(MENAFN- Caribbean News Global) GEORGETOWN, Guyana, (DPI) – Guyana's maritime sector has experienced a rapid expansion, with a 54 percent increase in ship traffic since 2020, indicating the country's shift toward becoming a regional shipping and oil and gas hub.

Minister of public utilities and aviation Deodat Indar noted during the commissioning of the new pilot boats on Friday, October 3, that some 2037 ships have sailed through Guyana's waters.

“In 2020, when we first took office, there were about 2,037 ships that came into this record, as of last year, it was 3,144 ships, and an addition of 1,107 ships came over the five years”, minister Indar said, adding that“the level of activity in this river ... is expected to climb.”

The minister noted that with the growing economy, Guyana imports most of the materials needed to assist Guyana's development through the waterways.

“That is why the dredging of the channel was done when we had VESHI,” he said, which is currently a shore base to allow easy flow of the ships in and out of the ports.

“We are continuing a dredging program right now. Another 1.5 billion dollars right now is used for specific and strategic areas within the channel to dredge it deeper and widen it,” the minister said, noting that the ministry has also been removing wrecks that were in the channel to assist ship owners.

Between 2020 and 2025, 17 wrecks have been removed.

Minister Indar said they needed to hire a capable company to handle their removal. The wrecks were a danger to ships entering and leaving ports.

“The insurance for those vessels was very high, and that insurance and all of the costs impact the cost of goods arriving into Guyana,” the minister said.

The government is also actively engaged in the process to make the Berbice Deepwater Port a reality. The minister stated that the country will experience increased traffic due to rapid growth, mentioning,“the maritime sector is where oil and gas operations occur. You have PSVs, FSVs, and construction vessels all along the river.”

The minister said it is president Ali's vision that Guyana becomes a maritime hub, so the rivers have to be utilised in the best way possible.

The goal, he said, is to make Guyana“a trans-shipment point so that we can make sure that some of the services that are needed in French Guyana, Suriname, and the rest, that they can emanate from Guyana.”

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