The Port Authority of Jamaica has completed a master plan for the construction of two ports in the eastern parish of Portland.

Speaking with Our Today recently, Port Authority’s president and CEO Professor Gordon Shirley said that in the master plan are drafts for piers in Port Antonio’s eastern and western harbours.

“Port Antonio has its unique twin harbour. It has the West Harbour, which is where we have the Errol Flynn Marina, and we have a deeper, bigger harbour – the East Harbour – which is really underdeveloped. So what we were asked to do by our policymakers is to look at developing the entire environment, meaning both the east and west harbours,” he explained.

“And so we have done a master plan. It was done by a globally and internationally recognized set of experts,” he continued.

The Chiacho-based US firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture was selected to complete the master plan given their renown and awards for designs. According to Professor Shirley, half the duo, Gill, is a Portlander who is familiar with the area.

Port Antonio, considered the birthplace of tourism in Jamaica, was famous for guests arriving on the island via the banana boat. Some of the guests lodged during their stay at the Titchfield Hotel, which was situated on a peninsula separating the eastern and western harbours.

Portland is also home to several tourism attractions such as Reach, Nanny and Somerset falls, the Blue Lagoon, Frenchman Cove, and Rio Grande where rafting takes place.

Based on the draft of the master plan, the Port Authority will be constructing a second pier in the East Harbour that has the capacity to berth large cruise ships.

“How large those ships will be is a concern because we want to also preserve Port Antonio to be a different kind of destination from Ocho Rios or Montego Bay,” Professor Shirley said, extolling the natural beauty of the capital of Portland, which is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Mountain range.

The PAJ head outlined that the plans to convert the harbours will integrate the land and sea-based assets of the locale to create an environmentally friendly tourist destination.

According to the Ministry of Tourism’s Strategic Business Plan, 2022 – 2026, the Government is targeting “the reduction of tourism’s ecological footprint in Portland”. Another plan for sustainable tourism development designed by the Tourism Development Product Company indicates that Portland, like St Thomas and other southern parishes, will be marketed “to the niche segments of the German market” where people buy packaged tour deals and have a preference for the natural environment and cultural interaction.

“So the kinds of cruise guests and lines that we want to attract might be very targetted in what we are doing there, so that work is in progress,” Shirley pointed out.

 “We think the plans are very effective but, interestingly, there are other cruise lines that have been asking questions about the West Harbour, because there are cruise ships that cater to particular kinds of markets, and some of those have renewed interest in the West Harbour,” he continued.

When asked to clarify, Shirley said that there are interests in berthing cruise ships and there are business interests in berthing luxury yachts in or near the Errol Flynn Marina. He added there are opportunities, as there is demand, for yachts to provide tours around the shores of Jamaica.

“There’s now a lot of talks about cruising around Jamaica; that is, going from Port Antonio to Ocho Rios, where we have another marina, to Montego Bay to Black River, and all the way to Kingston. We have a yacht club [in Kingston] and we intend to look at Port Royal for additional yacht berths,” he revealed.

The Port Authority announced plans to convert the 68-acre area which encompasses the Folly Oval, last year.