A recent rendering of the historic Falmouth port. - Contributed
WESTERN BUREAU:
Financing from the Danish Government is now near completion, but the delay in commencing construction on the historic Falmouth port has resulted in the loss of several weeks in calls from the Oasis of the Sea.
The Royal Caribbean International's (RCI) mega liner, which is the world's largest ship, was scheduled to make its maiden call on the multimillion-dollar port that is set to transform the country's 18th-century commercial capital.
"The financing is in place with the Danish, they are finishing up the legalities with the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) and, in the meantime, cruises are now being sold," John Tercek, Royal Caribbean's vice-president of commercial development, told The Gleaner.
Route switched
The RCI official was responding to queries regarding a press release, which was disseminated to the travel trade. He confirmed that the ship, which has the capacity to carry more than 6,000 passengers, would instead call from May through November 2010 at Mexico's port of Costa Maya on a Western Caribbean itinerary, which will include calls at Cozumel and Labadee, RCI's private island on the northern coast of Haiti.
According to him, the switch would be made to Falmouth in December 2010.
"People are buying the cruises for next year, so they have to be clear about what they are doing," he argued, explaining that the Haiti project was still under construction, but would be completed by the end of the year.
Issues with funding
Construction on the Falmouth port was scheduled to commence in October 2008 but, seven months later, ground was yet to be broken. However, the Royal Caribbean official is convinced that activities will start in a matter of weeks.
Finding funding, especially during a global recession, has been the port's greatest setback as the PAJ sought to borrow US$122 million for aspects of the project.
The project is broken down into two components: the marine works, which include the pier and terminal building; and the landside project, "which will feature a variety of business entities to be housed in structures" including shops, entertainment and restaurants that imitate Georgian-style architecture.
It is understood that some of the work to be done by Royal Caribbean could include renovation of historic structures at Hampden Wharf and Tharpe House.
The historic Falmouth port is being built at a time when reports from the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association state that 13.2 million people cruised worldwide last year, with the highest traffic taking place in the region. Some six million passengers visited the Caribbean and, in 2009, the industry is forecasting a three per cent growth.
Falmouth is one of three projects being developed by RCI for its western Caribbean itinerary. The cruise company, in its proposal to the Jamaican Government, has committed to bringing in a minimum of 400,000 passengers annually for the next 20 years. An average cruise-ship passenger spends US$105 per person per port.
Efforts to get a comment from William Tatha, vice-president of cruise shipping at the Port Authority of Jamaica, proved futile.
janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com