Janet Silvera, Gleaner WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
AFTER MONTHS of speculation regarding the cancellation of the promised cruise shipping port for Lucea, Hanover, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has confirmed to stakeholders that their fears were true.
Instead, the Prime Minister said he had secured the US$150 million ($9.3 billion), 2,000-room Spanish-owned Fiesta Hotel, which will employ 2,000 persons directly, as well as a cultural heritage site, a multimillion dollar attraction by Dolphin Cove and hundreds
of housing solutions from the National Housing Trust.
Combined, the projects will be the single largest investment to be made in the parish.
"After exploring a number of possibilities and speaking with a number of the major shipping lines, nobody was willing to make the level of investment to establish the home port facilities," Mr. Patterson explained while speaking at the Hanover Investment Forum at the Grand Lido Negril.
He said other challenges that faced the proposed port would have included the weather conditions that affect the Lucea Harbour during the winter months from December to March.
He also noted that substantial dredging would be required to achieve the required depth of 10.4 metres, which would not only severely impact the coral reefs, but would be extremely costly.
The study was carried out by the Port Authority of Jamaica.
