fp Turks and Caicos

Two companies have been awarded tenders to mine sand on Grand Turk and on North and Middle Caicos once contract negotiations with the Turks and Caicos Islands government are complete.

Caribbean Dredging will mine three sites on Grand Turk, and Cays Construction Company Ltd. will mine two sites on Middle Caicos and one on North Caicos, the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Communication confirmed to the fp.

In November the government adopted a new policy for offshore sand mining to replace mining on beaches and other onshore locations, for which there are insufficient deposits and which has had negative effects on the environment.

In an effort to increase revenues, the government sought tenders for mining up to 321,000 cubic yards of sand — more than one-third of 900,000 cubic yards identified in a 2007 sand mining study. The ministry has not yet announced how much money the mining operations will make for the cash-strapped government.

The sand to be mined is high-quality, coarse-grained sand suitable for construction, not beach grade sand, according to the study. The Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) is charged with monitoring mining operations to prevent damage to the environment.

“This Belonger-owned company is proud to be awarded this sand mining tender and looks forward to the long-term future of working with the TCI government in supplying extremely good quality washed sand to all companies in the Turks and Caicos Islands,” said Bottle Creek resident Lewis Walkin, principal owner of Cays Construction.

“Additionally this company has agreed to assist with any emergency works that are requested to navigation channels by government to keep marine accesses functional.”

“Labor has been mobilized from the local population, and no permits have been applied for any department, and will not be, should any local person be able to fill a position and has the expertise,” Walkin said.

Cays Construction recently conducted dredging for the Third Turtle project at Turtle Cove on Providenciales.

Caribbean Dredging could not be reached for comment.

The largest amount of available sand to be dredged is located at Juniper Hole on Middle Caicos — about 122,000 cubic yards. Mining operations there are projected to “provide a buffer adjacent to the seagrass beds and would maintain sufficient sediment in the system for natural beach replenishment,” according to the sand mining study.

The North Mouth of Bottle Creek has filled with so much sand that navigation into both North and Middle Caicos landing docks is difficult, the study said. An estimated 69,000 cubic yards may be removed there.

Just to the east of Bottle Creek, another 25,000 cubic yards of sand was identified inland in an overwash salina that has “little to no biological activity,” according to the sand mining study.

On Grand Turk, two sand mining sites at North Creek are expected to aid navigation, improve water quality and flushing of North Creek’s interior, and prevent sand from covering seagrass beds in the area, according to the sand mining study. The two sites potentially hold 67,000 cubic yards of sand.

Off the southern tip of Grand Turk at Boaby Rock, another 20,000 cubic yards will be mined just south of the cruise ship terminal.
Anyone with questions about the North and Middle Caicos dredging can contact Cays Construction at 241-5062 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Sand mining area maps (from top to bottom):

• Juniper Hole, Middle Caicos
• Bottle Creek North Mouth, North Caicos
• North Creek, Grand Turk
• Boaby Rock, Grand Turk