EXCLUSIVE: Antigua and Barbuda acquires new dredger

The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, said that the Government plans to purchase a new dredging machine to complete works on the turning basin at St John’s Harbor.

According to local media, the project stalled at a difficult rock section known locally as the “Jaws of Death.”

Browne said that around 93% of the dredging work has already been finished, but the remaining section requires heavier equipment.

He also added that Blue Ocean, now majority-owned by the state, will acquire a dredging vessel (valued at just over $1 million) to complete the job within weeks.

The Government officials are expected to travel to Europe shortly to inspect the dredger, which will also be used for dredging at Crabs, maintenance deepening of St John’s Harbor to up to 40 feet, and beach replenishment projects such as Runaway Bay, concluded the Prime Minister.