NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Government is expected to shift its focus to addressing security and infrastructure needs of the Marsh Harbour port in Abaco before renewing its search for investors to manage, Lieutenant Commander Berne Wright, Port Controller said Thursday.

The state of the Marsh Harbour port has been a concern for residents for many years and has even led to the facility failing international inspections.

While the Government began the process of searching for a new operator for the port in 2023, there has been no movement over one year later. In a recent interview with Eyewitness News, Abaco Chamber of Commerce President Daphne Gregory-Maoulis alluded to the fact that the state of the port could have a major role in the lack of investor interest.

She stated that the three main contenders that the government had been considering pulled out of the deal, citing a low return on investment “from what she understands.”

The security upgrades will be financed through a grant from the United States Embassy according to Commander Wright and will include, “perimeter fencing, CCTV, lighting, paving, administrative offices, and security booths.”

“Once we complete that process, we would look to put out the management aspect of the facility. But the priority now is getting it at a better footing with these upgrades.

“Once the contract is awarded, then there’s another process within the US system because it is solely their operation. They provide the timelines but the rewarding of the contract should be in a few weeks,” Commander Wright said.

He was unable to provide the monetary value of said contract.

Meanwhile, the government is expected to soon finalize a new operator for the Cooper’s Town port, Director of the Bahamas Investment Authority Phylicia Woods-Hanna confirmed to Eyewitness News Thursday.

“We’re currently undergoing the due diligence process just to confirm in all aspects both from a technical standpoint and a financial standpoint that the proposed investor is capable of delivering on the port,” Woods–Hanna said.

She assured there would be a Bahamian component to the deal.

“All of that is what is a part of the negotiations. We are trying to make sure that where there is a local capacity for Bahamians to joint venture, that is at the forefront. We are looking at Bahamian partnerships in all aspects of the port because it is a big project.”

She said that depending on the results of the due diligence process, the contract could be solidified before the end of the year.

The government is reportedly seeking a combined $100 million in investment for both ports, with a 20 percent ownership stake for the Bahamian public.

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