Who can we believe?

With the opposing groups ready for battle both have produced scientific evidence in support of their cause.

And the cause is …. Of course you have guessed. Whether we go ahead with a cruise berthing port in George Town or watch the large cruise ships pass us by.

Both argue from different points of view but both actually end up with the same answer. It’s how we sift and obtain the hard facts from the conjecture and biasness that we have to make our decision – or rather how government makes the decision for us.

Let’s take the answer first.

Those for the cruise berthing facility in George Town say if we don’t do it now within the next ten years no cruise ship will stop by as the bigger and bigger ships will not be able to unload their passengers. That is correct. Even with larger tenders it is still going to take time – too much time. And cruise ships have passengers who want to disembark quickly and embark even more quickly. And time is money.

Have you watched George Town on a day when there are no cruise ships docked in harbour? Even at lunchtime it is like a ghost town with shop doors wide open and hardly anyone in them.

However, if they do dock at the new berthing facility, there will be nothing for the tourists to do as far as diving is concerned because the new dock will have destroyed everything. And you won’t be able to move it and if you did the coral sites will die and the cost will be enormous. So as far as George Town is concerned the divers will have to go elsewhere. And if you believe some of the reports the damage done to Cayman’s sea bed and treasures will not just be contained in George Town. Everything within 30miles or more will be destroyed.

So the cruise ships will stop coming here because there won’t be anything for the tourists to do except shop and they can do that at every other port in the Caribbean.

Conclusion: No cruise ships and no tourists.

Those for not building the cruise ship berthing facility say leave things just the way they are. We will still get the smaller ships and the divers will have plenty to do just the way they have always done.

But that is not how the world works. It is forever changing and the older smaller cruise ships are being phased out or put onto other areas that do not include the Caribbean. That is a fact.

So we will have lots of nice sites with plenty for the divers to do except there won’t be any.

Conclusion: No cruise ships and no tourists.

Hot on the heels of our Chief government environment watchdog’s interview by a paid body against the cruise ship berthing facility in George Town and her opinion about the difficulties of moving the coral and the existing dive sites, we have another expert report saying moving the coral can be done. I wonder if her knuckles got wrapped? Brave lady.

With sea temperatures rising and with it the bleaching of the coral this all might be a mute point anyway.

The Report all looks scientifically possible to a complete novice like me.

“The Benthic Habit Survey Report commissioned on behalf of the CI Government to examine marine habitats within the proposed cruise piers footprint estimates that a significant proportion of the impacted coral could be successfully translocated.

The seabed survey was undertaken by marine environmental consultants CSA Ocean Sciences Inc (CSA) which has extensive experience in coral reattachment as a means of accelerating habitat recovery. The report states that mitigation options which include coral translocation and the establishment of coral nurseries were considered by CSA to be suitable for the George Town Harbour Berthing Project.

Explaining the need for the survey Minister Kirkconnell clarified that while the EIA conducted by Baird stands as is, this supplemental report is like looking at the area through a magnifying glass.
“This is the largest project ever being considered for our Islands and government has a responsibility and duty of care to ensure that our collective decision is based on sound scientific evidence, not speculation or impassioned pleas, however well intended those might be. When Cabinet convenes to make its decision on the cruise piers it must be able to do so with full confidence that all of the relevant facts and information have been sourced and objectively presented for consideration. Additionally, proposed mitigation solutions will also have to satisfactorily demonstrate the likelihood of successful outcome, again based on objective data and evidence.”’

You can read all about it today in iNews Cayman under the heading ”Expert report says impacted coral COULD be successfully translocated from proposed Cayman Islands cruise ship berthing site”.

I can’t wait to see the other side tear it to bits. And they will.

Whoever speaks the loudest is the winner on this one I fear. If government are going to go ahead they had better start now. Whatever they decide is not going to be popular at all.