​Complete Marine Services Ltd. (CMS), has been awarded the contract to build two new jetties—one in Savannes Bay and the other at Praslin.

The contract was awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Production, Fisheries Cooperatives and Rural Development, at a recent official signing ceremony.

The project, which is jointly funded by the governments of Saint Lucia and Taiwan, is being managed by the Ministry of Infrastructure.

Materials are being assembled off-site, and construction work was scheduled to commence on site at Savannes Bay on April 27, with a completion date of three months.

Sam Verity, Managing Director of CMS, said he was pleased to have the opportunity to work on a project with such significant community benefits.

“We recognize how important these new jetties are to both the fishing communities of Savannes Bay and Praslin, and we are very conscious of the trust and confidence placed in us by the Ministry of Agriculture.”

CMS is a Saint Lucian company, almost entirely staffed by nationals. It was founded in 2004 and acquired by the present management in 2008. It is active in both onshore and offshore piling, marine construction, and underwater maintenance. Previous CMS community projects include the renovation of the jetty at Pigeon Island for the Saint Lucia National Trust and the provision of access facilities on Dennery Island to assist initiatives by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

Mr. Verity said he plans to use as much local labor as possible drawn from the Savannes Bay and Praslin communities.

Fisheries Minister Moses Jn Baptiste said he is looking forward to the completion of “two world class jetties.”

“The project, which started with the construction of the two concrete abutments earlier this year, will serve fishers, seamoss farmers and individuals from the area who engage in tourist activities,” he explained.

The minister also expressed appreciation for the generosity of the Taiwanese government and the patience of the fishers in the two communities.