China Harbour Engineering Company will buy materials locally ‘as much as possible’, according to government officials. 

The projected construction of a cruise berthing facility is still under negotiation with that company, said George Town MLA Ellio Solomon, who told a public meeting the Cayman Islands government had been actively involved in trying to secure several requirements. 

These included the use of local contractors, the purchase of all materials at ‘commercially reasonable rates’ and that any incoming workers would be required to rent apartments or housing rather than living in ‘trailers’, as was the case in other China Harbour projects including Jamaica. 

Any incoming workers would be ‘technical experts and managerial’ and these would be vetted by the Cayman Islands government, he noted. 

Mr. Solomon said information would be shared as much as possible, but there were limitations in communicating this with the public because nobody wanted commercial negotiations to be jeopardised. 

He said for the affordable housing scheme, a $12 million project, the government had specified that all material was bought locally and all contractors were local, which would be a strategy adhered to for the much larger China Harbour project. 

“This would be the single largest project the country has ever seen,” he said, adding that the country had some unemployed people and businesses needed to sell their materials. 

Premier McKeeva Bush said the work would be done piece by piece and there would be no need to close any current facilities. He referred to the construction of the Royal Watler cruise terminal as an example of this kind of process. 

Mr. Bush said that there was now a consultant with experience of building ‘over 50’ ports. 

“Right now KPMG is doing the study for value for money and once that is completed and the consultant has looked at what we have asked for ... he will then turn it over to the central tenders chairman and the auditor general to make sure what we have done as a negotiated contract will be the best for us,” he said. “If they don’t accept it I will perhaps have to go to court with the powers that be to make the court decide. Then after that I can’t do any more.” 

Royal Caribbean talks 

Speaking at the well-attended meeting, held in South Sound Civic Centre, Mr. Bush also revealed that negotiations had taken place with cruise company Royal Caribbean International with a view to bringing mega-ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas to Cayman in the interim. 

The premier said that he had undertaken discussions with the cruise company at the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association Conference and Trade Show in October, 2011. 

He said the company was ‘willing to look at it’ as Cayman was ‘one of their best destinations’. If the Cayman Islands was willing to cover associated costs and the onshore screenings, the company had indicated that it would bring 50,000 visitors between June and October, 2012, which would introduce a minimum of $6 million into Cayman’s economy. 

“We went to work; they came here and sat down ... we got Flowers ready to do the screening, Dart ready to pave their land and let us use it, we did all the work then I got told I had to go to tender ...” 

“When I got past that bureaucracy the same very day the cruise came back and said it was with best intentions, I can read the letter from Adam Goldstein [who said] we cannot do this ... this is too much for a risk,” Mr. Bush. “Our advice to you is that we are not made for tendering, we want to bring the Allure and the Oasis but you need your berthing facility. Get it built or you will lose more business.” 

Royal Caribbean International did not respond to the Compass’ enquiry for clarification by press time. 

Mr. Bush said the wreck of the Balboa dive/snorkel site would be moved from its current site in the harbour to another site by China Harbour. 

“They will remove the Balboa to a different site at their cost,” he said. 

Also representing the government at the meeting were Mike Adam, Ellio Solomon, Shomari Scott and Strang Bodden. 

Incoming workers will be required to rent apartments or housing rather than living in ‘trailers’.