THE FREEPORT CONTAINER PORT MISSTEPS

One of the biggest employers in Freeport, Grand Bahama is the Hutchison Group with their partnership with the Grand Bahama Port Authority.  They run something called the Freeport Container Port  They were the company that was brought in under the late Edward St George to build a container port that was to provide employment to support a critical mass for Freeport to survive as a city. 

Unfortunately, after making substantial profits, the company has turned south in terms of its commitment to Freeport.  They obviously do not see that they have any social role in the country or the island. They took the money and ran when the hotel got damaged by Hurricane Dorian.  They then fobbed it off on a hapless FNM government.  Then when the airport was damaged, they walked away from that as well and fobbed it off on the Government. The Government is now in the early stages of seeking to acquire the Grand Bahama Port Authority.  It is time for them to go.

But people in Freeport were asking the question this past week whether or not it is time for the Freeport Container Port to get new owners as well. 

On Wednesday 4 January 2023 after promising the Prime Minister Philip Davis that they would stop the practice of canceling people as employees after six months and rehiring them, they announced that they were laying off 20 employees. The employees were all senior staff and the employees were all Bahamians.

There are today 2 more expatriates in the company than when the PLP came to office in 2021.  There are eight more than when Godfrey Smith, the Bahamian CEO was manager.  He had no expatriates.  The question is what has happened from then to now.

What put fire in Bahamians was that one of the expatriates who replaced a Bahamian is the daughter of the CEO Alan Dixon.

The Prime Minister was incensed and through the Ministry of Grand Bahama and Ginger Moxey the Minister and Chair of the PLP Fred Mitchell sought to put the whole matter in reverse.

By day’s end on 5 January 2023, the company announced that it had reversed course.

We do not believe that will be the end of the story, however. Stay tuned. We are sure there is another trick up their sleeves.

Number of hits for the week ending Saturday, 7th January, 2023 up to midnight: 302,192;

Number of hits for the month of January up to Saturday, 7th January, 2023 up to midnight; 302,192;

Number of hits for the year 2023 up to Saturday, 7th January, 2023 up to midnight: 302,192.