By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

PETRO Express has opened a new gas station at McClean’s Town in East Grand Bahama, providing much needed petrol to boaters and residents in that remote area of the island.

Grand Bahama businessman Raymond Jones, owner of Petro Express, saw the need more than 20 years ago for a petrol station in the settlement about 40 miles from Freeport.

The facility is near the McLean’s Town dock and also has a convenience store.

McLean’s Town is the easternmost settlement on Grand Bahama, where boaters ferry people between nearby cays such as Sweeting’s Cay and Deep Water Cay, and Abaco. There is no access to fuel in the area, and residents and boaters would have to go to Freeport for gasoline.

“Being in the seafood business for 20 years with my family and coming to East Grand Bahama, there was never any gas available here,” said Mr Jones, who opened the facility several weeks ago.

The area was also lacking a convenience store, which now caters to the community. There is also a seating area for persons to sit and have coffee.

Mr Jones said there is a lot of traffic between McLean’s Town and Abaco and so the station opens at 6.30am for boaters who provide ferry service, and to residents living in the community who go out fishing to Deep Water Cay, Moore’s Island, Abaco, and Sweeting’s Cay.

He said Petro Express East caters fully to the needs of boaters.

“This is where the majority of the people … make their livelihood on the water; we provide marine lubricant, outboard oil and motor-oil for boats, parts, fishing gear, hooks and sinkers, and bait.”

Dr Michael Darville, minister for Grand Bahama, commended Mr Jones for seeing the vision to invest in East Grand Bahama. “Under duty-free concessions for East and West Grand Bahama this is what it is all about, utilising the same privileges that existed in Freeport for many years,” Dr Darville said.

He noted that in the 2014 budget, the government through an innovative programme developed duty-free concessions for East and West Grand Bahama in an attempt to level the playing field for entrepreneurs in those communities to benefit and to have access to duty free concessions so that their businesses can grow.

Petro Express initially opened in Freeport in November 2014 on Queen’s Highway, near Freeport Harbour’s northern entrance.

The gas station and convenience store has been doing well and Mr Jones is looking at other areas of the island in which to invest.

“We opened in 2014 after looking at the needs of customers in the area. Before we opened, there was no gas or local eatery anywhere in the industrial area. When you look at the people that come in and out of Freeport Harbour there was no services, and now every day they come there for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and they go to the convenience store, and taxi-cabs can fuel up as well,” he said.