By Lavern Clarke, Staff Reporter
The Port Antonia Marina shortly after opening two months ago. - File
PORT ANTONIO'S billion dollar marina development has already began to pull in new boating business in the two months that it has been operational, notwithstanding a more than 300 per cent increase in docking fees.
Boaters now pay US$1.25 per foot per night to pull in at the marina, compared to the previous US$0.35 charge. But according to Tracey Prowse who helps to oversee the new mega-yacht facility, the price is highly competitive compared to places like Key West which charges US$2.35.
The Port Antonio development remains a work in progress, with supporting services and other infrastructure scheduled for completion in August 2003, according to senior vice president of the Port Authority of Jamaica, Byron Lewis.
Work continues on shops along the promenade, the English Pub, the boatyard, and the old marina is to be knocked down and reconstructed to accommodate smaller boats.
Fuelling and repair are key services on which international docking facilities seek to differentiate their products, and "the Port Authority is putting major emphasis on those areas," Lewis said.
In the meantime, the new marina is still without operators and a few other services, making it that more difficult for Jamaica to compete with its Caribbean neighbours who also go after the jetsetting boat crowd.
"We are competing with the Caribbean," said Prowse. "We have had to fight for every piece of business we get." In addition, the pleasure boating season hits a lull in the hurricane season, but picks up this month until May, when the season ends.
Since the marina's official opening in late September, the 32-slip berthing facility has had 12 boats calling there, the largest of which was 90 feet in length, with the craft originating from the United States, United Kingdom, other parts of Europe, and the Caribbean. Six of that number are still in harbour, Prowse said on Tuesday.
It is a "little bit more" than the business anticipated given that business is generally slow during the hurricane season, he told Wednesday Business.
A dozen more boats are booked for the marina over the boating season, but Prowse noted that the bookings are only an indication of the amount of business likely to come Port Antonio's way. It is the nature of the business, he said, for two or three times the numbers booked to pull into port without extended notice.
The facility can accommodate boats of up to 250 feet (76 metres), and the marina is also anticipating the arrival of its first "true mega-yacht" - the 180-foot Reef Chief - by the end of this week.
So far, the Port Authority has invested US$24 million (J$1.2 billion) in the marina development. Lewis said he did not have the figures immediately on the additional spending required to finalise the marina services, noting that there was some "fine-tuning" being done on the figures.
Promotions for the facility is done through attendance at boat shows, and is largely handled by consultants Super Yachts of Miami. But the Port Antonio name, plus "word of mouth" advertising by clients who have sampled the new product also help to sell the marina.
"We don't consider this (the current operations) the real commercial push-off, but we are quite surprised at the interest," said Lewis.
The Port Authority is now running the facility, but will hand it over to private interests in February 2003 to market and operate for five years. Bids for the management contract closed on Monday.
The successful bidder is expected to focus heavily on "building market share" for the marina over the life of the management contract.
Commenting that "we are kicking off something that is new," Lewis said the facility is not expected to break-even before the next five years. The restaurants, gift shops, and other services, boat maintenance services, and fuel are all expected revenue streams.
The marina is the first phase in the development of a wider West Harbour project. The plans include the transformation of Navy Island, and the upgrading of the Ken Jones Aerodrome.
