• Bahamas Marine plans to dredge 40,000 cubic yards

• Seeks approval for site off Arawak Cay, near Sand Trap

• Bahamian contractor's project found to pose 'little risk'

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A prominent Bahamian contractor is seeking approvals to dredge more than 40,000 cubic yards of fill to make way for a 48-slip marina located at the rear of a former US embassy property opposite Arawak Cay.

Bahamas Marine Construction, which has constructed marinas for projects such as The Pointe and Hurricane Hole, unveiled plans to dredge a near-200,000 square foot area to Arawak Cay's south in documents submitted to the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) as it bids to obtain the required Certificate of Environmental Clearance.

The dredging will create the necessary depth and channel to service the Ship Ahoy Marina, which takes its name from the West Bay Street property - located immediately west of the Sand Trap restaurant and bar - that previously housed US embassy staff and marines stationed at the diplomatic facility.

Jimmy Mosko, Bahamas Marine Construction and Island Site Development's (ISD) principal, yesterday referred Tribune Business inquiries to the companies' chief executive, Naveen Gupta, who declined to give details on the level of investment involved or amount of construction and full-time jobs that the Ship Ahoy Marina will create because the necessary permits have yet to be obtained.

This newspaper's contacts, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk publicly, confirmed that the US government had sold Ship Ahoy in late 2021 to a Pittsburgh-based investor called Jim Genstein. Mr Gupta referred to a "Jim" as the property's owner and, when questioned by this newspaper, confirmed it was Mr Genstein.

The Bahamas Marine/ISD chief described Mr Genstein as "the landowner" but said "that's not his marina" - confirming that the Bahamian contractor is the developer/owner of the actual project. Mr Gupta did not elaborate further, but his comments indicate that Bahamas Marine and the US investor must have struck a deal or development agreement that has given the contractor use of the property and the go-ahead to develop the marina subject to government approval.

"I cannot give you any information on the project because I'm under a non-disclosure agreement (NDA)," Mr Gupta told this newspaper. "I cannot do anything right now. We're still at the permitting stage. Right now, it's a little bit too early to say anything and make any plans on anything.

"I think it's a little too early at the moment. I don't want to publish anything until we have the permit. We have to make sure the authorities issue the permit before we discuss anything." The project's Environmental Management Plan (EMP), dated April 2023 and prepared by Bahamian consultancy, JSS Consulting, asserts that dredging of the seabed between the former US embassy property and Arawak Cay is necessary so the proposed marina can accommodate "larger boats".

The EMP does not give any details about the potential size of these vessels, but states that "no upland work" - meaning land-based construction - is planned for the project's initial phase with the focus being placed solely on the marina's development.

The docks will be made from timber, and the dredged material ultimately trucked to Arawak Cay for unspecified "use in the community". Fill and material extracted from the seabed will, according to the EMP, initially be deposited and stored on the tennis court previously enjoyed by US embassy personnel before it is removed by road to nearby Arawak Cay.

"The site is approximately 190,000 square feet on the coastline and is completely altered, with existing buildings on the property," the EMP asserts. The document contains minor discrepancies on how many slips the proposed marina will have, its introduction stating initially that there will be 48 but then, just five pages later, disclosing there will be 46.

"Project activities include the construction of a 48-slip (46) timber dock marina on the property. The area will require dredging to allow for larger boats to dock within the marina. The area to be dredged is approximately 198,124 square feet, and approximately 40,373 cubic yards of material will be removed," the EMP stipulates.

"Dredge material will be stored on-site then transported via dump truck to Arawak Cay, where it will be used in the community. No upland works are scheduled to occur. The marina is scheduled to be built in two phases; however, this EMP only covers activities proposed for phase one."

Based on the EMP, the project's maintenance area will employ the court immediately adjacent to the Sand Trap that has played host to street hockey and other sports. Construction activities are also only scheduled to take place between 7am and 7pm to minimise the impact of noise pollution for surrounding businesses and residents.

JSS Consulting also said its assessment of the seabed in the vicinity of the proposed Ship Ahoy Marina showed the development poses "little risk" to the marine environment. It added that the presence of a pile of Queen Conch shells suggested the site may have "previously been a dumping ground" for this purpose.

"The project area consists of a rocky shoreline on the northern end of New Providence, Bahamas. Overall, there was little activity throughout the assessment site. Fish diversity was moderate while abundance was low. Greatest abundance and diversity of fish were observed along the rocky shoreline," the report said.

"There were no corals observed during the assessment. This could be due to the lack of hard substrate in the area. The area was previously dredged as seen from silt on the sea floor, the increased depth at the centre of the channel and the heap of bare sand near the shore....

"Overall, these findings were expected for the assessed ecosystem. The impact this project will incur is considered to be low risk to the surrounding environment." Tribune Business was told that the Ship Ahoy complex has several residential buildings behind its gate and high walls, along with a generator room and other facilities.

Well-placed sources suggested that Mr Genstein had initially planned to develop a retail plaza and restaurants on the site. They added, though, that the location may not be best-suited from this given that it overlooks the back side of Arawak Cay and numerous wrecks, decaying boats and barges.

"You have all those destroyed boats left to decay, all those old barges just sitting there. There were a lot of eyesores across the waterway," one said. However, a 48-slip marina would generate significant consumer traffic to support a retail and shopping-plaza type concept.

The Ship Ahoy Marina proposal also indicates there is significant confidence about the level of private boating and yachting demand for The Bahamas, and the need for additional slips to meet and accommodate this. The project's emergence follows the redevelopment of Hurricane Hole's marina, and the recently-unveiled plans by Paradise Island Yacht Club to develop a 69-unit complex at its facility to replace the Columbus Tavern and existing facilities.

Another source, also speaking on condition of anonymity, queried whether The Ship Ahoy project is being developed to provide marina services to residential owners and guests at either Baha Mar or GoldWynn - nearby resort developments that lack marinas of their own.

"All I heard was somebody was talking about putting a marina back there," the source said, "but it's so filled in there; there's like three feet depth, so they will have to do some dredging. I thought it would only be for little boats and stuff."