulated the management and staff of MARAD on the acquisition of the vessel, iterating that it is a continuation of the administration’s efforts to give MARAD a fleet of modern reliable, fuel-efficient vessels capable of serving the needs of the shipping industry, and facilitating a modern marine sector.

Meanwhile, Minister Edghill, highlighted the important role the maritime industry plays in the economic growth and development of the country and cited the increasing amount of maritime traffic and commerce taking place.

“It is crucial that we have effective systems to ensure that everything is running smoothly and safely with the latter being paramount, and this is precisely why this vessel was acquired. Safety in our waterways is something that is of utmost importance to this government. And in keeping with its mandate, MARAD is working to ensure that people employ safe practices,” he stated.

Minister Edghill noted that the PPP/C government’s continued commitment to the people of Guyana is demonstrated by the substantial investments being made in the sector.

“We will continue to build on what we have started as we acquire new vessels to advance our work. In addition to infrastructure, emphasis has been placed on the training of our staff to man these vessels, to keep our operations running smoothly, and in compliance with international best practices. With this new vessel, the time for pilots to embark and disembark will be cut by 75 per cent and this is just the beginning of great things that will be accomplished with the pilot boat Arapaima,” he added.

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Deodat Indar, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill, pilot boat, President Ali

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