Global Port Holdings will increase its manpower in the coming days, to ensure that the Peer is ready to welcome an OASIS class ship in November.
Tourism Minister Charles Max Fernandez said with the completion of the $30m Oasis-class berth at St. John’s, Antigua Cruise Port reports bookings for the second half of 2021 and 2022 are rising.
“The Permanent Secretary, Mr Christopher, a representative from GPH and I made a trip down to the harbour just to ensure that everything is going as planned. They have increased the number of persons working and the number of ships and by the end of this month, they are looking to go 24/7. This is all to ensure that we complete everything in time for that visit on November 24. We saw the dredges working and the barges also in operation. It was very impressive,” Fernandez added.
Antigua Cruise Port’s next area of focus is the $2m upgrade of Heritage Quay Shopping Mall and the $25m commercial development at Pointe.
Plans include new retail and food and beverage facilities, plus an additional 50,000 square feet of commercial space to be leased to Antiguans and Barbudans.
Meanwhile, Fernandez says minor changes had to be made to the GPH contract because of the Covid-19 pandemic “Well, we had to amend because all agreements, the most amendment would have in the act of God clause and the pandemic was something considered as an act of God. Due to this, the timeline had to be extended because everything was put on hold and the ships couldn’t come. So we had to extend it just for the time we would have been close for the pandemic,” the Minister expressed.
