Posted on May 31, 2023
And tonight, we’re also taking a snapshot look at the Environmental Compliance Plan for the Port of Magical Belize. The proposed cruise terminal is planned for 6 kilometers south of the Sibun River, that’s about 8 miles south of Belize City.
The developers will build a peninsula along the coastline, which requires some heavy dredging. The development is planned to include a 300 room hotel with beaches and related facilities.
The development will also include a roadway and a bridge spanning the Sibun River which will run parallel to the coastline connecting the project site to the George Price Highway in the vicinity of Old Belize.
How much dredging will be required for all that? We looked in the environmental compliance plan to find out:
The Environmental Compliance Plan for PORTICO acknowledges that it must have a “detailed engineering design of the peninsula…minimizing the potential negative impacts from current flows south wards and manatee movements along the seashore;”
So in phase one they must submit a ” a Manatee Management Plan; and, a Rapid Ecological Assessment for the access road dewater site.
And how long will the road be? Well that is Phase 2 “Construction of an all weather road within crown lands (including a bridge) measuring 10.5km (6.5mi) connecting the project site to the George Price Highway,”. So that’s a 6 mile road over a wetland.
Phase 3 and 4 call for dredging of 8.5 million cubic meters, first from the turning basin and access channel, and second for filling of the peninsula and retreat island. That – we might note – is more than the 7.5 million cubic meters that was rejected for Waterloo.
Phase four also calls for the construction of beaches which will comprise approximately 37 acres of the peninsula’s surface. In Phase 5 there will be 40 over-water beach bungalows;
The EIA was approved on the 9th day of April, 2021
