Cruise ShipsChallenge met by Immigration
Ansel Connolly,Senior Immigration Officer at the Seaport
With the recent influx of cruise ships callingon Grand Cayman, Immigration Officers at the dock provide a vitalservice to the Islands, which is often overlooked and, it is said,under-appreciated.
Everyone knows that tourism, a pillar ofCayman's economy contributes significantly to the country, butlittle is known about what immigration officers at the GeorgeTown harbour do to facilitate this.
Stationed at the north and south terminalsin the George Town harbour, immigration officers process an averageof 60,000 visitors to Grand Cayman each week. Senior ImmigrationOfficer at the Seaport Ansel Connolly puts things in perspective;
"We see more tourists at the docksin one day than the airport sees in a month."
On some occasions, as many as seven cruiseships may be seen in the harbour and Mr. Connolly points out thatevery other week, the island receives five to six cruise shipsdaily. Even on Sundays, an immigration officer is on call to meetthe needs of cruise ship visitors.
Immigration Officer Diane Dey explains herrole, "I board cruise ships to inspect them before passengersare allowed to disembark. Once on a ship, I look for two things:stowaways and people who are on an international 'prohibited persons'list." She is also stationed behind a tinted window at thesouth terminal, where she uses her specialised training to spotindividuals whose body language betrays guilt.
Deputy Chief Immigration Officer Franz Mandersonhighlights the fact that the Immigration Department recently increasedthe number of officers at the docks from two to three. He notesthat the increase did not cost government anything extra sincethe need was met through internal reshuffling. "We are doingmore to meet the needs of tourists, while still conserving publicfunds," he explains.