The Region

Monday, December 01, 2008 3:58 AM

102 (Editorial) iadler@pr-vantage.com or MBS Value Partners. Ron Vidal, +1-415-606-6998 (Investor Relations) ron. vidal@mbsvalue. com. Web: www. digicelgroup. com. WINE SHIPMENTS. Brunton Vineyards Holdings, Ine on Oct. 29 said it has shipped its first of 4 quarterly shipments based on its order from Caribbean Traders, Ltd, a division of Nella's Food World, Ltd. 27,000 cases of unbranded wine were shipped to allow for local wine stores and shops to create their own custom Christmas brands, generating about US$2.9 million in revenue. Other orders, beginning in Jan. 2009, will include Brunton's wine brands, while also continuing to deliver unbranded wine. Caribbean Traders is based in San Juan, Trinidad with distribution operations throughout the Caribbean. Details: www.caribbean-traders.com

SAND SNATCHERS SHRINK BEACHERS. Caribbean sand is disappearing as thieves feed a local construction boom. Caribbean round grains, favored in creating smooth surfaces for plastering and finishing, are being hauled away by the truckload late at night. On some small islands, towns and ecologically sensitive areas now are exposed to tidal surges and rough seas, reports AP (Oct. 26, 2008):

In Puerto Rico, thieves once mined the dunes in the north coast town of Isabela, said Ernesto Diaz of the Dept. of Natural Resources. Now they are stealing the beaches of the tiny island of Vieques (52 sq. mi), where the US military recently halted its controversial bombing practice;

Among the hardest hit is Grenada, where officials are building a US$1.2 million seawall to protect the 131 -sq mi island. Sand thefts have exposed north-coast towns to rough seas, said Minister of Works & Environment Joseph Gilbert. On Jamaica, nearly 100 truckloads were swiped from private property, exposing mangroves and a limestone forest to wind and waves. Roughly 706,000 cubic feet of sand were taken in late July, said Jamaica Mines Commissioner Clinton Thompson, who suspects government officials were involved.

Illegal sand mining began in the 1970s, when people with shovels stole small amounts for construction because most homes were built with wood. Thefts increased as builder switched to concrete homes and have gotten bigger with the rise in construction of resorts and hotels (built ironically, for tourists drawn by the Caribbean's immaculate beaches). About 80 new hotels and resorts are expected to open in the Caribbean through 2012, according to Smith Travel Research. Some islands offer local quarries or designate certain beaches for mining, but large-scale nighttime thefts persist despite police patrols. Front loaders and other heavy equipment are now used instead of shovels to steal sand, which sells for nearly US$200 for 1 cubic yard;

Tortola, Anguilla and St. Vincent are vulnerable to flooding, said Gillian Cambers, associate researcher at the Univ. of Puerto Rico. Up to two-thirds of sand dunes in Tortola and Nevis have been decimated, and on Grenada's Carriacou island (pop. 6,000), the beach is shrinking by 3 linear feet every year from illegal sand mining, she added;

In Barbuda, illegal sand miners dug a 23-foot crater. Saltwater seeped in, and droppings from cows and donkeys contaminated the exposed aquifer, which is now unusable, said local environmentalist John Mussington. Hurricane damage also bumped up demand for sand, with residents using concrete blocks to rebuild homes and sand to finish them;

If caught, thieves face light fines and jail time that critics say are unequal to the crime. Grenada, for example, imposes up to $190 in fines, less than the cost of a single load of sand. Grenada legislators expect to triple that amount and extend prison terms from three months to two years. Jamaica also plans to approve new maximum fines of $11,000 and allow police to seize sand-mining equipment.

ASPECT-INTECH PARTNERSHIP. Aspect, which provides communications and contact center software and services, on Oct. 28 said it has formed a partnership with Intech (Integration Technologies Corp.), an information technology consulting and integration firm founded in San Juan PR in 1992. Intech will distribute Aspect solutions to enable enterprises in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and Central America to achieve business objectives by leveraging unified communications (UC) technologies, said Intech president Henry Gordillo. Details: Jen Tatro.Tel: 630-227-8191.

ONLINE BOOKING. Oriens Travel & Hotel Management Corp. (based in Las Vegas, NV), which seeks out mid/lowerend hotel properties in developing countries and reorganizes them under the Hotel PURE brands, on Oct. 30 said it has completed its new online booking and processing engine, FROL (Friendly Reservations On Line), which aims to service travel businesses in Central America and the Caribbean. Details: Oriens. Ken Chua. Tel: 1.509.561.7542. Web: www. orienscorp. com

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