CAYMAN ISLAND CRUISE PIER AND TERMINAL WILL GO AHEAD

Posted on 02/19/2016

Plans for the controversial new cruise ship pier and terminal for the Cayman Islands will go forward though not quite as planned. An Environmental Economic Appraisal has determined that the environmental impact will be outweighed by the economic benefits to the region. However, in recognition of the environmental impact, government officials have agreed to alter their initial plans.

The government said the new facility is necessary to grow tourism, while environmentalists claimed that the impact to coral beds would be unjustifiable.“Notwithstanding, the Cayman Islands government agreed to have the pier designs reworked to see how a more environmentally friendly outcome could be achieved, such as moving the piers to deeper waters to minimize the dredging” said Gina Matthews, a government spokesperson.The new pier and terminal is estimated to cost over $207 million and will be shared with a major cruise line.As much as the Cayman Islands government wishes to increase tourism and recoup from the investment, they still intend to limit the number of guests that arrive.“The business case which has guided the project from the inception caps the number of cruise passengers at 2.3 million per annum to ensure that the quality of the cruise passenger experience is maintained and the impact to residents and stay-over visitors is manageable” said Matthews.