Caribbean residents worried about new fuel facility
Residents of the Caribbean island of Nevis expressed concerns about fuel spills at a public meeting about a proposed fuel storage facility to be built on the island by Canadian Global Investment Ltd. (Canadian Global) and American Tank and Vessel, the St. Kitts & Nevis Observer reports.
The $680 million facility will consist of two six-million-barrel storage tanks on 101 acres of land.
At the meeting, some Nevisians said a fuel spill could damage the already-decreasing marine life around the island and said they worry about the possibility of fire at the facility.
Thomas Williams, director of Canadian Global, said the storage area will be designed with bunkering containment tanks and meet the national fire protection agency codes.
He also said any oil spill would be minor and would have little effect on surrounding waters.
"We looked at all the marine charts and marine life around there is minimal," he said.
Company officials also said they are looking at introducing liquefied natural gas (LNG) into the area, which has the potential to decrease electrical charges from the local utility company, Nevis Electricity Company Ltd.
Officials said construction will begin "in the near future."
The project is expected to generate about 300 construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs, according to the West Indies News Network.
Canadian Global already has rights to the Pembroke Estates Land where the facility will be located and has a five-year contract with Petrol Storage Brokerage in the Netherlands for the brokerage of refined and unrefined products, Caribbean 360 reports.
Nevis, a 36-square-mile island part of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, promotes itself as a tourist destination featuring beaches, hiking trails, shopping and nightlife.
