Residents Concerned Over Grand Bahama Cruise Port Project Progress

Freeport News
Residents of the Williams and Russell Town areas say they are concerned about the progress of the proposed cruise port, saying the Government has been mum on the matter since the initial announcement.

Some residents have even questioned whether the port is still on the drawing board, since no information has been provided to indicate that it is.

When contacted regarding the project yesterday, Minister of Works and Member of Parliament for Lucaya, the constituency where the port is expected to be located, Neko Grant, said he had no update to provide on the matter.

Resident George Williams said he wishes the Government would offer some further facts, and is unsure as to what could be causing the delay.

“I don’t know if it’s bureaucracy, paperwork, or I don’t know if they’re waiting on this economic recovery to come around, of if they’re doing it closer to the time when election comes, stalling for that, but it would be good if the cruise port does come, it will be beneficial to the whole island,” he said.

“I’m kind of disappointed that it hasn’t started as yet because you want to see some progress. On the whole, the island of Grand Bahama needs some kind of movement to get some people to work. So we need to find out what’s going on with that.”

Another resident Pauline Newbold said she has heard a lot of talk among residents about what the advantages and disadvantages of the cruise port may be, but has reserved judgment herself in the absence of concrete information.

“I want to hear more about it from them so I can know. Even though you might be against it, it’s kind of hard to stand in the way of progress and if that’s the government and they already say they’re going to do it, no matter how much you fight eventually they’re going to get their way, but at least speak with the people, talk to us let us know what it is, because we might be saying one thing when it’s totally different,” she said.

GB cruise port to break ground in 2010

BRENT DEAN ~ Guardian Staff Reporter

The new Grand Bahama Cruise Port should break ground in early 2010 and be completed by late 2011, according information contained in a presentation delivered by the Minister of Tourism (MOT) Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace.

Vanderpool-Wallace and officials from his ministry updated the media at a news conference on Monday at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel on initiatives they are involved with to boost the tourism sector.

When completed, the Williams Town Cruise Port is expected to boost cruise arrivals to that island from 300,000 to one million visitors per year, according to government projections.

Senior Director of Communications at the MOT Nalini Bethel told The Freeport News last week that plans for the port have been approved by Cabinet, and now the finer legal nuances are being worked out.

Earlier this month Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham publicly made known the government's intention to acquire 55 acres of property in the Williams Town area.

The prime minister said that the acquisition will take several months and land owners will have the opportunity to prove their ownership and take any necessary action needed in the courts if they disagree with the government's assessment of the property's value. Ingraham said the government would abide by the decision of the courts.

Cruise arrivals to The Bahamas have boomed in recent years as air arrivals have fallen. In 2009 up to July, cruise arrivals to The Bahamas are up 13.8 percent. In New Providence, cruise arrivals are up 19.9 percent over this period as compared to the same period last year. Cruise arrivals to Grand Bahama and the Family Islands are up 14.8 and 5.7 percent respectively over the same period.

In 2008, it is estimated that 92 percent of cruise passengers came ashore in Nassau and spent $140.5 million, according to figures provided by Vanderpool-Wallace. This amounted to an average spend rate per person of $100, with $5.1 million going to taxi and ground transportation and $8.5 million going to the Straw Market and local crafts.

The Bahamas is a dominant player in the regional cruise business. According to Tourism data, 70 percent of cruise passengers coming to The Bahamas are on Bahamas only cruises – the other 30 percent are on combined Caribbean cruises.

"The cruise is the low cost high quality competitor for a vacation in The Bahamas," Vanderpool-Wallace said.

Sign erected in Williams Town heralds imminent start of work on cruise port

The Freeport News

By K. NANCOO-RUSSELL

Government officials have already erected signs notifying residents of Williams Town of their decision to place Grand Bahama's new cruise ship facility in that settlement.

The sign, which has been in place for more than a week, reads: "Take notice that pursuant to section 4 of the Acquisition of Land Act... it appears to the Minister responsible for the acquisition and disposition of lands (Hubert Ingraham) that the land described ... is likely to be needed for the public purpose of promoting the tourist traffic of The Bahamas and providing increased harbour and dock facilities and for uses related hereto."

The sign went on to inform residents that persons are now authorized to carry out several activities including the surveying of the land, digging in to the land, clearing the land, setting out boundaries, and any other acts necessary to determine whether the land is suitable for the purpose outlined.

As the government moves ahead with its plans, residents appear to be in full support of the proposed cruise port being in that area.

Read the Full article here

New GB cruise port may soon become a reality

The Freeport News - ‎Jul 1, 2009‎
By K. NANCOO-RUSSELL

Though talks of a new cruise port for Grand Bahama has been in the works for some time, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham announced this week that it may become a reality sooner than most thought.

During his address in the House of Assembly on Monday, Ingraham named Williams Town as the designated site for the proposed $100 million port and said the government is looking for a strategic partner to build it.

"My government is also pursuing the strategy of engaging a major strategic cruise line partner, with respect to the development of a new cruise port on Grand Bahama," he said.

Word of the new cruise port was introduced back in February during the Grand Bahama Business Outlook event at the Our Lucaya Resort, when Carnival Cruiseline executive Giora Israel revealed that the government was seeking a possible location.

At that time, Israel said Carnival Cruiseline would be happy to make whatever investment is needed to get the cruise port off the ground.

Israel said he has been in talks with the government since 1997, when he first shared his vision of the development of a new cruise port which would have the potential of establishing the island as a major new cruise destination.

He added that the passing of the late Edward St. George did slow down the progress of that development.


Watch the interview here.

Click to play

Read the rest of the article by clicking this link