The Gladstone Freight Terminal (GFT) was officially launched yesterday, ushering in greater efficiency and a quicker turn around time for customers, according to Operations and Facility Manager Rudy Levarity. The new 100,000 square foot facility just off Fire Trail Road, west, has been billed a 'one-stop shop' for the collection of cargo and the processing of customs. "In terms of the accessibility to [the Department of] Customs, the fact that the general importer no longer has to go between the shipping facility and Bahamas customs on Thompson Boulevard is a plus," Levarity said.
"Also, the parking arrangements [are a plus]. Downtown, as everyone would agree... was a serious challenge. "Now we have well over 200 parking places. Customs is on site, [the ministries of] agriculture and environmental health are slated to be on site very soon, whereas the goods that require final sanitary certificates and environmental certifications will now be available in a one-stop shop. "So that, in of itself, takes us from an old facility into a more modern import process which will prove to be more efficient," Levarity said.
While all business was transferred to the site on July 9, the official opening did not take place until yesterday. Levarity said months of planning resulted in little disruption in services during the transfer. Tropical Shipping representative Doug Cowper said efficiency has improved by 10 to 15 percent since operations moved from downtown Nassau as the new facility is better organized. He told The Nassau Guardian the new facility was needed in order for the country to move forward in the shipping industry. GFT is owned and operated by Arawak Port Development. In addition to Tropical Shipping, the $17 million facility is home to multiple shipping operations, including Mediterranean Shipping Company, Crowley and G&G.
"The new facilities allow us to be more self sustained," Levarity said. "What we've developed here is the first of its kind." Customs Comptroller Charles Turner said the facility has also brought some relief to his department. "The fact that this facility is open relieves the burden of our headquarters on Thompson Boulevard," Turner said. "Now all of the entries are not being checked at Thompson Boulevard. A large number of entries are checked at this facility." However, he was unable to say what percentage of the business was now being done at the new facility. Thirty-three customs officers are assigned to GFT. The launch of GFT came two months after the grand opening of the Nassau Container Port.
During the launch, APD CEO Michael Maura Jr. said the development of the port has addressed several concerns that the government and merchants had and also provides greater security and compliance with respect to the international ship and port facility security code. Successive administrations as well as merchants and members of the general public have viewed with concern the increasing decay of downtown Nassau. It was widely agreed that the primary source of the problem was the operation of the four commercial shipping docks along that historic thoroughfare.
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