BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, reiterated that the construction of the second cruise pier at Port Zante represents the Team Unity Government’s desire and willingness to expand its reach even further in a globally competitive tourism sector.
“In an area in which we are extremely competitive given our small size and physical [spatial] limits, we are doing extremely well, and this activity in which we are engaged today is consistent with that. It is about expanding our entry in tourism – one of the industries in which we have shown a high level of competitiveness,” Prime Minister Harris stated during his remarks at the Seabed Breaking Ceremony for the construction of the second cruise pier.
The ceremony, hosted by the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) at the Port Zante Cruise Terminal on Tuesday 15th May, was attended by Governor General, His Excellency Sir Tapley Seaton, members of the Federal Cabinet, including Minister of Public Infrastructure, the Honourable Ian Patches Liburd; High Commissioner of Canada to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Marie Legault; Martin Zablocki, President and CEO of Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC), which is the Prime Contractor on the second cruise pier. Also on hand to witness the historic ceremony were local sub-contractors who will be working on the project.
Upon completion, the $48 million dollar second cruise pier will be able to berth two Oasis class vessels, which are the world’s largest and longest passenger ships.
Prime Minister Harris added that “We have taken the cruise statistics to new dimensions. For the first time since we have opened our ports, we have crossed the million-man mark in terms of tourist arrivals in our country.”
The honourable prime minister further noted that St. Kitts and Nevis is fast becoming the preferred destination for investments, with an already impressive lineup of internationally recognized hotel brands on board to establish their brand in the twin island Federation.
“St. Kitts and Nevis is fast becoming, on a per capita basis, the destination with the largest number of branded properties in the world,” Dr. Harris emphasized.
Construction on the second cruise pier, which is financed under a syndicate arrangement between the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank (SKNANB); the St. Kitts and Nevis Social Security Board; the St. Kitts and Nevis Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF) and the St. Kitts and Nevis Trading and Development Company (TDC), is expected to be completed in 18 months.
Work will be led JV Driver, the Canadian Commercial Corporation’s prime contractor on the project.
