The St John’s Fisheries Cooperative has hailed what it considers a viable business opportunity afforded it under the Petro Caribe initiative.
The Cooperative has been given charge of a petrol filling station at Portsmouth, and its Chairman Roy Casey says the station is serving its members, other fisherfolk and yachts which also buy fuel from the facility.
Casey said of the yachting community often moored at Portsmouth “They buy petrol, gas, and they are even asking for diesel, so we are hoping that soon from now diesel will be made available to us”.
He told Petro Caribe officials visiting the site on Thursday that adding diesel to what was available at the new Portsmouth filling station would “expand our scope”.
Petro Caribe’s Sales and Marketing Manager Ian Pinard says ten filling stations around the country have been approved under the project, with five of them already in use at Marigot, San Sauveur, Fond St Jean, Portsmouth and Roseau.
Pinard indicated that another station was currently under construction at Scottshead, while another four would be erected in other fishing communities.
According to the Petro Caribe official, the facility assists the fishermen by providing them with fuel at a reasonable price, while also making available a rebate, with 50 cents given back to them for every gallon purchased.
“We have made a recommendation to all the cooperatives that they can use this 50 cents, back to the fisherman in terms of a pension fund, they can open social security pension so when they retire they can get benefits,” Pinard explained.
He said the suggestion had been taken up by some, while others were “giving bonuses at the end of the year” to their members.
