By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The proposed $250m Long Island cruise port is being touted as the first “large-scale project” with “regenerative” potential to impact the southern Bahamas since Morton Salt arrived in Inagua almost 70 years ago.

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Calypso Cove development, which previously staged its groundbreaking at Long Island’s southern tip, said the project if it comes to fruition could revive an area that has been “decimated” since the former Diamond Crystal salt mine, which subsequently became the Maritek Bahamas shrimp farm, shut down in the mid-1980s with the loss of substantial employment and economic activity.

The analysis, produced by Bahamian environmental engineer Keith Bishop, of Islands by Design, described the project as potentially the largest investment to impact the area since Morton Salt arrived on Inagua in 1954 when it acquired the existing salt plant from the three Erickson brothers.

“Calypso Cove is located in a remote area of Long Island with very few inhabitants and extremely limited economic opportunities,” the EIA stipulated. “This project will increase both the population and economic activity through direct and indirect impacts with the project and its service providers/sub-contractors and the community.

“Additionally, certain public infrastructure will be necessary for the resident and transitory workers, namely, housing, utilities and general population support services (schools, vocational training, professionals and tradesman). Calypso Cove may become a positive regenerative engine for this area of Long Island area, with little or no socioeconomic or cultural disadvantage.

“It should be noted that this project will be the first large-scale project providing employment in the southern Bahamas since the inception of Morton Salt on Inagua.” Installing the necessary supporting infrastructure and utilities, along with housing for employees and their families, will be among the major challenges facing Calypso Cove’s developers.

The EIA acknowledged that southern Long Island and its various communities have been “decimated” over the past almost 40 years following Maritek Bahamas’ closure and the absence of replacement economic activity, which has resulted in the area’s depopulation such that the number of those living there can be counted in the tens.

“Clarence Town is the nearest major community to Calypso Cove and is approximately 20 miles to the north. Recent population statistics show the total population of Long Island is around 2,900 persons per the last census, with approximately 30 persons inhabiting Clarence Town,” the report added.

“Three other smaller settlements exist between Clarence Town and Calypso Cove and include Gordon’s settlement directly north and adjacent to the project site, Cabbage Point settlement approximately five miles to the north, and Dunmore settlement 12 miles to the north.

“The past economic base of south Long Island in its entirety was solely based on employment opportunities generated by the former Diamond Crystal salt plant (1965 to 1978). The plant was later repurposed as the Maritek Bahamas shrimp farm (1979 to 1984), which is now closed,” the EIA continued.

“This led to a depopulation of south Long Island and the immediate areas, and decimated a number of small hamlets and settlements (Roses, Berries, Wallace, Miley, Hard Bargain, McKenzies and several others). Currently the only organised employment opportunities in south Long Island are two very small dry goods/grocers, one gas station and three bars. No supply stores are in the area. Present economic activity remains subsistence farming, fishing, and construction on a reduced basis.”

Calypso Cove’s principals are Sherif Assal, a provider of security services to the global cruise industry for 22 years, and Carlos Torres de Navarra, a former head of port and destination development for Carnival Cruise Lines, and also an ex-chief executive of Holistica, the joint venture between Royal Caribbean and ITM Group. Little has been heard of the project since the groundbreaking, but the EIA’s public release indicates progress is being made.

Tribune Business understands that the developers have been moving to secure commitments from the major cruise lines to call at and use Calypso Cove, but one potential stumbling block remains the need to upgrade Long Island’s Deadman’s Cay airport which will be needed to swiftly transport passengers suffering medical and other emergencies. The airport is among those targeted for the Government’s $263m Family Island infrastructure upgrade.

“Full build-out of the proposed project will consist of two phases. phase one consists of development on a 350-acre privately owned tract near the southern tip of the island that will house the berthing area for a maximum of three cruise ships and other visitor use areas, and use of adjoining lands that are presently Crown Lands,” the EIA said.

“No site plan currently exists for phase two. However, the intent is for the future development on the tract situated immediately northeast of the phase one cruise ship destination parcel and potential use of a non-contiguous 230-acre parcel located approximately three miles to the north.”

Giving further insight into the developers’ plans, the EIA added: “The berthing facility has been designed for a maximum capacity of three passenger cruise ships. The ships that are expected to use the slips use bow and stern thrusters and, therefore, require no tugs or pilot services. A Bahamian-owned pilotage company providing exclusive services to land at the port may be established. Under normal conditions, the ships are expected to pull into the berths in a bow-forward direction.

“As part of the project, a separate roll on/roll off pier will be constructed along the western side of the shoreline to provide deliveries of essential equipment and supplies. This pier will operate independently of the large ship berthing area and is shown on the conceptual plan.

“The cruise ships that are expected to use the facility have a draft of up to 30 feet and require up to 36 feet of water depth (at lowest low) in sheltered areas protected from large swells. In areas exposed to swell conditions, the vessel requires 45 feet of water depth. Some land filling and an access pier from the filled area will allow the ships to dock with a limited amount of dredging near the stern areas of the vessels.”

The EIA added that a 64-acre lagoon, which will be excavated from existing salt ponds and be used for swimming, snorkelling and other water sports, will be a key feature of the development. “The lagoon may be reduced in size pending future changes to the master plan,” the report added. “Existing material will be removed and mixed with other excavated material for filling and mostly onsite grading.

“The replacement of existing soils with clean sand will reduce suspension of materials, address existing hypersaline conditions and improve water clarity, converting the existing hypersaline salt pond into a marine ecosystem.”