West Indies Petroleum Limited (WIPL) CEO, Charles Chambers says the regional energy company is expanding its role in protecting the environment, in particular through projects geared towards the preservation of marine life.
Chambers says the entity takes seriously its corporate responsibility to give-back to Jamaica and the region via initiatives spead across various sectors including the environment, education and health.
“We have a lot of things that we do as a signal of our commitment to the wellbeing of our society. We contributed to the Burn Unit at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) and are a significant contributor to the Project STAR programme via the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ).
However, one of the initiatives that I am most proud of is our participation in the White River Fish Sanctuary project”, Chambers commented while he addressed a corporate gathering on Tuesday this week at West Indies Petroleum’s Altamont Crescent Headquarters.
The energy company recently joined forces with the White River Marine Association and White River Fishermen’s Association to support the creation of a 150-hectare special fishery conservation area called the White River Fish Sanctuary.
The West Indies Petroleum head honcho says the entity’s sizeable contribution to the fish sanctuary project was done out of a recognition that protecting the environment has to be given priority.
“The water is very important to us and sustainability is a key part of the game. Therefore, it was obvious to me when approached by the people who run the White River Fish Sanctuary that any programme that can increase the presence of marine life on Jamaica’s would be beneficial in many ways. We had to lend our support”, Chambers further comments.
Chambers says the sanctuary project also assists in improving the fisheries industry in Jamaica and is a source of attraction for tourists who visit the island and observe the coral reef and marine life.
West Indies Petroleum is moving to deepen its participation in environment friendly projects beyond the White River Fish Sanctuary, he notes.
“We are also taking steps to deepen our exposure and get involved in a project to start planting coral in Jamaican waters. There was a big bleaching event that happened last year in the Caribbean where a lot of the coral was decimated by the warm waters that came with El Nino and we are working on replenishing the coral stock right now. We definitely have moved to get involved in this project to find surviving corals and to grow these corals and repopulate not just the White River but on a much larger scale”, Chambers adds.
He says apart from the environment field, West Indies Petroleum is committed to improving key sectors in Jamaica including the education sector where it has over the years given scores of students to children to attend the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU).
Chambers also revealed the West Indies Petroleum is working towards enhancing the Kingston Harbour.
“There is another very interesting project that we are working on and it’s in the later stages of development. There’ll be more information at a later date, but we are working on a plan which augurs well for the cleanliness and aesthetics of the Kingston Harbour. This project will be awesome for the environment and for Jamaica. Ultimately, we are a Jamaican owned and operated company and despite how we might have spread our wings, this is our home, and we are not going anywhere else, our interest is primarily here in Jamaica, so we are fully committed to the development of our society”, Chambers reiterates.
