The official site visit as part of the tender procedure for the construction of Black Rocks Harbor took place on January 31, 2024. The high attendance of twenty representatives from ten different contracting companies from the Caribbean, North America, and Europe shows that several contractors are interested in building Saba’s new harbor.

Commissioner Bruce Zagers welcomed the contractors and explained the importance of the project to the island. This was followed by presentations by the project team on the background of the project, the reference design, and the procurement process. Contractors were allowed to ask clarifying questions.

In the afternoon, participants visited the two project sites: Fort Bay Harbor and the Black Rocks area. Improving the facilities at Fort Bay is part of the harbor project, as in the future, this harbor will continue to be used as the harbor for all cargo traffic. The selected contractor will widen the roll-on-roll off-ramp to accommodate larger cargo vessels and will expand the container yard and shore protection.

At the Black Rocks site, an entirely new harbor will be developed for all other harbor users: the fishermen, dive centers, ferries, and recreational vessels. This new, user-friendly, and attractive harbor will have about 35 slips for the local fleet and visitors. Black Rocks Harbor will also be suitable for use by roll-on-roll-off vessels in case of emergency.

Moving Forward

The deadline for submitting bids for the ‘design and build of Black Rocks Harbor and Fort Bay Harbor improvement works’ is May 1, 2024. TenderNed, the Dutch government’s online tendering system, is being used for the tender to ensure a transparent, open tender procedure. Bids will be evaluated based on the prequalification criteria, the technical proposal, and the commercial proposal. The aim is to select a contractor and sign the contract for the construction of the harbor before July 1, 2024.

With the tender process underway, the realization of this ambitious and long-awaited project is one step closer.

GIS