Saying it is under "assault", the Freeport Harbour Company (FHC) has defended what it has termed its "outstanding" safety record, calling comments by the Bahamas Marine Pilots Association and other "overseas interests" relating to safety concerns at the port "patently false, misleading and reckless".
In a statement issued yesterday, the Freeport Harbour Company suggested actions by marine pilots who tendered their resignations to the company earlier this month, on the basis of what they said were safety concerns relating to the current system of pilotage, are driven by financial motives alone.
"Our outstanding safety record is supported on many levels despite the ill-informed remarks purely on the basis of hearsay and the less-than-truthful claims of special interests," said Godfrey Smith, CEO of Hutchison Port Holdings (Bahamas).
Smith said that the Freeport Harbour Company (FHC) has consistently complied with the recommendations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements inclusive of ensuring ongoing training for all pilots and maritime industry personnel, and its safety management system is certified to the "internationally recognized OHSAS 18001 standard".
Testament to the safety of the harbor, added Smith, is the growth in the level of business it has enjoyed over the years from major companies.
"This is not at all about safety," asserted the company of the pilots' actions. "Certain individuals have sought to convince the pilots that there is an economic bonanza to be had if they are able to successfully put pressure on the companies that depend on their valuable service," it added, echoing comments made by BORCO in a press statement it issued on Monday.
The FHC issued its statement following comments from BMPA President Erin Ferguson and Nick Cutmore, secretary general of the International Maritime Pilots' Association, which called into question the safety of the port.
Ferguson has linked concerns over safety, and what he claims to be a deficiency of training provided for marine pilots who were employed by the Freeport Harbour Company prior to the tendering of their resignations earlier this month, to why the pilots are now seeking to form their own independent company to provide piloting services for vessels coming into the Freeport Harbour. His position is supported by Cutmore, who spoke at a recent emergency conclave on pilotage held in Freeport.
Cutmore claimed that there is "an absence of a great many things that the shipping community might be expecting to find (in Freeport Harbour)" in terms of safety, adding that he was "shocked" by what he was told by marine pilots regarding the level of training they had received in recent years.
He went on to suggest that Freeport is "one major incident away from catastrophe" and should institute an independent system of pilotage in accordance with International Maritime Organization standards.
Ferguson has said that if the pilots offer their services independently, the intention is to ensure that more of the revenue obtained from the provision of their guiding services to ships is redirected towards continuous training.
However, the group's ultimate goal, Ferguson said, is not to have the pilots operate as a private company but to see The Bahamas create the necessary legislation to establish an independent pilotage authority which would oversee the industry, including through the setting of fees and standards.
For this reason, Ferguson said that claims by the FHC and BORCO that the pilots are interested only in financial gain are unjustified.
The resignation of the pilots and their efforts to have the companies recognize them as the providers of pilotage services in Freeport Harbour, has evolved into a heated dispute that stakeholders have suggested threatens to undermine Freeport's reputation as a destination for major companies bringing vessels into The Bahamas, whether tankers, cargo ships or cruise liners.
In an interview with Guardian Business on Monday, Ferguson said there is no way that the Freeport Harbour Company and BORCO, which now have four marine pilots employed between them, can provide vessels coming into the harbor with the level of services they need once the pilots' resignations take effect on March 28.
He noted that any new pilots hired by the companies will not be able to be considered fully qualified to guide ships coming into the harbor for as much as two years after beginning to operate in the area, given stringent experience requirements for marine pilots. And if those companies' pilots do try to "compete" with the former FHC marine pilots for piloting business in the harbor, a "competitive pilotage" environment will emerge, which evidence suggests does not bode well for safety, added Ferguson.
However, Freeport Harbour Company and BORCO have both committed to not allowing the marine pilots to succeed at their efforts to provide piloting services via an autonomous private company once their resignations take effect on March 28.
"Safety of operation of passengers, employees and maritime stakeholders at FHC is paramount and toward that end we remain committed to be fully in compliance with our statutory obligation under Port Authority Act, chapter 269. We are committed to developing a cadre of Bahamians to fill the long-term industry demand.
"We regret that the talented men and women (marine pilots) we have assisted in training have been misled about what they are entitled," said the FHC in its statement.

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