Port authority

Medical files don't cover lost souls.

Port Authority Chief Bryant was the opposite story.

Gruff, bristling, eager to go on record how tired he was of hungover fishermen and meth heads making up ghost stories.

He stamped the necessary salvage papers with less grace than a man gutting a stubborn cod.

Do not listen.

He vanished into the fog.

Port authority tape looped across whole swathes of the piers, yellow-black, announcing closure due to chemical contamination.

The lie troubled no one.

If you talk about Ghana, for example, we have key stakeholders that are all interested in the arrival of a vessel in our port.

The Port Authority is interested in the business side of the port and handling the vessel as the vessel will arrive in the port.

Customs is very much interested in the revenue side of the vessel and ensuring that the requisite revenue is paid.

In Ghana Maritime Authority, we are interested in the overall things that has to do with the vessel, what vessel it is, the safety issues, the regulatory issues, and most important, the information that we'll collect to build the profile of the maritime industry.

So there is that.

I got a question toward the end of the hour about that news story that I've been hearing about the PRT, Port Authority, Pat, you know.

their contract that I just I have to bring up I keep hearing that story and I'm going something just isn't adding up for me and I'll explain toward the end of the hour but so even up until five minutes ago I talked about this on Friday okay a little bit on Thursday and then Friday to start my show up until just five minutes ago and I don't really like to check the social media as I'm talking but I do in the breaks the comments And the feedback from this story.

was far outweighed any other thing that has happened throughout the weekend and through the early part of today or any other topic that I've been talking about on the show.

There will be.

All right, let me reset on what's going on here.

Before this hour's out, I keep hearing Paul do this story on the PRT drivers, the PRT contract, Port Authority.

Pat, come on, that's who we grew up with.

The authorities had to utilize everything available.

I mean, Port Authority rescue boats, maritime police vessels, a Coast Guard ship, and even private civilian craft were all drafted into pulling those 700 people off the shoreline.

That's terrifying.

And while the human cost was thankfully managed through that evacuation, the destruction to property and the natural environment was catastrophic.

But keeping with the theme of the island, they provide absolutely no operational dates for any of these flights.

So you know airplanes exist, but not when they fly.

And worse, if you do manage to land there, not a single official source, not the airport authority, not the local tourist board publishes a transfer price, a taxi tariff or a standard shuttle fee from the tarmac to the town center.

You touch down on the runway and you are entirely at the mercy of whatever number the taxi driver decides to invent when you open the door.

Residents of Grand Turk have raised concerns over deteriorating public spaces, the lack of sidewalks, delayed construction projects, and the upkeep of the nation's capital.

The concerns were aired during a town hall meeting held on Wednesday, October 14th in Grand Turk, where Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development, Honorable Arlington Musgrove joined representatives from the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies, the Ports Authority, the Turks and Caicos Islands Airport Authority, and the Planning Department.

Members of Parliament Honourable Otis Morris and Honourable Sharon Simons also attended, raising concerns about the challenges facing residents and the need for visible improvements.

The meeting provided an opportunity for government representatives to outline ongoing and proposed projects, while residents used the floor to question the pace of development and how public funds are being spent.

However, officials acknowledge the need for additional personnel within Public Works, particularly estimators and assistant quantity surveyors, to support the department's work.

Improvement support facilities were also discussed, with representatives highlighting the installation of safety barriers and plans to make the port's authority more digitally accessible, including introducing more convenient electronic payment options.

At the airport level, the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority provided updates on two major projects in Grand Turk.

The Benjamin Johnson Fire Hall, which previously had its groundbreaking ceremony, experienced delays after issues were identified with the building's drawings, requiring them to be reviewed.