The government will relocate the Coast Guard from St. John’s Harbour to Camp Blizzard to make way for port expansion, Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant said Thursday.

Speaking at the weekly Cabinet press briefing, Merchant said the Ministry of Works has been instructed to prepare the new site, which already has a dock. Offices and living quarters will be completed before the transfer.

“In terms of the Coast Guard moving from the port to Camp Blizzard, the Ministry of Works has been charged with preparing an area,” Merchant said. “Once accommodation is available for the office and for the staff quarters, then it can be considered completed, as there is a regular dock available right there at Camp Blizzard.”

Merchant added that the relocation forms part of the government’s long-term plan to expand St. John’s port and strengthen its competitiveness as a regional transshipment hub.

The move follows the arrival of a US$6.2 million mobile harbor crane, which officials say will allow the port to handle more than 60 containers an hour when combined with existing equipment.