分类： business

### Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project Delayed to 2027, Sparking Outcry From Local Business Leaders

For a city long crippled by crippling urban traffic congestion, the Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project has stood for decades as a beacon of hope — a promised solution that would cut through gridlock and unlock new economic growth for Jamaica’s iconic western tourism and commercial hub. But that hope has once again been pushed into the future, as local business leaders are voicing deep frustration over the news that a key section of the transformative infrastructure project will not be completed until May 2027, more than a year later than the most recent public target.

The new completion timeline for the Long Hill Bypass segment was confirmed earlier this week by the National Road Operating and Constructing Company (NROCC), the state-owned entity managing the project on behalf of the Jamaican government, in response to inquiries from the *Jamaica Observer*. When reached for comment by the outlet Wednesday, Nadine Spence, second vice president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), made clear the business community’s anxiety over the extended delay.

“Time means money, and the longer this project drags on, the more revenue and opportunity we lose,” Spence told the *Observer*. “We are deeply concerned about this new delay — this project has been waiting for generations, and every extra month of gridlock holds our city back.”

Robert Morgan, Jamaica’s junior minister with responsibility for public works, pinned the latest schedule shift on widespread damage inflicted by Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, which slammed into the island last October and devastated the Catherine Hall and West Green neighborhoods, where much of the bypass construction is concentrated. Morgan added that the project already suffered prior setbacks from Hurricane Beryl, which hit the island in 2024.

But while Spence acknowledged that natural disasters are unavoidable, she argued that project managers have failed to prioritize urgency to get work back on track. She has also thrown her support behind a compromise proposal: open already completed segments of the bypass to the public while remaining construction wraps up, to deliver at least partial relief to frustrated motorists and businesses.

“At one point, officials told us one leg of the route would be opened early,” Spence noted. “We are asking that this plan be revisited. Even partial access would make a huge difference for our city while we wait for the full completion, and we would welcome that right now.”

The revised timeline sees mixed deadlines across different segments of the project: the Montego Bay Bypass and West Green Avenue sections are now targeted for September 2026, while the Barnett Street leg has been moved up to an April 2026 completion. Even with that small acceleration, the new 2027 deadline for the Long Hill Bypass has done little to calm local nerves.

Spence specifically highlighted concerns over the upcoming Dream Wknd 2026 festival, scheduled to take place from July 30 to August 3 that year. The event is expected to draw thousands of visitors to Montego Bay, a city already struggling with daily traffic gridlock that the road project was designed to fix. With the bypass set to remain unfinished for the major tourism event, Spence warned the delay will exacerbate existing congestion issues.

“This delay just means Montego Bay will continue to grapple with persistent traffic snarls that hurt every part of our local economy,” Spence said. “When you host a major international event like Dream Wknd that brings thousands of extra people to the city, the impact of uncompleted infrastructure is going to be felt by everyone — visitors, locals, and business owners alike. Traffic conditions are completely unpredictable: some days you can move normally, and other days the whole area is gridlocked for hours. It’s a waste of time, a waste of energy, and it makes our city far less efficient for business and daily life.”

Mark Kerr-Jarrett, a prominent Montego Bay real estate developer and long-time advocate for the bypass, echoed Spence’s concern, describing the project as “desperately needed” and “decades overdue.” Beyond hurricane-related damage, Kerr-Jarrett argued that unnecessary bureaucratic red tape around land acquisition is also holding up work on the Long Hill segment.

“I’ve been told that the National Land Agency now requires a pre-check plan to be submitted alongside every land acquisition and sales agreement for the project,” Kerr-Jarrett explained. “This requirement is completely unnecessary, and it adds massive amounts of time to the process. Getting one pre-check plan approved can take up to nine months, which pushes every single acquisition back by a minimum of four months, and as much as nine.”

Looking beyond the current construction delays, Kerr-Jarrett is also calling on the Jamaican government to reverse its plan to charge tolls on the completed bypass, arguing the road is core public infrastructure that should be free to use for local residents and motorists.

“The people who need this road the most are the ones who can’t afford to pay tolls to use it,” he said. “Even though it’s called a bypass, this is core municipal infrastructure built specifically to cut congestion in the heart of Montego Bay. It should be treated as such.”

A recent ruling by Jamaica’s Supreme Court has delivered a temporary win for TANK-WELD Metals Limited, putting a halt to all enforcement actions tied to an ongoing investigation by the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) into allegations brought against the company by its industry rival ARC Manufacturing.

Issued by the court’s Commercial Division on April 2, the stay order blocks the FTC from enforcing or acting on its controversial March 2026 decision related to the case until a scheduled inter-partes hearing or a new judicial directive is issued. The temporary injunction came in direct response to a judicial review application filed by Tank-Weld, which has prompted the court to schedule the full hearing for April 23. As part of procedural requirements, the court has mandated that all parties must file and exchange formal written legal submissions no later than April 16.

At the core of the legal conflict is a high-stakes pricing disagreement between the two Jamaican manufacturing firms, centered on steel reinforcing bars, more commonly referred to as rebar — a critical construction material used widely across residential and commercial building projects across the country.

In an official statement released to the public this Tuesday, Tank-Weld framed the Supreme Court’s ruling as more than a victory for the company, emphasizing that it shields ordinary Jamaican households, independent builders and local contractors from the immediate threat of skyrocketing construction costs. The firm noted that over its 35 years of operation in Jamaica, it has prioritized keeping rebar and other core building materials accessible and affordable for local communities. It added that the local rebar market operates as a fully open trading environment, where the material can be imported duty-free from any global supplier, a structure that makes sustained uncompetitive pricing impossible to maintain.

Christopher Bicknell, chief executive officer of Tank-Weld, expressed satisfaction with the court’s proactive intervention to stop immediate adverse impacts from the FTC ruling. “We are pleased that the court has stepped in to prevent immediate harm. We remain committed to serving Jamaica with fair prices and will continue to vigorously defend our position,” Bicknell said in the statement.

The CEO went on to outline the broader risks of upholding the FTC’s original decision, arguing that the only beneficiaries would be less efficient industry competitors seeking to inflate prices. “The only people who benefit if the FTC’s reasoning is upheld are less efficient companies that want higher prices; not Jamaican families trying to build or repair their homes; not small contractors trying to make a living; not the Jamaican economy,” he added.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) has secured one of the travel industry’s most meaningful honors, taking home the title of Agents’ Favourite National Tourist Board at the 2026 Travel Gossip Awards. Unlike industry awards judged by panels, this distinction is granted directly by the travel agents who promote and sell Jamaican getaways to travelers every single day, making it a true reflection of on-the-ground industry sentiment.

This recognition is no random win: it directly mirrors the JTB’s long-term, consistent investment in the United Kingdom’s travel trade sector, and its unwavering dedication to arming frontline agents with the resources, professional training, and ongoing support they need to confidently market Jamaica as a top travel destination.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett emphasized the central role that partner agents play in Jamaica’s tourism success, noting that these industry professionals act as the destination’s most reliable ambassadors. Even through periods of global uncertainty and local disruption, Bartlett shared, agents have continued to showcase Jamaica in a positive light to their clients. “We are therefore grateful that they have recognized the JTB as their tourism board of choice. This speaks to our continued partnership and mutual confidence,” Bartlett said.

The award was formally announced during the 2026 Travel Celebration ceremony, and it comes on the heels of a remarkable show of industry support for Jamaica after the island was hit by Hurricane Melissa in late 2025. In the wake of the storm, the UK travel trade rallied behind the destination, driving a surge of agent enthusiasm that has now translated to this top honor.

Donovan White, JTB’s Director of Tourism, stressed that the award is not just a win for the board, but for every UK agent that has stood by Jamaica through both prosperous periods and unexpected challenges. “The love and confidence agents have shown for Jamaica, particularly in recent months, has been inspirational,” White shared.

Over the 12 months leading up to the award, the JTB’s dedicated UK team has prioritized deep, consistent engagement with travel agent partners. Key initiatives included the 2025 Jamaica Travel Market, a one-of-a-kind destination showcase that brought agents and tour operators together for an immersive, firsthand experience of Jamaican culture and hospitality. Beyond the flagship event, the team has rolled out ongoing professional training, hosted familiarization trip programmes for agents, and launched collaborative co-operative marketing campaigns designed to drive more bookings.

This latest Travel Gossip Award adds to a breakthrough season of industry honors for the JTB. Earlier in 2026, the organization claimed the title of Best Tourist Board at the Travel Weekly Globe Travel Awards, one of the UK travel industry’s most prestigious annual events, where winners are selected by thousands of agent readers across the country.

Elizabeth Fox, Regional Director for the UK and Northern Europe at JTB, noted that the organization has made targeted investments in its agent partnership work over the past year, expanding its regional team to add more on-the-ground support and personalized engagement for trade partners. “We have committed ourselves to our travel agent partners in the last 12 months, dedicated staff, expanded the team, more faces, more smiles. And the trade has responded in kind. Seeing agents actively selling Jamaica through every challenge is the greatest recognition of all,” Fox said.

Back-to-back top honors from the UK travel trade have cemented Jamaica’s position as the most popular Caribbean destination for British travelers, while reinforcing the JTB’s reputation as the most supportive, responsive tourist board partner in the industry. Eight weeks after Hurricane Melissa made landfall, Jamaica had already restored 80% of pre-hurricane visitor arrival capacity, and roughly 80% of the island’s hotel accommodation is now fully operational. Today, the destination is open, flourishing, and ready to welcome visitors from across the globe.

Looking ahead, the JTB confirmed it will continue expanding its agent support infrastructure, rolling out new professional development training opportunities, and deepening the collaborative partnerships that have earned the organization consecutive honors from the UK travel trade.

A promising preliminary discovery of potential hydrocarbons off Jamaica’s coast has sparked cautious reactions, with the country’s top energy official urging the public to temper expectations until full exploratory drilling confirms whether commercially viable oil reserves actually exist.

Energy Minister Daryl Vaz shared his measured perspective in a public voice note circulated Thursday, one day after United Oil & Gas Plc, the London-listed energy firm leading exploration efforts, published its latest survey findings from the Walton-Morant offshore licence. While Vaz acknowledged that the initial results mark a positive step forward for Jamaica’s years-long search for domestic energy resources, he emphasized that the current survey only confirmed traces of hydrocarbons, not a full, extractable reserve.

To reach a definitive conclusion, Vaz explained, United Oil & Gas will need to complete a full exploratory drilling operation, a project that will cost an estimated $60 million to $70 million. The company currently plans to raise this capital through farm-out partnerships with major international oil companies, a process that is still ongoing. Only after core samples are pulled from the fully drilled well will stakeholders know for certain whether commercial oil deposits are present, he added.

The breakthrough preliminary findings were first announced Wednesday in an official regulatory update published via the London Stock Exchange’s RNS news service, a primary approved information provider for UK financial markets. United Oil & Gas, which holds high-impact exploration assets in Jamaica and a smaller development project in the North Sea, completed a Seabed Geochemical Exploration (SGE) survey across the Walton-Morant licence earlier this year, collecting 42 piston core samples for laboratory analysis.

According to the company’s official statement, analysis of the samples detected C4 and C5 hydrocarbons — including butanes and pentanes — in a subset of the collected cores. These heavier hydrocarbon compounds are not typically produced by biological processes, meaning their presence strongly suggests a thermogenic origin, the type associated with deep geological oil and gas formations.

United Oil & Gas noted that this new finding adds to a growing body of evidence supporting the existence of an active petroleum system in Jamaica’s offshore waters. Past evidence has included recurring satellite oil slick anomalies, confirmed thermogenic hydrocarbons in samples from existing onshore and offshore wells, documented onshore and offshore oil seeps, and exposed surface outcrops of oil-bearing rock. Petroleum system modeling has also previously indicated that oil-mature source rocks are likely present in the region.

This year’s SGE survey was the first geochemical study of the Walton-Morant licence to incorporate 3D seismic data, multibeam echosounder seabed mapping, and satellite-derived slick anomaly data to optimally position sample collections, a step the company says improved the reliability of its results. Taken together, all existing data points are consistent with an active petroleum system off Jamaica’s coast, the firm concluded.

Moving forward, the new geochemical data will be integrated into the company’s geological models and risk assessment frameworks, while supporting ongoing technical evaluations and ongoing farm-out negotiations with potential industry partners.

DALLAS — In a landmark move that marks the resumption of direct air connectivity between the United States and Venezuela after years of suspension, American Airlines announced Thursday it aims to launch daily nonstop flights between its Miami hub and Venezuela’s capital Caracas as early as April 30. This will make it the first major U.S. airline to re-enter the Venezuelan market following recent shifts in U.S. diplomatic policy toward the South American nation.

The carrier confirmed it secured formal authorization from the U.S. Department of Transportation back in early March, and is currently working through final regulatory and security coordination with authorities from both countries. Once all required government approvals and mandatory security clearances are finalized, the route will be operated by American Airlines’ regional subsidiary Envoy Air using 76-seat Embraer 175 aircraft, the company said in an official press statement.

For American Airlines, the return to Venezuela represents both a strategic expansion and a homecoming. “American’s Miami hub is the preeminent U.S. gateway to Latin America, and our service to Venezuela is a key part of our history and our future,” said Nat Pieper, the airline’s chief commercial officer, in prepared remarks.

The resumption of service comes against a backdrop of significant political upheaval in Venezuela. On January 3, the United States conducted a targeted military operation in Caracas that resulted in the death of former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, with Venezuelan officials putting the casualty toll at more than 100 people. In the wake of the operation, former U.S. President Donald Trump threw American support behind Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former deputy, recognizing her as the country’s interim leader. This political shift cleared the way for the restoration of commercial air ties between the two nations that had been cut off for years.

Industry analysts note that the route is expected to see strong demand from the large Venezuelan diaspora community in South Florida, which has lacked direct, convenient air access to their home country for more than a decade.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — After months of sustained operational and financial strain, one of Jamaica’s most recognizable baked goods companies is staging a notable turnaround. Consolidated Bakeries Jamaica Limited, parent company of iconic local brands Purity and Miss Birdie, has logged a return to full-year profitability, driven by targeted cost cuts, operational overhauls, and strategic debt refinancing that positions the firm for long-term stability.

Unlike recovery strategies built on aggressive market expansion, Consolidated Bakeries’ comeback stems from internal adjustments to how the business operates. For the 12-month reporting period, the firm recorded only modest top-line growth, pushing total revenue just above the JMD 1.6 billion mark. The real progress, however, appears in the company’s margin metrics, where intentional cost control measures and workflow efficiency gains have lifted gross profitability considerably.

Gross margins climbed 2.5 percentage points over the prior year, rising from roughly 36.5% in 2024 to approximately 39% in the most recent reporting period. This margin expansion translated directly to improved bottom-line performance across core operations. The company posted operating profit of JMD 23.7 million, a sharp reversal from the operating loss of nearly JMD 8 million it recorded in 2024. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) also saw significant strengthening compared to the prior year.

At the net level, Consolidated Bakeries logged a net profit of JMD 6.5 million. This marks a dramatic turnaround from 2024, when the firm reported a net loss of approximately JMD 12 million, ending a prolonged stretch of financial pressure that threatened the company’s standing in Jamaica’s competitive food manufacturing sector.

In addition to profitability gains, the company has achieved meaningful stabilization in its cash flow generation. Operating cash flow turned positive during the reporting year, a marked improvement from the negative cash flow posted in the prior period. This improvement allowed Consolidated Bakeries to rebuild its cash reserves and boost operational flexibility for day-to-day business activities.

The company also took strategic steps to reduce long-term balance sheet pressure. During the year, Consolidated Bakeries accessed JMD 300 million from an existing JMD 600 million credit facility arranged with Sagicor Bank Jamaica. The funds were used to refinance older loans held with two other Jamaican financial institutions, NCB and JMMB. This refinancing extends the company’s debt repayment timeline out to 2035, creating greater cash flow headroom to fund working capital needs and ongoing operational investments. Total company borrowings remained largely unchanged through the transaction.

Parallel to financial restructuring, Consolidated Bakeries has also adjusted its product strategy to adapt to market conditions. The company has shifted greater focus toward higher-margin snack items and value-added products, while navigating persistent pricing sensitivity in its core traditional bread category. Early results from this product mix overhaul are emerging, though improvements have been gradual to date.

This report includes a correction to earlier reporting: the JMD 300 million accessed by the company is not a new credit facility, as previously stated. Consolidated Bakeries clarified that the drawdown came from an existing JMD 600 million facility finalized in September 2025, used solely to refinance existing debt and extend debt maturity dates, with no material change to total outstanding borrowings.