First pile driven for new

Almost soundlessly, the first steel pile for the 445-metre-long 21-metre-wide mega cruise ship pier was driven into Great Bay on the signal of Port Affairs Commissioner Theo Heyliger and Carnival Corporation Chairman Mickey Arison.

Work on the new pier will be in full swing as of today. The celebratory group aboard the red harbor pilot boat included Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) President Michele Paige and Ballast Nedam Area Manager for the Caribbean and South America Johan Verhagen. The new pier, to be completed at the end of November 2008, will be juxtaposed to the existing Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise Pier that was completed in 2001. Two 220,000-tonne cruise ships, slated to debut in 2009, will be able to dock alongside the yet-to-be named pier. The Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise and Cargo Facilities expansion will keep the island on the cusp of cruise tourism development, an industry that has seen a decline in the Caribbean in 2007.

Read More