Page 36: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2025)

SHIPBUILDING | TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

SRDC Chairman & CEO Wilfred de Gannes standing in front the 5-berth mega cruise ship port located in St. John’s, Capital City of Antigua and Barbuda on December 23, 2024.

Image courtesy SRDC among residents and SRDC’s 160+ private-sector stakehold- tive that relevant stakeholders (public, private, academic, etc.) ers. The project promises vital job creation and foreign ex- commit to a shared, integrated and sustainable ambition. This change generation for communities across Siparia, La Brea, will provide a vision for actions to be targeted towards allow-

Point Fortin, and beyond. La Brea is steeped in maritime his- ing for the alignment of resources that stakeholders can offer tory. In 1595, English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh used the to bene? t the development of the region.” While "maritime natural asphalt from Pitch Lake to caulk his ships. By 1857, clusters" are less commonly referenced in North America, the American Merimac Oil Company had drilled one of the longstanding European examples include those in Denmark, earliest oil wells in the Western Hemisphere near this very the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom. In the site — solidifying La Brea’s place in global energy history. Caribbean, the Virgin Islands Professional Charter Associa- tion (VIPCA) in the U.S. Virgin Islands is leading a similar movement with over 300+ members. The VI Economic De-

GROWTH OF MEGA CRUISE SHIP TOURISM

Phase I of the La Brea project envisions a world-class mega velopment Authority with their local partners have complet- cruise ship terminal. These "cruisezillas" have doubled in size ed a comprehensive ship repair feasibility study in 2024. By since 2000, with future vessels expected to reach 345,000 comparison, SRDC’s growing cluster stakeholders’ number gross tons by 2050. Yet existing ports in Port of Spain and 160+ stakeholders and include major U.S. partners such as

Scarborough lack berth restrictions and the required harbor Sherwin-Williams (NYSE: SHW) and Caterpillar (NYSE: depth to accommodate them. Norwegian Cruise Line Hold- CAT), represented in Trinidad and Tobago by MASSY CAT.

ings Ltd. (NYSE: NCLH) for example has four ships over 1,200 feet on order, all expected to launch beginning in 2030, LNG EXPORT GROWTH

CREATES OPPORTUNITIES and globally there are over seventy (70) cruise brands. La

Brea's naturally sheltered deep-water harbor at Point D’or of- According to the U.S. Department of Energy, American Liq- fers the ideal location for cruise tourism expansion, especially ue? ed Natural Gas (LNG) exports rose from 0.5 Bcf/d in 2016 during the hurricane season. The Ministry’s recent restructur- to 11.9 Bcf/d in 2024, making the U.S. the world’s leading LNG ing into Trade, Investment & Tourism is well-positioned to exporter. New LNG plant investments—like Plaquemines LNG, support this initiative. Corpus Christi Stage 3, and Golden Pass LNG are driving de- mand for new LNG carriers to be built. These large ships are

UNLEASHING SOCIO-ECONOMIC POTENTIAL utilized to precious cargoes to Europe and Asia.

A ? nal report from the European Research for Maritime SRDC has proactively pursued LNG repair capabilities,

Economic Clusters (ERMES) emphasizes the value of a uni- signing a Memorandum of Understanding with a foreign spe- ? ed, sustainable development strategy. Such an approach cialist in 2016 to develop expertise in cryogenic stainless-steel enables the alignment of public, private, and academic re- membrane systems. U.S.-bound LNG carriers, returning in sources to maximize regional maritime potential. The report ballast, could undergo repairs in Trinidadian waters including goes on to state “To unleash the socio-economic potential that those serving the nearby Atlantic LNG plant at Point Fortin, port and maritime sector can offer to a region, it is impera- South-western Trinidad.

36 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • August 2025

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