The Tribune

FOCOL Holdings last week commissioned its sixth tanker at Prince George Wharf, naming the vessel after former company director and Cabinet minister, Bradley Roberts.

The 459-foot tanker, M/T Brad Sun, will serve the BISX-listed petroleum products supplier’s operations in The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos. Hartlyn Roberts, the former MP’s widow, was named “Godmother” of the vessel.

The tanker, to be operated by BTI Shipping Company (BTI), has an 11 foot draught, which permits it to navigate the shallow waters of the two countries, lessening the possibility of environmental damage. The vessel’s 12 cargo tanks have a total capacity of 2.232m gallons, which is around ten times’ greater the capacity of the legacy fuel tankers in the country. It has a cargo discharge capacity of 211,338 gallons per hour.

FOCOL has been joined in BTI by two co-investors. One, according to FOCOL chairman, Sir Franklyn Wilson, is a Norwegian, while the other is Norberto Alphonso, a permanent resident of The Bahamas, who has spent 43 years in the shipping business. Mr Alfonso has been involved with the Bahamas Maritime Academy, through which many Bahamians have received professional maritime training.

The commissioning was held under the patronage of Governor-General Dame Marguerite Pindling, who was present at the event. Also attending were former prime minister Perry Christie and other dignitaries, including Mrs Roberts along with family and friends; representatives of the Sunshine Group of Companies, the largest corporate investor in FOCOL, along with some of the group’s 1,400 shareholders.

In his address, Sir Franklyn said the Brad Sun’s addition to FOCOL’s fleet was to “the common good of all peoples of both the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Islands”.

“This is so because it marks a significant advancement of the mission of FOCOL, which is ‘fuelling growth for people’,” he added, recalling the role FOCOL played in restoring vital services following Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

“At the time of the most recent hurricane, one impact on residents of New Providence was a degree of panic which gripped the motoring public, leading to the long lines at service stations,” Sir Franklyn said.

“Fortunately, the lines did not continue for any significant period of time. A key reason was that the FOCOL group had ensured that one of its tankers had been filled with supply and sent to safe harbour, enabling it to get to Clifton as soon as was possible, once the ‘all clear’ had been given.”

In a further reference to October 2016, Sir Franklyn said the company’s commitment to The Bahamas was “dramatically demonstrated when the jetty at Clifton Pier was destroyed, and the fuel supplier to BPL invoked the ‘force majeure’ clause in the supply contract. It was the Bahamian engineers and managers of the FOCOL Group who found an alternative that averted a serious national disaster.

“With the addition of this ship, M/T Brad Sun, the FOCOL Group now has the capacity to execute this strategy at different parts of The Bahamas archipelago and the Turks & Caicos as a hurricane moves about.

“This is supremely relevant noting that, with the addition of this ship, the FOCOL Group has the capacity to maintain inventory levels required to meet the needs of the country for up to one month. Heaven forbid, but still comforting, in the event of a series of hurricanes coming our way in a given season.”w

Anthony Robinson, FOCOL’s president and chief executive, said: “I have had the good fortune of working with the partners of FOCOL for 28 years. The accomplishment that we are most proud of occurred in 1999, when we took the company public and over 1,400 Bahamians bought shares in FOCOL.

“One thousand shares purchase for $5,000 in 1999 is worth $38,400 today. The owner of those shares received $14,950 in dividend payments as of 25 February, 2019. I am often asked: ‘What is the key to FOCOL’s success?’ In my opinion, we are successful because the partners are intentional in their efforts to manage their relationships and partnership for the mutual benefit of the organisation. By managing their relationships well for over 37 years, the partners created a stable environment with ample resources for management to succeed.”

Sir Franklyn shared the story behind the naming of the Brad Sun, and how important Mr Roberts was to the FOCOL partnership. He said the former director was a founding member - and became the first chairman - of Sunshine Holdings, which has become the legacy company from that group.

“The Directors of both Sunshine Holdings and FOCOL Holdings affirmed the resolution to honour the legacy of Mr Roberts via this naming,” Sir Franklyn said. “This reflected the shared view of company leaders that Mr Roberts’ life’s work manifested a commitment to the core values of both companies.”