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Topic starter
I'm passing this along for the board's information and commentary...
Chemical Gas Storage Prohibited at Gallows Bay Marine Facility
The Virgin Islands Port Authority hereby advises the public that effective
August 1, 2015, tanks used in the transportation of petrochemical material
in any form will not be allowed to be stored at the Gallows Bay Marine
Facility on St. Croix. VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe said Port
Authority officials concluded that the storage of gasoline cylinders or
tanks containing petro chemical, liquid propane or natural gas at the
Gallows Bay Marine Facility poses a serious risk to the surrounding
community.
Operators berthing vessels at the facility with general cargo and a maximum
of three gas tanks will be allowed to unload and transfer the tanks from the
vessels by trucks. The tanks must be removed from the facility immediately.
Staging of gas tanks at the Gallows Bay Marine Facility will be prohibited,
said Dowe.
The Port Authority has designated the Gordon A. Finch Molasses Pier as the
facility for the staging of all gas tanks and the unloading of more than
three tanks. The Molasses Pier is located on the south shore of St. Croix,
adjacent to the Wilfred 'Bomba" Allick Port & Transshipment Center (the
Container Port).
This issue was magnified since the manner in which fuel was procured for St.
Croix changed drastically after the closure of the HOVENSA refinery, Dowe
said. Fuel is now being imported to the island.
Dowe said the Port Authority recognizes that this change will cause some
inconveniences to the shipping companies and businesses that rely on gas
being shipped to St. Croix. However, this decision was made in the best
interest of the public to prevent a tragedy. He added that VIPA has
conferred with the heads of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, VI Fire
Services, Department of Planning and Natural Resources, the US Coast Guard,
and the Office of the St. Croix Administrator. These agencies agree with
VIPA's decision to store gas tanks at the Gordon A. Finch Molasses Pier in
the interest of public safety.
This announcement gives shipping companies thirty days' notice to make any
necessary preparations for the change in VIPA's operations policy to
prohibit storing gas at the Gallows Bay Marine Facility, Dowe said. For
more information, the public may contact VIPA's St. Croix Marine Manager,
John Payne, at (340) 778-3131 or JPayne@viport.com.
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Posted : June 30, 2015 6:09 pm
Wait! The people complained and the government acted? Are pigs flying now also? This is great news! It's been an accident waiting to happen.
Posted : July 1, 2015 12:16 am
Topic starter
I'm sure the VIPA's insurance company is really the driving force behind this announcement. I wouldn't think for one second that the GVI would do anything like this without being made to by a higher power.
Posted : July 1, 2015 11:14 am
You're probably right. But it makes me wonder why nothing was done before. The insurance inspector just popped in around the same time the meeting was held? Just glad to see it moving, no matter who prompted it.
Posted : July 1, 2015 5:47 pm
