Mike Henry (right), Minister of Transport and Works, looks on as Noel Hylton (left), president of the Port Authority of Jamaica, points to one of four Super-Post-Panamax cranes at the Kingston Container Terminal (KCT). The arrival of the cranes are a part of KCT's Fifth-Phase Expansion at Port Bustamante, Kingston. The minister made his first official tour of the facilities yesterday. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
Minister of Transport and Works Mike Henry has indicated his intention to transform Vernamfield, the motor strip in central Clarendon, into an airport facility.
Mr. Henry, who was making his first official appearance as Minister, made the announcement at the Kingston Container Terminal after a tour of the facilities which are being expanded.
"Now that the elections are over, I'm sure you will understand that I'm intending to complement this (expansion) by Vernamfield," the Transport Minister said.
The transformation of the raceway has often been trumpeted by the minister who is also the Member of Parliament for the area.
Mr. Henry has said he believed the transformation of Vernamfield would bring revenue to the south coast.
"What a lot of people fail to understand is that transport can only be developed when the four elements of transport meet, when sea, air, road and railway meet," he said. "And in that case, Jamaica offers the greatest potential along the equator for this kind of development and I have spent years looking at this overall and examining its potential and possibilities."
US$240m expansion
The minister and a team of officials and journalists toured the facility which is undergoing a US$240 million (about $16.5 billion) expansion programme. On the tour, the minister witnessed the off-loading of one of four new Super-Post-Panamax cranes. The cranes, which cost US$6 million (about $414 million) each, are a part of the KCT's expansion project which is expected to increase by over 100 per cent from its 2005-rated 1.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TFEU) to 3.2 million TFEUs.
The minister praised the efforts of the previous government and said his administration was willing to help the Port Authority of Jamaica overcome any obstacles which could inhibit growth in an expanding global village.
