Is Hayward's cruise ship idea gaining traction?

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 30: Plans to build a cruise ship berth off the north shore of St George’s could be adopted, government has said.

Transport Minister Derrick Burgess told the Bermuda Sun that the proposal put forward by former St George’s Mayor, Henry Hayward, would be considered as part of a range of options to accommodate bigger cruise ships.

He said: “Ideally, the Government and ship owners would like ships docking in Hamilton and St George’s.

“Government hasn’t made a final decision on St George, but Henry Hayward’s idea may be the one we go with — I don’t know.”

He added that other options included widening Town Cut to allow bigger ships to pass through – but that more work needed to be done to assess the effects of tides and storms if the passage was widened.

Mr Burgess said: “This is something we have to listen to the people about – we have to consider what is right for Bermuda.

Town Cut

“For example, if we make Town Cut bigger, what will happen if there is a storm? We have to look at a lot of factors.”

Mr Hayward has consistently advocated the need for a new cruise berth on the north shore of St George’s rather than widening Town Cut.

He told the Sun: “By positioning the new berth off the north shore in from Murray’s Anchorage we could accommodate the much larger cruise ships like the Celebrity Eclipse and the Norwegian Epic.

“That would take the pressure off the transport system in Dockyard and bring new life into St George’s which is desperately needed.

“I have looked into the realities of constructing this new berth and believe work could be started very quickly and completed in just 18 months.

“It would costs $53 million and would therefore save millions of dollars compared to widening Town Cut.

“Khyber Pass would act as the main artery route bring people into the town.

“We would need to build tour buses and taxi parking coming off the berth and include a terminal shed and security check but this is a very realistic alternative and it could be considered right away.”