D&T Shipping is spending $6.5 million on the renovation of the former packing house on Potters Cay, to create a private passenger and freight terminal, replete with a passenger waiting area, a parts store for ships, and a four-star restaurant.
The media got a tour of the facility, which is currently under construction, on Tuesday along with Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Jomo Campbell.
Principal of D&T Shipping Gregory Stuart said the company expects to complete the facility in April, after starting construction in August.
Campbell explained that D&T has a 15-year lease on the government property, with an option to renew.
There was not talk of a formal rental agreement that included a price, but Stuart called the deal a public-private partnership (PPP), with government providing the property, and D&T injecting its own money into making the facility ready for public use.
According to Stuart, it will likely take a long time for D&T to recoup its investment in the property. But he said the idea of a passenger facility for Potters Cay is the realization of a dream for the betterment of the area.
“I grew up in this area and that’s partially the motivation, being able to bring the service to the Family Islands and the people here… it’s something that I’m passionate about it,” said Stuart.
“If you check around all the other ferries and the businesses that have been doing this for the last 40 years, they’re using government buildings, but really never invested anything for the passengers.
“You come in and what was there 30 years ago is still there. We decided we’re going to come in and we’re going to take it to another level.
“Because if the passengers are spending the money and we are making a profit from the business, I think we should invest something back into the passengers. And so this is all about really bringing it up to (something) the passengers can enjoy coming on Potters Cay Dock to board a vessel instead of what it was 20 years ago, sitting under a tent or something and waiting until the boat was ready to leave.
“As soon you can come here, you could relax and that’s what it’s all about. I think it’ll take us a long, long time to make our money back. But it wasn’t really about the money, it was about a proper service for our people.”
Stuart explained that the building will also have facilities for Potters Cay’s cargo vessels to store their goods, and a seafood shop and market.
He said the seafood market will not compete with the fishermen on Potter’s Cay, but will purchase their catches and sell them from their store.
Stuart said while the newly opened building will be a rose in a thorn patch of sorts when completed, being that it will be the newest thing on the dock, he said his company will also invest in beautifying other parts of Potters Cay.
