The Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA) and Baron Shipping & Brokerage Inc. today donatedtowards the rebuilding efforts of St Jude Hospital. Baron Shipping & Brokerage Inc, Agent for ZIM Linesand Seafrieght donated five (5) containers of building materials valued at EC $657,316.00 while SLASPA waived storage charges in the amount of EC $228,000.00.

The official presentation ceremony was held on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at SLASPA’s conference roomwhere the Authority and Baron Shipping took a break from their usual functions to make this special presentation to St. Jude Hospital, represented by Dr. Chierry Poyotte, Acting CEO. “Today, this momentous occasion arose out of a disaster. However, here we are, associating our efforts with the Government of Saint Lucia, the business community and the general public, to assist with thereconstruction efforts of St. Jude Hospital,” said Mr. Willibald Charles, Managing Director of BaronShipping & Brokerage Inc. “With Humility, I present to St. Jude Hospital on behalf of our principals ZIMand Seafreight Lines this consignment of five containers of grout, thin set and tiles,” continued Mr.Charles.

For SLASPA this presentation forms part of a continuation of actions that the Authority has taken to provide assistance to St. Jude Hospital. Mr. Adrian Hilaire, Director of Seaports made the official presentation on behalf of SLASPA, “upon learning of this unfortunate event, we at the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority embraced our social responsibility and deployed our staff and resources to the institution. Our Engineering Department designed and constructed two outpatient clinics and undertook internal works at the stadium to transform it into a fully functional medical facility while the Port Police Department provided security patrols,” said Adrian Hilaire. “Therefore, when approached by Baron Shipping & Brokerage Inc., we did not hesitate to collaborate with them. Mr. Charles and his team at Baron Shipping should be applauded for showing resourcefulness in donating these needed building materials,” continued Hilaire.

Dr. Chierry Poyotte, Acting CEO of St. Jude Hospital expressed sincere thanks to SLASPA and Baron Shipping and stated “SLASPA has been there from the beginning, they have given us Architects, transportation, security and have generally been very helpful to us. We are also thankful to Baron Shipping who through this donation has demonstrated that they too are good corporate citizens. We are certain that this contribution will go a long way in the rebuilding efforts of St Jude Hospital.”

SLASPA along with the Local Airport and Seaport Community will continue to provide support to the Hospital community.