The V. I. Port Authority has begun limiting access to the Crown Bay sandfill docking facility on the backside of Frenchtown.
The U.S. Coast Guard has asked VIPA to take steps to enhance the safety and security of vessels calling there by limiting access both day and night, according to Port Authority Marine Manager Maria Walters.
The authority this week began planting gate posts near the Tropical Shipping warehouse and the boat ramp on the eastern end of the dock.
"The enhanced security initiative is at the request of the Coast Guard that wants to limit access to the dock to only persons doing business with the cargo ships," Walters said Friday.
The planned lockdown is similar to measures employed at the cruise ship dock in Crown Bay and the WICO dock in Havensight, she said. At night, the gates will be locked. During the day a dockmaster will be posted at either gate to grant or deny access to persons seeking to gain entry to the dock.
The facility serves several businesses, including a building supply company, that generate heavy traffic in the early morning hours. The dock sees weekly calls from cargo vessels from the Dominican Republic and the Puerto Rico-based Black Hawk shipping.
For years motorists have used the dock as a thoroughfare, Walters noted, but it appears those days are numbered.
She had no timetable for completing the security initiative being carried out by the authority’s engineering division.
