Photo 1 – Allure of the Seas cruising into Port Zante on December 30, 2011
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, May 4th 2017 – The Team Unity Government of Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris has not achieved one single milestone since taking office 27 months ago.
St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) Parliamentarian for West Basseterre, Hon. Konris Maynard Wednesday slammed the Team Unity Government for not continuing the plans by the former Labour administration to construct the second pier, which would have bben berthing one of the Oasis-class ships all year round, thus pumping more money into the pockets of taxi operators, vendors tour operators and other stakeholders.
“Not even one. No new projects, no new hotels, no new (cruiseship0 pier, no new tourism direction. They (Team Unity Government) are feeding off of the fumes that have been left by a steaming engine of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) said Maynard during Wednesday’s Issues programme on Freedom 106.5 FM and Kyss 102.5 FM.
He said the ineptitude and inability of the Team Unity Government is costing St. Kitts and Nevis economy daily and referred specifically to Wednesday’s inaugural visit of the Harmony of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world.
“The visits of these massive cruise ships began in December 2011 with the inaugural visit of the Allure of the Seas, then the largest cruise ship in the world. It was followed in 2015 by the Oasis of the Seas and now in 2017, the Harmony of the Seas,” said Maynard.
Photo 2 – St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas (right) and Minister of Tourism, Sen. Hon. Richard Skerritt (left) along with Allure of the Seas captian during inaugural visit in December 2011.
The same custom-made gangways which were used by the Harmony of the Seas were purchased by the St. Christopher Air and Sea ports Authority (SCASPA) in 2011.
Attracting this generation of massive ships is the main reason why the then St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party administration of Dr Denzil L. Douglas and Tourism Minister Ricky Skerritt, were about to build the second custom-designed pier when the government was changed in the mid-February 2015 general election.
“The attraction of this class of ships was the making the former administration and it was imperative that the government look at providing the necessary facilities to accommodate these large ships and was committed to the construction of a new second pier as a result of the interest that the cruise lines had in our cruise tourism product,” said Maynard.
He pointed out that because of the “dragging of the feet by the Team Unity Government, because of the corruption involved in a second pier two and a half years later, the Team Unity Government is unable to start construction of a second pier at Port Zante.
“This means that instead of having Harmony of the Seas making regular calls, weekly or bi-weekly, it has to limit the number of calls to St. Kitts because we do not have the infrastructural capacity to accept them during the high season,” said Maynard.
He said St. Kitts and Nevis was already a leading cruise ship destination and the new plans would have taken the destination to a higher level.
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