China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) says it has secured a contract for a modern terminal for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, according to a report in today’s Jamaica Observer.
No announcement of the award to this company has been announced in Georgetown.
The report in the Jamaican newspaper said that the agreement was signed last Friday.
The construction company said that, as with the infrastructural projects that it is taking on in Jamaica, the China Exim Bank will fund the construction of the modern terminal building and the extension of the runway by 1,066 metres to reach a total of 3,336 metres at the airport. The report said that China Exim is providing US$138 million (J$11.9 billion) in financing.
The report said that the Chinese firm established its regional headquarters in Jamaica in April 2010 after signing an agreement with the Jamaican government in 2009 to be the general contractor under the Ministry of Transport and Works and the National Works Agency for two main projects — the Palisadoes Shoreline Protection and Rehabilitation Works and the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP).
The JDIP is a five-year, US$400- million islandwide public works programme funded by a loan of US$340 million secured by the Road Maintenance Fund from China Exim Bank at an interest rate of three per cent to be repaid over 20 years.
The report added that in September, the company won a contract with Mexico to construct phase one of the Manzanillo Container Terminal, two container berth coastlines and a 28.5 hectare container yard and then in October it announced that it had signed an agreement with the Bahamas to construct the Abaco Port and build a bridge that will link Little Abaco and North Abaco Islands. Also in October, it announced that after a few months of delay it expects it will begin construction of a cruise berthing facility in the Cayman Island capital, George Town.
