Latest updates from Oasis Land and The Cayman Islands

George Town, Grand Cayman Cruise Berthing Facilities

The Cayman Islands has started the official procurement process for the new cruise-berthing facilities in George Town, Grand Cayman. The first step is to find suitable experts to draw up the necessary business plan and strategic case for the project. A request for proposals was released on Friday 17th May 2013 and Stran Bodden, the Cayman Islands Chief Officer in the tourism ministry, said “The procurement process would be open and competitive in keeping with international best practice and the Public Management and Finance Law.” He said the business case would direct the number and size of the piers that will eventually be developed. It is expected that one of the Cayman Islands major consulting firms will be contracted to begin shaping the long awaited project.

Stran Bodden said that after the company is selected to draw up the necessary business case the procurement process for the actual project would begin. That competitive bid will identify the project’s private sector partner(s) who will be responsible for designing, building and financing the facility. “Operational responsibility will then revert to the Port Authority for strategic reasons,” Bodden explained.

The project will be funded via a public-private partnerships where the developer will be expected to finance the project in the first instance and recoup the costs and profit from a percentage of the increased passenger fees that will visit Grand Cayman from the cruise lines once a pier or piers are completed.

A number of benefits will accrue from the project. The construction and development phase, followed by a fully operational facility will generate additional jobs for the Cayman Islands people. More importantly, it will deliver significant economic benefits to the Islands, notably improving public revenue and raising the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from increased visitor spending.”

Source cnsbusiness.com