CEO of the Ministry of the Blue Economy, Kennedy Carrillo said that the Ministry responsible for ports (Ministry of Public Utilities and Logistics) is working on drafting a policy to govern decisions made about such facilities, but is facing expected challenges due to the controversial nature of the proposed developments that are currently on the table.
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Aug. 17, 2022 The CEO of the Ministry of the Blue Economy, Kennedy Carrillo, when asked by reporters this week at a climate change meeting at the Radisson Fort George Hotel about the ministry’s current stance in regard to the proposals for port construction that have been submitted to GoB, said that the members of the National Environment Appraisal Committee (NEAC), on which a Blue Economy Ministry rep sits, are ensuring that Fisheries and Coastal Zone interests are represented in that body. The NEAC is currently considering a resubmitted Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) from Waterloo Investment Holdings, which is seeking approval for the development of a cruise terminal and cargo bulking facility at the Port of Belize compound in Port Loyola. Just last year, the proposal was rejected by the NEAC—prompting the company’s principals to allege that some NEAC members had solicited bribes from the company.
The company never provided evidence to substantiate these claims, as was requested by the Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management, Hon. Orlando Habet. The company, as mentioned, recently decided to initiate a new application process, through resubmission of its EIA for approval, and is scheduled to hold a public meeting on September 1 at 6:30 p.m. at the Biltmore Plaza in Belize City, at which the public can submit feedback.
CEO Carrillo noted to reporters, however, that the Ministry of the Blue Economy is still in the process of reviewing the proposed development.
“The one that is happening right now [ the resubmitted Waterloo EIA], the meeting have not been called as yet, and our Fisheries Department, Coastal Zone and our Blue Economy unit are all meeting to discuss, because we know that they have resubmitted. And so now, we are looking at the report,” CEO Carrillo said.
While stating that the submission of proposals for the development of three cruise ports within a small geographical area in the Belize District is a concern for the Blue Economy, she noted that the Ministry accounts for only one vote on the NEAC.
“Our teams are meeting, and we are reviewing the new submission, but we are just one of the entities on the NEAC, and we are looking forward to see how this will go, but yes, as a ministry it is of concern to us,” she said.
She went on to explain, “… we had to engage partners, and we had to answer some of the tough questions in terms of ports, in terms of reserves. We see what’s happening with Angelfish. That is a reserve; that is a mangrove reserve. And we have people that want to do some development there. And these are challenges that, as a ministry, we have to always ensure
that we have that balance…. So, we have the responsibility to move the economy of this country through the use of our marine space. But we also have to ensure that we are preserving and conserving our capital or blue capital, which is why we have these reserves in place. And, we have to voice when we feel that it is going against the principles of the ministry.”
At this time, Stake Bank’s Port Coral, which was approved a few years ago, is under construction, and Portico’s Port of Magical Belize has received full approval and is no longer stayed by legal proceedings, while Waterloo has resubmitted its EIA after being denied approval in December 2021.
CEO Carrillo told reporters, “We know that the Ministry has been working, the Ministry of Ports have been working on a policy, but as you can imagine, it is such an important, sometimes controversial topic, that even in their consultations they have run into some challenges and so, I think, they are working on it. That’s all I can tell you, they are working on it.”