Antigua and Barbuda has secured a critical contingency option for its maritime shipping operations, following the completion of initial dredging work at Crabbs Peninsula. That’s according to Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant, who shared the official update during a post-Cabinet press briefing on Friday.
For years, the country’s primary gateway for large commercial and cargo vessels has been St. John’s Port. But until now, officials lacked a fully functional alternative that could handle large craft if unexpected disruptions – from extreme weather to emergency maintenance – shut down the main facility. The newly completed dredging project at Crabbs Peninsula changes that, Merchant explained, expanding the operational options available to the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority during unforeseen disruptions.
“Before this work, Crabbs Peninsula couldn’t handle large ships because of shallow water depths. What the dredging has done is create a fully viable alternative port of operations in the event that something happens at St. John’s Port that prevents large vessels from docking,” Merchant told reporters.
Thanks to the deepening work carried out at the site, the Crabbs Peninsula facilities can now accommodate large deep-draft ships that would previously have only been able to call at St. John’s. Merchant added that navigational markers have already been installed across the area, and final pre-operational preparations are almost complete to welcome incoming vessels. To extend the site’s capabilities even further, a second phase of additional dredging is planned in the future to allow the peninsula to accommodate even larger vessels than it can handle today.
The announcement was made after Antigua and Barbuda’s Cabinet held a formal discussion on the progress of ongoing dredging projects across the country’s harbours. Beyond the Crabbs Peninsula update, Merchant also shared the timeline for the next major phase of national maritime infrastructure work: dredging at St. John’s Harbour itself is scheduled to get underway approximately three weeks from now, once the final current-phase work wraps up at Crabbs. Once that project is complete, the deeper waters at St. John’s Harbour will open the gateway for ultra-large mega ships to dock at Antigua and Barbuda’s main port, unlocking opportunities for increased trade and larger cruise vessel calls.
Notably, no specific details on final dredging depths, maximum vessel size capacity, or total public and private costs for the projects were disclosed to reporters during the official briefing.