Cayman Islands Legislator Calls for Cruise Port Vote

A local legislator who's opposed to the Cayman Islands’ long-planned cruise ship facility is calling for a “people-initiated” vote on the $200 million project, even as the Cayman Islands tourism minister says the government is preparing a final construction RFP (request for proposals).

In local news reports last week, Cayman Islands legislator Ezzard Miller announced a “campaign for a people-initiated referendum” on the port plan. Miller said he is not asking the government to halt the project, but to submit the plan to a public vote.

Miller expects to organize public meetings in October, offering local residents “a chance to see” port-related documents and to “ask questions, debate the issues and inform themselves about this huge capital project.”

Launched in 2015, the government-backed plan calls for two new piers in George Town harbor that are capable of accommodating four vessels—including the cruise industry’s 6,000-passenger mega-ships, the cruise industry’s largest. Government and tourism officials say the piers are needed to maintain the destination’s booming cruise business.

“I am satisfied with the progress to date and am pleased that we are nearing the end of a long and complex procurement process to construct cruise piers in the Cayman Islands,” said Moses Kirkconnell, the Cayman Islands tourism minister.

“Since the business case was approved in 2013, we have worked with some of the best engineering and environmental companies in the world to gather as much relevant information and data as possible,” he said.

Kirkconnell said the government has treaded carefully throughout the process, which has witnessed delays due to factors including concern regarding the project’s environmental impact.

“We have meticulously followed the standards of international best practice in our procurement process,” he said, “which takes a great deal of time, but provides our people with the assurance that the decisions the government is making are based on well-established principles.”

Opponents say any tourism benefits generated by the new cruise pier will be outweighed by the damage done to George Town’s natural underwater environment, as construction would damage more than 15 acres of coral reef.

Officials at Save Cayman, a nonprofit environmental group, have also said the project bidding process lacks transparency and the need for the piers had not been proven.

“It has been our position that the environmental and economic costs of this project outweigh the benefits and there exists little evidence to suggest otherwise,” the group said in a statement.

Miller is hoping to gather more than 5,200 signatures, which opposition leaders say are required to compel the government to approve a national ballot.

Source: Travel Pulse