Above: a Royal Caribbean ship

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Cayman Islands’ new cruise dock project in George Town continues to move forward.

The Tourism Ministry recently signed an agreement with local law firm Appleby’s to provide legal oversight on the project, and the government has already engaged accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers to provide oversight for all of the project’s financial matters.

The project, envisioned as a public-private partnership, would involve the dredging of Georgetown harbour and the construction of berthing piers.

Around 85 percent of total visitors to Grand Cayman arrive by sea. Cruise visitors have to tender to arrive to the island.

“I am delighted that we are moving forward strictly in according with the Public Management and Finance Law and are setting up the proper oversight to meet all framework for fiscal responsibility requirements,” said Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell. “This signals the Cayman Islands government’s emphasis on good governance.”

The next step will be the seeking of tenders to conduct an environmental impact assessment on cruise berthing, according to the government.