The new Shipping Bill will bring T&T's shipping and maritime industry into the 21st century, Transport Minister Stephen Cadiz said yesterday.
"When I came into the ministry a year and a half ago it did not exist. Cabinet did approve to establish a maritime policy strategy for T&T which is still a work in progress. You cannot build a maritime industry without a policy and proper legislation.
"All of the people in the industry would know of its ills. We have finished the first draft of our new Shipping Bill which we hope will create the initiatives to build a proper and solid maritime industry," he said.
Cadiz, who spoke at the 77th Annual General Meeting of the Shipping Association of T&T at the Radisson Hotel, Port-of-Spain, said T&T cannot build a modern maritime industry when the shipping industry is being run with archaic systems.
"The Single Electronic Window (SEW) will cut down on the filing and paper work that is being done now. It is horrendous how the shipping industry is being run.
"I do not know how people who work in the industry do it. It sounds like a nightmare similar to the Licencing Office," he said.
The minister said there will be rationalisation of the Port of Port-of-Spain and the Point Lisas Port..
"Should we move the Port of Port-of-Spain? It sits on TT $11 billion worth of real estate. Should the Government be reinvesting in a port or partnering with someone else and just provide the land? We have the investment in Point Lisas, what do we do with Point Lisas?" he asked.
He said a new port could cost between $5 to $6 billion in investment.
"A lot of work has gone into it with studies and reports, how we will get back our investment?" he asked.
The minister also spoke about the La Brea area and said the Shipping Association had advised that a port in that location will not be a good idea.
"What are we doing with three ports in T&T?" he asked. "The investment in Point Lisas will cost about $2 million to be able to improve their service. What we will look at for Brighton is a ship repair facility. We have the skill set to do proper ship repairs. It also provides far more employment than a modern port facility. A modern port facility does not have the thousands of workers needed as it is now all automated."