The Government has secured Caribbean Development Bank funding for a feasibility study into transforming Cul de Sac Bay into a dedicated cargo port, as Saint Lucia’s main port struggles to accommodate competing shipping and cruise demands.
“Port Castries has become inadequate in terms of the amount of cargo vessels that it is expected to handle, as well as cruise vessels and cruise passengers,” Minister for Infrastructure, Ports Services and Energy Shawn Edward said.
Container storage has already moved to Cul de Sac. The study will assess the infrastructure needed to receive commercial vessels and expand cargo operations at the bay. “Ultimately, we want Port Castries to be exclusively cruise and for Cul de Sac to be exclusively cargo,” Edward said.
He described the container backlog as evidence of increased shipping activity and economic buoyancy, while acknowledging that existing facilities are under strain. Further details on the study are expected as planning progresses.
The proposed development comes alongside efforts to rehabilitate Berth Four at Port Castries, where continued sinking and structural deterioration have affected docking and port efficiency. “SLASPA has signed a contract with a very reputable Dutch company known as Ballast Nedam for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Berth Four in Port Castries,” Edward disclosed.
The Government has guaranteed US$45 million on behalf of the Saint Lucia Air and Seaports Authority to facilitate the project. The contractor has committed to completing the works within seven months.
Scheduling remains a key consideration for a port that must continue receiving visitors during construction. “What we wanted to ensure was that there would not have been conflict in terms of the civil works being undertaken and the commencement of the cruise season,” Edward explained.
The wider modernisation programme also targets the processing and clearance of imported goods—an area where delays affect businesses and the availability of products.
Edward said the Government wants “systems in place that will ensure greater efficiency so that the mercantile community and the business community will not have to endure for much longer some of the frustrations they’ve had to put up with as it relates to clearing goods and making goods available on the shelves.”
On road congestion, the minister acknowledged calls for container trucks to operate outside peak traffic periods but pointed to a gap between recommendations and enforceable restrictions. “Ideas are ideas, and there is very little you can do with ideas if you do not enact the legislation to actually make the ideas binding,” he said.
In the meantime, authorities must rely on cooperation from private truck operators to avoid movements that worsen traffic.
While the Berth Four works are contracted, the proposed cargo port remains subject to the feasibility study.
