The Deputy Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Dr Ernest Hilaire, joined Prime Minister Philip J Pierre and other Cabinet colleagues at the SOD Turning Ceremony of the Port Redevelopment Project. He said that this major project will be undertaken by the Global Ports Holdings.
Dr Hilaire was also joined by SLASPA, Invest Saint Lucia, officials from GPH, Ministry of Tourism and Attorney General’s Office at the event.
He stated that Global Ports Holding is the largest independent cruise port operated in the world and has an established presence in the Caribbean, Asian, Pacific and Mediterranean Regions. He also mentioned that the company has a well-established network across the world which places them in a good position to attract more cruise ships and tourists to the island.
According to the agreement, GPH will take the responsibility to manage the cruise services and will also work on enhancing and upgrading the Castries Waterfront, Soufriere Harbor and Bananes Bay.Minister Hilaire said that the government is excited at the various opportunities that lay ahead for the country which includes more jobs and investment opportunities for Saint Lucia.
Recently, Lancelot Arnold, Director of GPH Eastern Caribbean and Saint Lucia Cruise Port, and Gasper P George Director of Operations and Product Development for GPH Eastern Caribbean and Saint Lucia Cruise Port, explain how the planned redevelopment of the port facilities in Castries and Soufriere will uplift the Saint Lucian economy.
Arnold outlined, “The proposed infrastructural works will allow Port Castries to berth the world’s largest and most advanced cruise ships.”
He further added that one of the first things that will be done is improvement of the berthing capacity at Pointe Séraphin, which is the dedicated cruise berth to take the largest vessel in operation at this point, which is the Oasis class vessel.
Some of the benefits of this critical project will be as follows:
-> Increasing annual passenger volumes
-> Improving existing berth, retail, and port infrastructure
-> Expanding berthing space for the largest cruise ships in the world
-> Creating opportunities for entrepreneurship for Saint Lucians in retail, agriculture, tour operations, food & beverage and more
In addition to this, it is also said that the project is expected to be completed within 24 months of the start of construction.
