The revised design for the new harbour in the Giles Quarter area on Saba.
SABA/THE HAGUE--In consultation with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management I&W, the public entity Saba has decided to further explore the alternative location for the harbour in the Giles Quarter area.
Commissioner Bruce Zagers, Island Secretary Tim Muller, policy advisor Sarah van der Horn-Plante and harbour project manager Ton van der Plas met with Maritime Affairs Director Brigit Gijsbers and policy advisor Léon van der Meij, both of the Ministry of I&W, in The Hague on Wednesday, October 2.
At that meeting, the Saba delegation presented the results of testing under the former plan to expand and renovate the Fort Bay Harbour, as well as the revised plan and the information that has been gathered so far on the alternative harbour location in Giles Quarter, often locally referred to as Black Rocks.
Commissioner Zagers said the information was well received by the ministry. “We have been given permission to continue researching the construction of the new harbour at the alternative location instead of continuing with our old plan at Fort Bay,” he said.
Additional work that will now be carried out includes an environmental impact study, a geological survey of the underwater soil and a wave test. When that has been concluded, the process can start to secure the necessary permits from Rijkswaterstaat.
Giving some background information as to the reasons for switching location, Zagers explained that starting the project at the Fort Bay Harbour was only logical because all facilities are located there. Also, the funds provided by the Dutch government were originally intended for the reconstruction of Fort Bay Harbour to a more future- and hurricane-proof harbour.
“So, we had to start testing at that location. Once the test results showed that Fort Bay might not be the most suitable location for a hurricane-proof harbour, we decided, in consultation with the Ministry of I&W, to start tests at the alternative location. Based on the results of the additional testing at the new location, we will decide what kind of breakwater we will use and how big it needs to be to fit in our future [economic – Ed.] plans,” said Zagers.
The on-land infrastructure, the connecting road from Fort Bay, is included in the revised plan. Not included in this project is the public entity’s desire to construct a secondary road to the harbour via Giles Quarter. “We hope that in the future that can also be part of a larger harbour project,” said Zagers.
As for the cost associated with the alternative location, he clarified that because of the layout of the property and the shallower waters, he hopes to achieve an even larger harbour than originally designed and more hurricane-proof, with the same budget which amounts to about US $30 million, paid for by the Dutch government.
Of this amount, 15 million euros comes from the Hurricane Recovery Fund and 12.5 million euros from the Regional Envelope through the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.
It concerns the largest-ever project in Saba’s history, which is supposed to have a “tremendous” economic spin-off for the island and would give a boost to Saba’s overall development. The idea is to keep the current harbour for the more industrial and commercial traffic.
Zagers said he was “very happy” with the results of Wednesday’s meeting in The Hague. “It shows the Ministry of I&W is very open to our view and our way of working by wanting to do it right the first time. We have one chance to build a great new harbour and it has to be done in the correct manner,” he said.
He thanked the ministry for its support and the “very motivating” harbour-project team for all its hard work.
