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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, October 29, 2019 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – With the impending completion and commissioning of the second cruise pier at Port Zante, Minister of Public Infrastructure, the Honourable Ian Patches Liburd is expressing his optimism for the future of the cruise tourism sector in St. Kitts and Nevis.

“I’ve already seen the bookings [for the 2019/2020 Cruise Season] and I feel positive that our grassroots economy would benefit most – the hair braiders, the primate vendors, those taxi drivers and restaurant owners – and I see only positive things coming,” Minister Liburd stated in an interview on Monday, October 28.

In a press release dated October 22, 2019, the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) stated that the cruise pier is already 98 percent complete.

As the minister responsible for public infrastructure, the Honourable Ian Patches Liburd said he is particularly delighted to see this major capital project near its completion date.

Minister Liburd said he is pleased “to see the development just about 100 yards from where I was born and to see the transformation of the entire bay front.”

The minister also said he is honoured that “I in fact was the CEO at SCASPA when we commissioned the first cruise pier and to now see I have moved to the position of minister with responsibility for SCASPA and commissioning, hopefully shortly, the second cruise pier.”  

The completion date for the second cruise pier was recently revised to November 08, 2019 from September 23 after three on-site operating badges received significant damage as a result of the passage of Tropical Storm Dorian last month.

The US$48 million project was undertaken on a Government-to-Government arrangement between the Canadian Government, acting through the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC), and the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis.