By BRIAN MAJOR From Travel Pulse

The Cayman Islands government has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for consultants to develop a financial model to fund the cruise ship pier and terminal project planned for George Town harbor, according to local news reports.

On Monday, the Cayman Islands government published an RFP that seeks commercial, financial and legal consultants to provide services for “the development of the financial model and tender documents” related to the cruise pier project. The Cayman government approved the cruise port project last year amidst objections from environmental groups opposed to the project’s plan to dredge parts of the harbor.

Indeed, the port’s construction plans were revised in July to move the piers into deeper water, a change intended to reduce dredging and ameliorate the project’s environmental impact. When complete, the piers will accommodate four of the cruise industry’s largest class of vessels.

Moses Kirkconnell, the Cayman Islands tourism minister, has said the project is expected to cost $150 to $200 million. The government has engaged Dutch firm Royal Haskoning DHV to perform engineering work that will determine the facility’s final cost following the July re-design.

A report from PwC, another project consultant, proposed funding the pier project via a combination of the fees currently paid to cruise-ship tender operators and a portion of the $14 per-passenger “head tax” the government charges cruise-ship visitors.

Kirkconnell has previously said the government is working with cruise lines to create a funding model.

While the negotiations are ongoing, cruise giant Carnival Corp. is likely to play a key role in the new development, he said.

Roger Frizzell, Carnival’s chief communications officer, said the company “remains open, as always, to playing a role in these types of activities as a partner in the community.”

IMAGE: The Cayman cruise pier project has been revised following concerns regarding its environmental impact. (Photo courtesy of the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism.)

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