China Harbour Engineering to build controversial Jamaican port

The Jamaican government has signed a preliminary agreement with a Chinese construction company for the development of a controversial transshipment hub off its southwest coast, Jamaica's state information service said.

The framework agreement with China Harbour Engineering Co (CHEC) seeks to develop the Portland Bight Protected Area southwest of the capital, popularly called the Goat Islands, which are inhabited by insects and small reptiles and covered with wild vegetation.

The area surrounding the islands serves as a breeding ground for fish and other marine species, which has led to stiff resistance to the project from local environmentalists.

"We treasure the preservation of the environment as much as any other group, and we are concerned about the human beings and the plight of poverty, and the impact which that has on the environment," the Jamaica Information Service on Tuesday quoted Omar Davies, the cabinet minister responsible for the development, as saying at a private signing ceremony last weekend.

The government said the project, part of a larger logistics hub, would create 2,000 jobs during the construction phase and 10,000 jobs when it was completed.