Commissioner of Port Affairs Theo Heyliger says that clean-up crews have been working on a daily basis since the passing of Hurricane Omar to ensure that the cargo facility is fully operational to accommodate cargo ships as well as inter-island vessels.
"Port operations were suspended with the threat posed by the passing of Hurricane Omar. The ports Hurricane Preparedness Plan was activated and the facilities were secured in preparations for hurricane force weather. The goal was to minimize potential property damage and return Port of St. Maarten facilities back to normal operations as quickly as possible.
"The seaport is an essential part of our infrastructure and an integral part of our nation's economy and every effort is being made to deal with the challenge presented by Omar. Port assessments are necessary in order to assure that we can guarantee incident free port operations. Progress was made over the weekend on all fronts to get our cargo port operational but with safety being our number one priority.
"As of Sunday our cargo facilities are in full operation for the on and offloading of containers," Commissioner of Port Affairs Theo Heyliger stated on Sunday.
Harbour Group of Companies Managing Director Mark Mingo says that once the rough seas subsided on Saturday, a number of divers started carrying out surveys of the sea bottom and navigation approaches for possible submerged hazards.
"Hurricanes pose a threat to life and property in the Caribbean. Fortunately, hurricanes can be detected and their movements closely monitored making the threat they pose relatively predictable, and thereby preparation losses can be minimized.
"Since the passing of Omar we have been in the post recovery response stage at the Port of St. Maarten. This entails cleaning up of the cargo facility, debris, draft and structural assessments just to mention a few. Everybody involved have been working diligently to get the cargo facility back into operation.
"Storm surge from the South West did not damage the cargo quay but instead shifted full and empty containers that were pre-arranged and stored safely. Part of the cargo area breakwater sustained some damage, but according to preliminary assessments, we don't have any containers on the seabed forming a hazard to maritime traffic.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Clean St. Maarten and Windward Roads for an exceptional job that they have been doing in cleaning the cargo and cruise facilities," Mark Mingo said on Sunday.
Another temporary entrance to the container storage area at the cargo facility is being readied to facilitate the smooth transportation of full and empty containers to the cargo facilities. Mingo added that the provisioning of cargo ships has been a top priority for the port.