Minister of Tourism Hon Charles Clifford discusses the redevelopment of the port.  Photo by Trent Jacobs

By Tad Stoner
tad@caymannetnews.com 

Government yesterday announced it would partner with a private-sector developer to create the largest infrastructure project in Cayman Islands history - separate port developments for passengers and cargo in central George Town.

While declining to put a cost or time frame on the project, Minister of Tourism Hon Charles Clifford said the two passenger berths and cargo facilities would be built in cooperation with property developer and contractor Atlantic Star Ltd (ASL), owned by Saudi-born Caymanian Fahad al-Rashid. Details would emerge, Mr Clifford promised, pending negotiations outlined in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on 29 July.

The enormous construction would ultimately clear the downtown area of late-night industrial operations, enable “pedestrianisation” of streets and complement other infrastructure projects such as the Esterley Tibbetts Highway extension, the East-West Arterial and Grand Cayman’s new high schools, Mr Clifford said.

The Royal Watler Cruise Terminal would be at least partially replaced by two passenger berths, enabling the docking of four ships, while the cargo port would rise on seven acres centred on the ASL headquarters in North Church Street near its intersection with Bodden Road.

An artificial island will extend into the sea perpendicular to North Church Street while massive reconstruction of surrounding properties and streets - including Bodden Road, Eastern Avenue, Godfrey Nixon Way and the Butterfield Roundabout - will enable container traffic to operate between the waterfront and a cargo distribution centre in Industrial Park.

“It’s difficult to say when construction might start or finish,” Mr Clifford told a gathering at the Cayman Islands Investment Bureau offices.

Flanked by Leader of Government Business Hon Kurt Tibbetts, Director of the Department of the Environment Gina Ebanks-Petrie, Chairman of the Port Authority Wayne Panton and ASL Operations Manager Gary Lindsay, Mr Clifford said the MOU allows as long as six months for negotiations.

An environmental impact assessment will commence simultaneously, “and it may take four months or five months to start construction, but it will also depend on how we decide to redevelop the port, whether we build the cargo first and then the cruise berths or if we do it in phases. Until the negotiations we really don’t know,” he said.

Mr Clifford said that the initial concept, however, was to start “with one cruise pier first, then build two cargo piers simultaneously.” It would take 12 months, he said, to build a single berth.

Reclamation required “two acres per ship”, Mr Clifford said, meaning at least eight acres of sea were likely to be reclaimed, although it remains unclear if that applies only to the passenger terminal. The artificial island for cargo berths may require significantly more land.

In early May, Mr Clifford outlined the plan to Cayman Net News, pricing the development between $150 million and $200 million. He hoped to see construction start by the end of the year, requiring at least 18 months to prepare for initial cruise ship operations.

ASL, he said, was likely to arrange private financing and construction, minimising public outlays, although at the 29 July press conference, Mr Clifford held out the possibility that both the Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruise lines might invest in the project.

In exchange for creating the facilities, ASL would gain rights to redevelop almost 100,000 square feet of retail space for hotel, shops, restaurants and other amenities, Mr Clifford said in May.

He declined to predict the impact on homes and properties neighbouring the development, but some owners were upset.

Arthurlynn Scott, owner of Mr Arthur’s “7-Eleven” on North Church Street said no one had approached her about the development, which is likely to destroy the shop, founded by her father and operating since 1897.

“Nobody has approached me about anything,” she said. “As far as I’m concerned I know nothing. I have only heard rumours. Nobody has said anything,”

The property, she said, was “not for sale, and will never be for sale”.

Carol and Stephen Zawistowski, of Island Glassblowing Studio in The Charles Building, adjacent to Mr Arthur’s, said they too had heard nothing. Coral Property Management‘s Wendy Moore, would say only that she represented the building’s owner, but refused to comment.

Robbie Cribb, owner of Cayman Auto Diagnostic Clinic, was unavailable for comment on Thursday, but earlier said he had rejected an ASL offer for his longstanding family business and property.

“My friends have told me to hold out, not to sell,” he said in May. “This is my family’s business. How can I sell it?”