By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

CARNIVAL and Royal Caribbean cruise lines are planning to invest some $350m in the Grand Bahama Shipyard that will allow for the rebuilding of two new and bigger docks “capable of handling and servicing the largest ships in the world,” Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis revealed in the House of Assembly yesterday.

Calling the project “one of the biggest investments” in the island’s history, Dr Minnis said the multimillion-dollar development will provide a much-needed economic boost for Grand Bahama’s ailing economy.

The announcement will likely come as welcoming news for Grand Bahamians given the many setbacks the shipyard has suffered in recent years.

In 2019, a crane collapsed in the Grand Bahama Shipyard, causing extensive damage to the property’s main dry dock and visible damage to the world’s second largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas.

The incident also resulted in eight employees being injured. After the crane accident, Hurricane Dorian later damaged another one of the docks at the facility, further reducing its capacity.

However, yesterday, Dr Minnis insisted that Grand Bahama is “on the move” and “coming back.”

“I am pleased to announce that Carnival and Royal Caribbean have agreed to a new combined investment of approximately $350m in the Grand Bahama Shipyard,” Dr Minnis said in his opening remarks yesterday.

“To understand the scale of this investment, the House may recall that the original investment and other investments to date in the shipyard have totaled approximately $250m,” he added.

“The new investment will match this and exceed it by $100m. The proposed infrastructure works will replace the two damaged docks with even larger ones. The new docks will be capable of handling and servicing the largest ships in the world.

“This will result in a notable increase in employment and economic activity on Grand Bahama and for local businesses throughout Freeport and Grand Bahama. So let me say so all can hear, Grand Bahama is on the move and Grand Bahama is coming back. The government and the owners of the shipyard will work on a new partnership agreement that benefits the people of Grand Bahama. More details will be presented in the weeks and the months ahead.”

Dr Minnis also said expansion works on the Grand Bahama Shipyard are set to begin as early as October.

“This is a sign of progress, a sign of hope and a sign of confidence,” he added. “Grand Bahama, like the entire Bahamas, is on the way back. This is one of the biggest investments in Grand Bahama in its history.”

However, this was not the only promising news announced for Grand Bahamians yesterday.

While speaking in Parliament, Dr Minnis also revealed several upcoming projects aimed to assist with the island’s post-Dorian and COVID-19 recovery, highlighting plans for a new “mixed-use” resort and a private hospital for the island.

He said: “I am pleased to announce that the government has approved the new Discovery Bay Project in Grand Bahama. The Weller Group intends to develop a mixed-use resort consisting of a 25-key boutique hotel and restaurants, 30 residential estate lots, 12 townhouses, 12 bungalows, a beachfront rental pavilion, a 30-slip marina, to be situated in the existing canal system, and a back of house facility.

“It is estimated that this investment at the end of all its phases will exceed $100m.”

The Killarney MP also said: “I note that Doctors Hospital has announced their new hospital project in Grand Bahama. Work on this new private hospital will begin this year and is being done in partnership with Cleveland Clinic.”

He also announced the extension of the government’s current tax relief order aimed to support reconstruction efforts in Abaco and Grand Bahama.

The relief order, which is known as the SERZ, will continue to the end of December 2021, he reminded parliamentarians.

He also spoke on the government’s purchase of the Grand Bahama Airport earlier this year, noting that work has already begun to find the best partner for this project.

As for the Grand Lucayan hotel, Dr Minnis said: “Our administration signed an agreement for sale and a heads of agreement for the Grand Lucayan in Grand Bahama, for a $200m hotel and cruise port project with Royal Caribbean Cruise line and the ITM Group.

“Both projects have been delayed because of Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19. However, both developers have confirmed they are moving forward, and we expect the final negotiations for the harbour project and the hotel to be completed shortly.”

• The Progressive Liberal Party’s candidate for Pineridge Ginger Moxey said the Minnis administration has left no achievement in Grand Bahama over the past four years.

She released a statement after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis outlined plans and investments in the pipeline for Grand Bahama, including a $350m investment in the Grand Bahama Shipyard by two major cruise lines; a boutique hotel and a private hospital.

“The Prime Minister tried to pretend he cared about the fate of Grand Bahama today,” Ms Moxey said. “But believing that he cares would require us to ignore the evidence of the last four years; Minnis leaves behind here no achievements, only a record of neglect and incompetence.

“Not only have we had to endure the ravages of Hurricane Dorian, but also the gross mismanagement in its aftermath, coupled with the extreme measures taken against this island during the longest business-killing lockdowns during the pandemic,” she said.

Her statement said to date, the island “does not have a functioning hospital; people are still living in tents; and hurricane relief has not reached the Bahamians who need it the most.”

The Grand Bahama Shipyard project referred to in the Prime Minister’s address is simply a replacement exercise for docks from the accident that took place in April 2019, as dry docks normally take years to build, she said. It has finally reached this stage, so this is nothing new, she said.

“Grand Bahama and its people are still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, the pandemic and the disastrous response by the FNM administration and their five Grand Bahama MPs. With the extreme restrictive measures forced upon this island, in particular, many of our people are jobless, hungry, homeless, and hurting.

“The challenges facing Grand Bahama are enormous. We need a government that knows how to make and execute a plan. We need a government that cares all the time, not just at election time. This government has shown us only contempt and neglect. We are not so naïve as to imagine they will suddenly discover the capacity for competent, compassionate governance.

“It’s time for a change,” she said.