A CONTRACT valued at US$2.83 million is to be awarded to Chicago Bridge and Iron (CBI) Company in the United States (US), to carry out repairs to tanks and to do construction at Petrojam's Kingston and Montego Bay locations.
This was announced on Monday by Information Minister, Colin Campbell, at the post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.
He said the works were required to correct faults in the tanks, improve safety, protect the environment and provide increased storage to meet increases in demand for products.
The company will be contracted to build a 45,000 barrel oil storage tank in Montego Bay, which will provide additional fuel to the new Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) power plant; to retrofit a 20,000 barrel storage facility in Montego Bay and to construct an 8,500 barrel liquid petroleum gas (LPG) storage sphere at the Kingston refinery.
Repairs will also be done to tank number 102 at the Kingston refinery, while modifications will be made to the number 4, 5, 10 and 11 tanks.
In addition, Cabinet approved the renewal of the LPG supply contract with TRANSMAR, a US-based company. The contract period is for one year at a cost of US$18.2 million, based on a unit cost of US$311 per tonne.
On another matter, Minister Campbell told journalists that Cabinet has issued drafting instructions to the Chief Parliamentary Counsel for amendments to the Judicature (Resident Magistrates) Act, to allow for new provisions to accommodate the use of Court Reporters in the Resident Magistrate and Petty Session courts, where the facility is available.
Provision will also be made to accommodate Court Reporters in the Coroner's Court. Section 16 of the Judicature (Supreme Court) Act will also be amended to harmonise it with the modern designation of shorthand writers as Court Reporters.
At present, under Section 27 of the Judicature (Resident Magistrates) Act, notes of evidence are required to be taken by the Clerk of Court in summary proceedings and the Court of Petty Sessions. In the case of trial, notes are to be taken of all indictments, and in all civil proceedings, such notes of evidence are to be taken by the Resident Magistrate.
Similarly, under the Justices of the Peace Jurisdiction Act, it is required that the depositions of witnesses be taken by the presiding Justices of the Peace in preliminary inquiries.
Mr. Campbell said that having regard to the increased volume and complexity of cases in the Resident Magistrate and Petty Session courts, the note recording requirement has become onerous and might well detract from the proper assessment of the merits of a party's case as the proceedings progressed.
