Puerto Rico donates port equipment

Puerto Rico has come to the assistance of the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority by donating some equipment.
Port Manager Darwin Telemaque recently told OBSERVER media that the equipment will arrive in Antigua soon.
He said there was no cost associated with securing the equipment, but the government will have to pick up the tab for the freight.
“We highlighted the fact of our ailing fleet and the fact that we got some support from our fellow Caribbean port in Puerto Rico, who has provided us with some equipment that is going to arrive here soon. We also bought a stacker which is on its way here, and we are looking to get some additional piece of equipment,” Telemaque said.
He was speaking following the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority luncheon with the Chamber of Commerce, which was held at  Cortsland Hotel on Tuesday.
At the meeting, the business community was updated about potential changes to the port and the challenges they could face as the port undergoes the modernisation project.
The port manager stated that this equipment will help to improve the efficiency at the port.
In addition to the breakdown of the equipment, he said that the port continues to function at an optimum level with the equipment it currently has.
“Delays at the port can be driven by a number of factors. The vessel schedule on some of the shipping lines can create a bottleneck situation. For example, if you have a line that carries large volumes of cargo which would normally arrive on a Sunday or Monday and that vessel is now 
arriving on a Wednesday, 
the ability to make all that cargo available between Thursday and Friday is pretty much impossible,” he explained.