St. Croix Gives Limetree Bay Warm Welcome; Mapp Says 1,500 Jobs Expected At Terminal

ST. CROIX — As Limetree Bay is being woven into the fabric of the Virgin Islands, the process comes with many acts of gratitude and goodwill. The company’s hosting a dayslong grand opening affair, which began in earnest on Saturday with a private gathering, went into Sunday’s block party at the Frederiksted waterfront, and will come to a head today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour of the south shore facility, formerly known as HOVENSA.

The block party was a success. From the performances from various groups — youth cultural dancers, local bands and, of course, a moko jumbie — the Department of Tourism, which organized yesterday’s event, put on a great show for visiting dignitaries, among them officials of Sinopec, ArcLight Partners, LLC and Limetree Bay.

By all accounts, the visitors were pleased. Some shot videos of various performances, and the governor gave them an up-close look at the steelpan performance as the Rising Stars serenaded the crowd.

Limetree Bay CEO Darius Sweet said Sinopec, the company’s biggest partner, delivered its first cargo of crude oil to the south shore terminal to celebrate their business relationship and the grand opening.

“It’s important to us to be good neighbors and members of the community,” Mr. Sweet said. “We think it’s really critical to us that you get to know us and we get to know you, so we’re very grateful that our largest customer Sinopec is here, Freepoint Commodities, our other owner, and ArcLight Capital.”

Governor Kenneth Mapp said he was excited about the impact the new relationship would have on St. Croix’s economy, and said there would be about 1,500 jobs available at Limetree Bay — a number he said was moderate — as the company continues to expand its storage capacity.

“On a moderate basis, we expect more than 1,500 people to be employed out at that south shore facility,” Mr. Mapp said during his remarks last night.  “And that’s in construction jobs and other work that needs to take place.”

The governor also spoke about the importance of preparing residents for employment, and revealed that senior members of his team were working on identifying a company that would be responsible for training people not only for employment at Limetree Bay, but in other trades as well. The classes will be conducted at the former HOVENSA training school, which was given to the government as part of the sale agreement.

Lieutenant Governor Osbert Potter also spoke at the event, expressing gladness in the potential for employment at Limetree Bay to help turnaround the St. Croix economy, battered by years of economic contractions following the shuttering of the HOVENSA oil refinery.

The event included free food for the first 700 people, as well as giveaways. It was climaxed by fireworks that lasted for minutes, illuminating the skies as eventgoers marveled with loud cheers.