President Dr. Irfaan Ali has called for expanded public-private investment to modernise port infrastructure across the Caribbean, identifying ageing facilities, limited cargo-handling capacity, and inadequate navigational depth as…
President Dr. Irfaan Ali has called for expanded public-private investment to modernise port infrastructure across the Caribbean, identifying ageing facilities, limited cargo-handling capacity, and inadequate navigational depth as primary constraints on regional shipping efficiency. During the opening ceremony of the Caribbean Shipping Association's 56th Annual General Meeting, Conference, and Exhibition at the Guyana Marriott Hotel in Georgetown on Monday, the Head of State outlined specific physical limitations currently restricting the region's maritime trade capabilities.
He cited the necessity of dredging the Demerara River to accommodate larger vessels as a critical local challenge, noting that current depths prevent the largest ships from entering the harbour. This limitation has prompted the Government to advance plans for a deepwater port, a facility designed to connect Guyana to northern Brazil and the wider region. Ali emphasised that the scale of required infrastructure development is substantial, pointing to the Linden-Mabura Hill Road as a tangible indicator of the construction volume and investment needed.
He explained that this road represents only one section of the broader infrastructure network required, and suggested that observing such projects would help stakeholders understand the magnitude of the undertaking. "The issue of port capacity, cargo-handling equipment, storage facilities, navigational depth… we know about this because we face these challenges,” he stated. "The largest ships can't come in because we have to dredge the Demerara [River]. That is why we are now taking steps and moving forward on the development of a deepwater port.”
This is a source-linked briefing. Read the original report from Pravda .