GORDON A. FINCH MOLASSES PIER

Krause Lagoon, St. Croix

The Gordon A. Finch Molasses Pier, located in Krause Lagoon, sits on an eight-acre site on the south shore of St. Croix. It provides docking space for cable vessels, cable storage, molasses, and aggregate vessels. The facility consists of a roll-on/roll-off ramp, two separate breasting dolphins for berthing bulk-type vessels, and space for bulk cargo storage.  The construction of this facility was completed in 1998.

The facility is equipped with asphalt and molasses pipelines that extend from the dock to storage tanks. It is also equipped with a 560-foot by 70-foot concrete lighted working apron and a 560-foot sheet pile bulkhead with breasting dolphins on both ends. It can accommodate large vessels with drafts up to 29 feet.  This multi-purpose facility is primarily used to import molasses by tanker vessels to the Virgin Islands Rum Industries Limited distillery. It is also used for the importation of all liquid asphalt to the island, bulk cargo such as gravel, cement blocks, and other construction material critical to St. Croix's construction industry. The pier can also accommodate submarine cable vessels, which are used to lay and repair intercontinental underwater telephone cables.  VIPA plans to shift cargo operations from the Gallows Bay Marine Facility in Christiansted, St. Croix to the Molasses Pier.

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The Gordon A. Finch Molasses Pier was named in honor of former V.I. Port Authority executive director, Gordon A. Finch, of St. Croix by the Legislature of the Virgin Islands via Act No. 6210.

GORDON A. FINCH MOLASSES PIER GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY

21 July 2020 at Krause Lagoon, St. Croix

The Virgin Islands Port Authority is building a cargo terminal and making significant improvements to the dock at the Gordon A. Finch Molasses Pier. All cargo operations will move from Gallows Bay to the Molasses Pier once this project is completed.

This $24 million project is funded in part via a $10.6 million BUILD  Grant  (Better  Utilizing  Investments to  Leverage Development  Grant) from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (formerly the  Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery Grant).  Matching funds in the amount of $3.8 million was appropriated by the Legislature of the U.S. Virgin Islands.  AT Construction LLC was awarded the landside construction contract via a competitive bidding process.

GORDON A. FINCH MOLASSES PIER CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS

Krause Lagoon, St. Croix