Economy

9 million euros for urgent repairs on piers in Bonaire

The Port of Amsterdam has been contracted to execute urgent repairs to the piers in the harbor of Kralendijk, a project which will cost around 9 million euros. Photo: Goverment of Bonaire.

Kralendijk – The Port of Amsterdam International has been commissioned by the Ministry of Rijkswaterstaat to carry out urgent repairs to the 3 piers in the harbor of Kralendijk. This project will be executed in close cooperation with the Public Entity of Bonaire. The renovations will commence around November of this year. An agreement for the project was signed last month between Rijkswaterstaat, the Public Entity Bonaire and the Port of Amsterdam International.

The current state of the piers in Kralendijk is poor due to ageing, wear and tear due to daily usage and the weather conditions. Emergency repairs are therefore necessary to ensure safety. The Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment will supply the needed funds of about 9 million euros in total.

It is still being studied whether additional mooring posts can be placed within the budget for the project. The placement of extra moorings will facility the mooring of large cruise ships which already call at Bonaire quite frequently. This disaster recovery ensures that the piers remain safe for at least the next 10 years. The intention is to execute the work on the piers as much as possible outside of the cruise season. The total time frame for the execution of the repairs is about 1 year in total.

Part of the project will also be the lowering of the middle pier in front of the old Customs office, to make it more suited for roll-on, roll-off activity or, in other words, the loading and unloading of containers. The Government of Bonaire also intends to work together with the Port of Amsterdam to professionalize the structure and operation of the harbor of Kralendijk.

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