1.0       INTRODUCTION

In addition to supporting prime waterfront property, Kingston Harbour and its environs are known to contain several ecologically as well as economically important habitats. These environments are important to the short and long-term stability of the shoreline and therefore the sustainability of activities in and immediately around the environs of the harbour. Some of these lands have the potential to support shipping and container storage activities and at present support one of the premier transhipment ports in the region. The nearby barrier and fringing reefs around the Port Royal cays, the natural wetland ecosystems located nearby, the Hunts Bay/Fort Augusta area and surrounding water bodies support vibrant fishing communities of Helsinki, Hellshire, Greenwich Town, Rae Town and Port Royal. 

The Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) wishes to expand the infrastructure capacity at the Trans-shipment Terminal at Port Bustamante. This, with a view to increasing the berthing capacity (number and size) for ships at the port, as well as providing more container storage space.  This will be done in two phases.  This report deals with the Environmental Impacts of Phase 1.

Phase 1 involves:

A.        Dredging of Channel and Turning Basin

It is proposed to dredge the east channel, which is exposed to strong and long swells to a depth of 17.4m. The outer harbour channel (less exposed to swell) would be dredged to 16.4m; while the inner harbour channel (protected from swell) would be dredged to 15.7m.

Some of the dredged spoil would be used to reclaim a section of Hunt’s bay to increase the storage capacity for containers, while the less suitable material would be disposed of at sea, beyond the 200m depth contour outside the harbour.

B.         Reclamation of Hunts Bay

The reclamation work for Hunt’s Bay would involve the placement of suitable Rock Armory to create containment berm for fill material.  Suitable dredged material would be used as fill for the proposed reclamation area, which is on the south east, adjacent to the Portmore Causeway (see Figure 2). It is also proposed to reclaim the north-western corner of Gordon Cay.

C.        Proposed construction of new 6-carriage way bridge to replace Portmore Causeway Bridge

It is proposed that a new 6-way carriage bridge be constructed to replace the existing Causeway bridge. Detailed planning on this option had not begun at the time of the impact assessment, so an evaluation of this activity could not be carried out.

1.1       Terms of Reference

The Terms of Reference as approved by the NRCA, as well as comments, are located in Appendix 1.

1.2       Scope

The E.I.A. included a systematic examination of the likely environmental consequences of the proposed development of the Kingston Transshipment Port (Phase 1).

The E.I.A. was carried out by a multidisclipinary team encompassing skills in the areas of project management /coordination, environmental impact assessment, environmental chemistry, coastal dynamics, ecology, socioeconomics including public consultation, and environmental engineering.

This final report details all the activities which have been carried out pursuant to fulfilling the terms of reference stated above, analyses the data, makes conclusions and recommendations, and provides an Impact Statement and Impacts Matrix.