Posted on August 8, 2022
Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) believes cruise voyages will return to pre-pandemic levels and will call at Great Stirrup Cay (GSC) in the Berry Islands once the proposed jetty and port development is complete. passenger.
GSC currently has no jetty and cruise passengers are ferried from the ship to the island.
NCL minimizes missed calls on private islands during high wind/wave events that prevent passengers from disembarking safely in a recently published Environmental Impact Assessment filed with the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) For the said pier is very necessary. An anchored cruise ship by current tender transport.
“The increased passenger efficiency provided by the pier will ensure passenger arrivals and increase revenues for The Bahamas and NCL, employees and vendors who rely on island visitors,” said Islands by Design Ltd. EIA developed for NCL says: and Cummins Cederberg.
The developer wants to build two permanent cruise ship piers on the north side of the island.
Dredging will be required and impacts on the marine environment are expected. There are also plans to make “minor changes” to the coastline to allow cruise ships to connect.
About eight acres of coral reefs are expected to be affected by the dredging, according to the EIA.
The proposal also calls for clearing vegetation to create settlement ponds, placing temporary pipelines along existing roads, and planning future staff roads and housing infrastructure.
“The development of the GSC is in line with the national development plan to have an anchor project on every family island. ,” said the EIA.
“A $29 passenger tax will be levied from all airline passengers and a $18 passenger tax will be levied from all cruise ship passengers. As usage stabilizes, we expect to accommodate 714,000 visitors after expansion, an increase of 10-15% annually.”
