Port Purcell honoured by regional group

The BVI Port Authority was awarded the Ludlow Stewart Container Port of the Year Award on Tuesday in a ceremony at Maria’s by the Sea.

Soft piano music played as nearly 40 people filed into rows of green chairs in the hotel’s Jost Van Dyke Room. On a long table in the back lay a spread of coffee, fruit and pastries.

The award, presented by Caribbean Shipping Association Vice President Maria del Mar Rodriguez, recognises Caribbean ports based on categories including environment, gender, digitisation, safety, productivity, security and efficiency.

These qualities are measured by specific metrics such as number of containers moved per hour, number of accidents, increases in security expenditure, incorporation of information technology into daily systems of operation, and gender participation based on the number of females represented in the workforce, officials said.

“For the CSA, it’s important that we actually come to the port and actually exchange impressions and meet the people who win the prize and make sure they know that their efforts are being recognised not only at the port level, but as a region,” Ms. Rodriguez said. “This achievement speaks to something profound.”

Port Purcell was announced as this year’s winner in October at the 55th Caribbean Shipping Association Conference in Paramaribo, Suriname.

Communications and Works Kye Rymer also addressed attendees during the ceremony.

“Even as our community continues to recover from the devastating hurricanes of 2017, our port has not only reopened: It has set a standard,” he said. “We provide a service second to none. That achievement is the result of public investment, private-sector partnership, and the dedication of each and every worker on these docks.”

Also during the ceremony, Ms. Rodriguez presented a trophy to Dean Fahie, interim deputy managing director of the BVIPA.

“In the Virgin Islands, the moving of containers and boat cargo underpins the economy of our daily lives,” Mr. Fahie said. “When we operate at our best, the entire territory benefits.”

Previous winners include joint recipients Point Lisas and Mazanillos International Terminal of Trinidad and Panama, respectively, in 2023, and Barbados Port Inc in 2024.