---

Why on Earth would the Bermuda National Trust be spending its hard-won funds on experts to study the impact of cruise ships?

Of course the Trust has an interest in knowing and responding to environmental issues attending the new breed of giant cruise ships, but why should it have to be spearheading such a study?

The National Trust is doing it because Government isn’t. And Government ought to be doing it.

In 2001, Government signed on to The Environment Charter, along with other Overseas Territories. In so doing, Government, on behalf of the people of Bermuda, made a declarative commitment. Items #4 and #5 of that commitment read:

“The government of Bermuda will:

4) Undertake environmental impact assessments before approving major projects and while developing our growth management strategy.

5) Commit to open and consultative decision-making on developments and plans which may affect the environment; ensure that environmental impact assessments include consultation with stakeholders.”

Certainly, the plan to re-engineer parts of Bermuda’s coast to accommodate the new mega-ships is a ‘major project’.

However, to date, no environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been conducted or promoted by Government.

When pressed, one government official or another will say that an EIA is planned but not until the plans are further along.

Government’s transportation officials publicly declare that they have consulted widely, including with the Trust.

Unconvinced

However, I am not convinced that the National Trust or any other environmental watchdog has been taken on board as consultants in the same vein as other ‘stakeholders’, i.e. the cruise ship representatives, business people, and town officials.

Meanwhile, Tourism and Transport Minister Ewart Brown’s public statements about the mega-ship plans aren’t comforting. In the winter of 2000 he was quoted: “Government prefers to avoid mega-ships because of environmental and infrastructure issues.”

Now he not only seems to be promoting mega-ships but also treats their introduction as a fait accompli. He never mentions an EIA.

While all of us may want to trust our leaders, we haven’t forgotten that this Minister once said: “We had to deceive you.”

Mega-ships bring tourists, boosting our arrival numbers. So what could possibly be wrong with them?

Their philosophy: The ships don’t see themselves as bringing visitors to our shores, but rather they see us as a backdrop for the ship. They view the ship as the destination, and do everything to promote the ship, not the port-of-call, as the attraction. Some cruise ship companies have been known to strong-arm local governments, forcing concessions that skew regulatory and financial benefits in their favour.

Their size: The ships themselves are huge. All three of Bermuda’s ports will require some modifications just to accommodate the physical ship. Hamilton and St George’s Harbours will require a widening of their entrances and remodeling of their docks. Alterations to St George’s Town Cut could lead to massive flooding of the town during strong hurricanes.

Their capacity: Ships containing 2,000 - 3,600 passengers plus 1,500 crew members can overwhelm the services (e.g. food, shopping, transport and security) in our ports. If a port has facilities to cater to such large numbers, those facilities would be virtually idle when a ship wasn’t in port. A typical cruise ship on a one-week voyage produces approximately eight tons of garbage, as well as one million gallons of ‘graywater’ (wastewater from sinks, showers, galleys and laundry), 210,000 gallons of sewage, and 25,000 gallons of oil-contaminated water. In addition, untold amounts of hazardous waste are generated on board from onboard printing, photo processing and dry cleaning operations. Those solid and liquid wastes have to be disposed of.

How all this will affect Bermuda’s environment and infrastructure is not yet known — that’s why an EIS is necessary.

The National Trust deserves our applause and thanks for taking the lead.

Government deserves prodding to fulfil the obligations of the Environment Charter it signed on to.[[In-content Ad]]

---