Published 11 April 2017
CASTRIES, St Lucia, Friday April 7, 2017 – St Lucia wants some mega cruise ships to come calling.
And it’s preparing for the first one by December. The Breasting Dolphin Berth at Pointe Seraphine is to be extended to facilitate that and other mega cruise vessels at a cost of US$15 million.
Minister for Ports Stephenson King said that due to the growth projections for the cruise sector “there is a greater need for us to place emphasis on the improvement, development and the enhancement of the cruise facilities and infrastructure on the island.”
“This Government has made a firm commitment not only to improve Port Castries and to consider a new location for the establishment of a new commercial port but also to continue to improve on the cruise ship facilities and by extension to look to the south of the country to establish a major cruise port in the south in Vieux Fort that will compliment a number of the economic initiatives that the Government has committed itself to,” he said.
“This is a holistic approach, a global initiative, on the part of the Government looking beyond the shores, beyond the sand and sea, and looking to the international arena to see how St Lucia can maintain its position and be able to offer two world class facilities, one in the north and one in the south.”
Minister King said government also hopes the project will place the island as the number one cruise ship destination in the Caribbean.
Once the berth is completed, St Lucia is expected to see an increase of 20 percent in the call of vessels to Port Castries and an increase in passenger arrivals by 19 percent.
Read more: http://www.caribbean360.com/travel/port-st-lucia-make-way-mega-cruise-ships#ixzz4dyD0H66C
