Managing the Ocho Rios town – another jewel in L&M’s crown
THE TOWN of Ocho Rios has experienced such explosive growth over the last 50 years that few people can recall the sleepy fishing village, bauxite port, and the stream-laced Nirvana that once existed. Today, it is a high-density town with highrise hotels, condominium complexes, office blocks, multiple shopping centres, and extreme traffic congestion.
However, Ocho Rios has been, and remains the destination of choice in the Caribbean for cruise passengers. In 2016, as well as in prior years the Ocho Rios Cruise Ship Pier won the Best Port of Call in the Caribbean. The facility was once ranked among the top 12 cruise ship ports in the world by Lloyds of London.
The economy of the town of Ocho Rios has been transformed from a bauxite-based economy since the last bauxite vessel sailed from the Reynolds Pier in 1984 into an economy now based almost entirely on tourism. The Ocho Rios Cruise Ship terminal, in its contribution to that economy, welcomed 491,887 cruise passengers in 2016 and is expecting another 497,900 for 2017. More than 60 per cent of these numbers disembark the vessels and visit attractions in and around Ocho Rios, with each guest spending an average of US$80.
In 1988, Lannaman and Morris Shipping Ltd (L&M) was contracted by the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) to manage the Ocho
reasons for choosing L&M to manage this facility was their impeccable record and experience of handling cruise vessels as an agency since 1973, beginning with the Norwegian Cruise Line. Six years later, L&M was again asked by the PAJ to take over the ground transportation logistic at both the UDC (Urban Development Corperation) and Reynolds. This new assignment came with some challenges. Chief among them was the limited space to adequately accommodate tour buses at the facilities. In September of the same year (2004), Hurricane Ivan struck and caused damage to the port facility. Despite these challenges, the facilities were managed in a manner to allow tours to be dispatched in a timely manner so that guests could get to their attractions and return to the pier to satisfy the vessels’ departure time. Considering these challenges, the PAJ, in collaboration with the Tourism Enhancement Fund and the Urban Development Corperation in 2013 to 2014 carried out significant work to redevelop the Ocho Rios Cruise Ship Terminal inclusive of the ground-transportation area, along with Turtle River Road, and the construction of 30 vending kiosks. These developments have enhanced the guest experience at the port and in areas immediately adjacent to the port.
During the period of redevelopment, vessels were still calling on the port facility. It, therefore, means that innovative ways had to be found by the port manager at the time in collaboration with the PAJ and the contractors to soften the construction experience and ensure that the arrival numbers for that year did not fall below the 20122013 numbers, which was 359,481 arriving passengers. At the end of the construction period these objectives were achieved, and the number of arriving passengers was 397,806, an increase of 9.7 per cent over the corresponding period.
Critical to the management success of the ORT is the service support of the internal and external agencies and personnel who provide service to the operation on cruise ship days and maintenance
to the facility on non-cruise ship days. The local Marine Pilots Association must be commended for its consistency in the timeliness of marine pilots getting the vessels on and off the berth in keeping with the vessel’s arrival and departure times despite adverse weather conditions at time. Line handlers are important for the docking of vessels to berths. The Ocho Rios Cruise ship Terminal linesmen continue to give of their best even in trying circumstances of 30 knots winds, rough seas, rain, early morning arrivals, and late-night departures.
They are always on time to secure and release the vessels. The vessel clearing party of government officials which include Customs, PICA, Quarantine, and Agriculture have developed their individual competences in clearing the vessels quickly. This has contributed to cruise passengers leaving the vessels on time to get to their attraction, and spending adequate time there and getting back to the port for departure without being in a rush. The ship agent’s role is to handle all the local interests of a visiting vessel to the ORT. It is of importance that the agents get their role and function right the first time and every time thereafter to allow the visiting vessels to have a hassle-free stay in the port of call. More than 90 per cent of all the cruise vessels calling on Ocho Rios is handled by L&M shipping agency.
IMPECCABLE SERVICE
This function at the Ocho Rios Cruise Terminal has been carried out on behalf of L&M for the past 30 years by Sharon Stape. Her expertise in this area has allowed her to perform her duties seamlessly. Her longevity is a clear indication of her impeccable service over the period and the satisfaction she must have brought to many cruise lines.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO), through its security committee has established a set of minimum-security standards which are laid out in its International Ship and Port Facility Security Code for international ships and ports, a category in which the port of Ocho Rios falls. The management of the port must ensure that these standards are maintained by the ORT to retain its international certification. These standards have been audited once per year since 2004 by the US Coast on behalf of the IMO, and the Port of Ocho Rios has never been threatened with decertification.
The management of the security systems at the ORT is well coordinated, with the support of the land and marine police, the contracted security officers, and the tourism courtesy corps. This coordinated security system is a concerted effort to protect all who are operating at the ORT facility on a cruise ship day, along with the visiting vessel, particularly considering the threats that international terrorists pose to operations of this nature.
While the marketing department at the PAJ is tasked with the responsibility of bringing cruise ships to Jamaica, the management of a port facility must consistently deliver top-quality service to the visiting vessels and its passengers in helping to keep the vessels in Jamaica. After 29 years of successfully managing the Ocho Rios Cruise Ship Terminal, L&M is proud of its contributions through this facility to the local and national economy.