Construction of second cruise pier at Port Zante completed

St Kitts and Nevis: The second cruise pier at Port Zante is finished and will be operationalized when the requirement emerges.

Tuffida Stewart, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA), assured Wednesday, September 08, during an expression on the radio and television presentation ‘Working for You’.

“Pier two is ready and is open for vessels to berth for the forthcoming season and as early as next month,” Stewart said, referencing the expectation that further cruise ships will accommodate St Kitts on their itinerary.

She noted that the contractor undertook dredging work to concede for an additional layer of protection for the larger Oasis Class ships that regularly called on St Kitts in the previous events.

“We did ask the builder to dredge down to 37 feet, and in some ranges, they dredged to 36 feet. While the Oasis Class [vessel] can berth securely at that level, SCASPA has to look out for its concern and potential liabilities, and should we have a drop in the ocean levels it indicates in our prospect that we do not have sufficient clearance,” Stewart continued.

As such, projects to perform remedial dredge work will be carried out at the commercial port at Bird Rock and Pier I at Port Zante. At Pier I, the eastern side of the pier will be dredged to berth Oasis Class vessels. The work will now include Pier II at Port Zante.

“When that is completed, we would have on each pier the capacity of berthing an Oasis Class vessel on any surface,” she told.

Stewart further said that there were many minor renovations to be carried out but ensured that they do not affect the capacities of the pier in receiving the largest cruise vessels in the world.