VIPA to Hold Public Meeting Regarding Crown Bay Cargo Facility Project Slated to Start in 2023

The Virgin Islands Port Authority invites the public to a meeting at 3 p.m. on Monday, December 19, 2022, to discuss upcoming improvements to the Crown Bay Cargo Facility on St. Thomas. The meeting will be held in the VIPA conference room in the Administrative Building at 8074 Lindbergh Bay, St. Thomas, and at the VIPA conference room on the second floor of the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport Terminal on St. Croix. The meeting will also be available via MS Teams by sending a request for a meeting invitation to info@viport.com or calling (340) 774-1629 ext. 6640.

At the public meeting, VIPA Director of Engineering Preston Beyer will present information about the upcoming improvements to the facility scheduled to begin during the first quarter of 2023. Amy Dempsey, President of BioImpact, Inc. will also report on environmental findings collected during her assessment conducted on behalf of VIPA.

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded the U.S. Virgin Islands $21,869,260 for the reconstruction and modernization of cargo handling and storage infrastructure at the Crown Bay Cargo Facility on St. Thomas in October 2020. The project includes bulkhead rehabilitation, concrete apron restoration, reconstruction of three cargo storage areas, and security improvements including lighting, fencing, and fire protection. The expansion, which is located in an Opportunity Zone, will facilitate more efficient cargo movement both into and out of St. Thomas.

The receipt of the grant was unprecedented for VIPA. VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe said, “The $21.9 million grant from MARAD is allowing us to make major improvements to the Crown Bay Cargo Facility, which is now over 40 years old and in dire need of repair. This facility is the bread and butter of the St. Thomas/St. John district as it is where we receive most of the items we use and consume daily. When completed, this will position the Crown Bay cargo port as a prime facility for transshipment throughout the eastern and southern Caribbean.” Director Dowe also thanked the Bryan/Roach Administration, which assisted VIPA by lobbying federal officials for funding for this project, and Tropical Shipping, Crowley, and RAM Consulting Services in Jacksonville; FL who partnered with VIPA’s staff to submit the information required to obtain the grant.