SOLD! Florida-based Seven Seas Water has purchased Biwater (BVI)
It was on February 18, 2010 that the then government of former Premier Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal OBE signed a 16-year water purchase agreement with Biwater, which was opposed by the current National Democratic Party Government (NDP) who favoured Ocean Conversion, another foreign company with local shareholders.
According to information obtained from our traditional sources within the ruling NDP regime, the Cabinet of Premier Dr The Honourable D. Orlando Smith via a Cabinet information paper approved the acquisition some months ago after months of negotiations among Biwater, Seven Seas Water and Government.
According to the terms of the deal, Seven Seas Water Corporation will own and operate the facility over the remaining fifteen year contract term with the Government of the Virgin Islands. The purchase price paid by Seven Seas Water was not immediately known as calls to Lauren Thomas, Director of Marketing for Seven Seas Water Corporation, were not returned to our news room up to post time.
It also remains unclear if any local investors are part of the Seven Seas Water Corporation’s purchase of Biwater, as this was one of the reasons the NDP Administration, along with the BVI Investment Club, opposed the Biwater project. They had decried the lack of local investors.
Biwater a good project?
The Biwater facility, located at Paraquita Bay, was commissioned in November 2014 after it was reported by Biwater of how the Government was allegedly frustrating their efforts to kick start the flow of water some three years after the original deadline to supply water. This sentiment was also echoed by now Leader of the Opposition Honourable Julian Fraser RA (R3), one of the architects of the Biwater project.
Part of the agreement negotiated by Hon Fraser was for Biwater to provide a sewage treatment plant to rid the capital city Road Town on the main Island of Tortola and adjacent areas of sewage running in the streets. They have already built the sewerage treatment plant at Paraquita Bay on Tortola at no cost to Government, and are currently installing the pipes- all part of the Biwater water purchase agreement.
When Biwater is fully functional, all of Tortola with connection to the government water network will have a 24-hour supply of potable water, a historical achievement of the former Virgin Islands Party administration.
However, the NDP Government has refused to make way for this by not only frustrating the project but not putting in the infrastructure after four years to facilitate the project. In addition, people on Tortola like the Sister Islands suffer severe daily water shortages to their homes, a basic necessity for development.
On July 16, 2015 during a press conference, Premier Smith was asked about the sale of Biwater and while he admitted there were talks between Biwater and a group of persons with a view to negotiating a sale of the company he could not say what stage negotiations were at and also declined to disclose names involved in the negotiations.
Biwater
With the signing of the water purchase agreement with Biwater in 2010, it was immediately met with hostility from the then opposition National Democratic Party (NDP) who labeled it as an albatross around the neck of the territory and generations to come.
The NDP also used its opposition to Biwater as a major campaign tool to spread fear in the minds of the electorate. NDP mouthpieces Bishop John I. Cline and Cromwell Smith, a strong supporter of BVI Investment Club and Ocean Conversion, even led public protests against the Biwater agreement.
It turned out to be an effective campaign tool as the NDP swept to power in November 2011.
Seven Seas Water
Seven Seas Water provides total water management solutions for municipal and industrial clients. They operate plants in the United States of America and in the United States Virgin Islands, both in St Croix and St Thomas for the VI Water and Power Authority. They also have plants in Trinidad and Turks and Caicos Islands.
The corporation was actually established in the US Virgin Islands in 1996.
Today Seven Seas Water has established itself as an industry leader throughout the Americas and the Greater Caribbean market with nearly 20 plants operating in several countries, delivering over 20 million gallons of water per day. The Company, according to its website, is poised for even greater international growth as opportunities lead to the Middle East.
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36 Responses to “SOLD! Florida-based Seven Seas Water has purchased Biwater (BVI)”
Of course that is not the only thing that confuses me. From my seat, it seems that we are busy handing over our major businesses and land to rich white investors who are merely developing the land and packaging it to lure other so called monied persons to NATURE'S LITTLE SECRET of pristine blue waters, flanked with beautiful white sandy beaches under the warm Caribbean sun by day & star studded skies at night which is completed by the cool Caribbean breeze as it hugs and massages all in its path. An extremely profitable lure that capitalizes on the free white sand, blue waters, warm Caribbean sun and cool breeze. I can almost bet it is not the beautiful buildings. Those could be had almost anywhere by those who can afford to vacation at these places.
I simply cannot understand why or leaders cannot develop the land themselves and market it properly. It seems to me that with our now seemingly economically savvy leaders, that there would be some realization that the more land we sell the less control we have of our country or at-least that is what I think. I may be wrong and I don't mind being corrected.
We can build House in London, develop Off Shore Business in Hong Kong, but we can't build and manage a quality resort on BVI shores. Then if that wasn't bad enough, we are doing nothing to stop the take over of the public service by outsiders. If BVI landers complain, the entitlement or unqualified trump cards are pulled out.
My question: If we are not prepared as a people what is the source of the problem given there are more degreed person per 100 than most of the other Caribbean countries? Its time to cease the talk and begin to address the country's deficiencies. I believe it can be fixed! Presently, it seems that we are up on foreign policies but fall way below ground zero on local affairs. It is time to wake up!
The key players involved are: Richard Branson (of Virgin Green Fund), Doug Brown (CEO),
For info on all the key players see: http://www.aquaventure.com/leadership
Mario Mondo is Senior Vice President of Global Business Development for Seven Seas Water Corporation. If memory serves, Mr. Mondo used to run the Aquaventure plant here in the BVI. John Curtis is the Managing Director for the Caribbean.
I assure you I am not a moomoo as you put it. That part of your comment alone tells me you are not to be taken seriously. But I will add this: your explanation also tells me you know very little about macro-economics.
The bi-water deal was a terrible one for the BVI, based on the terms. Our only hope is that these terms were re-negotiated as a condition of the sale to the new owners.
Did AquaVenture acquire the contract with the original terms and conditions or did government negotiate some concessions, ie, contingent liability (doubt it), electricity cist ..etc? Will a change of contractor make this bad deal now a good deal? Will there now be a warmer working relationship between government and contractor now that the contract is more of a win-win? Or will AquaVenture still be "bruk down"? Going forward, the spin on this contract will be interesting. Is Richard Branson buying out BI-Water a Trojan Horse?
Bates did not get through some 40 plus years ago.....but the Rich Outsiders are on a ROLL......who is going to stop them? People stop yapping and start acting......we are in some serious trouble.......these are more serious times than what our fore fathers had to deal with.......soon we as Native Virgin Islanders going to have to get permission to even breathe in our Territory! -js
can I drink out out of the faucet?