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CPA to update harbor master plans
The Commonwealth Ports Authority will be gathering all its stakeholders early next year to update the master plans of the Rota, Tinian, and Saipan harbors, according to executive director Maryann Lizama.
An updated master plan could help the island of Rota in particular, where a dilapidated harbor leaves the safe arrival of goods up to the weather.
The Rota channel is narrow, with a threshold no greater than 200 feet long for vessels, according to Lizama.
Additionally, on the edge of the narrow channel is jagged rock, she said. It is the harbor pilot’s call whether it is safe or not to bring a vessel in.
According to Lizama, CPA will meet stakeholders next year to asses “what facilities are already there” and “what facilities are planned to be there” and reflect that back to the CPA board for proposed changes and funding.
Rota’s mayor-elect Efraim Atalig said in an interview yesterday that he looks forward to sitting down with stakeholders to discuss the issue next year. He believes a vessel’s size poses a problem with the harbor’s narrow channel.
Right now, a barge of goods are brought in with a tugboat, which he called “risky” in rough waters. But he pointed to the arrival of the MV Luta, a 150-foot boat, next year as a solution to this problem.
“We are hopeful that this will solve the immediate problem,” he said.
In last month’s board meeting, CPA board member Barrie Toves pushed for Rota’s inclusion in updating the harbor master plans, following discussion on an update on Tinian’s master plan.
“A lot of times the shipment of goods and commodities are not coming in. …We’re anticipating we’re not going to have good waters until the beginning of March up ’til August, and between September up to February,” he said.
“The monsoon season is hampering the livelihood of Rota. So we want Rota to be included in the review and updating,” he added.
According to Lizama, if the Rota’s channel is widened and its breakwater built, then “we’d have no problems.” But everything is dependent on funding, she said.
