DoE booted off cruise port steering committee
Balboa Shipwreck and reef (Photo by Courtney Platt)
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Tourism Ministry has formed a new steering committee for the controversial cruise port development project but the Department of Environment is no longer represented. The original committee had not met for more than a year before it was reformed several weeks ago, and it is not clear why the new committee does not include this critical agency. DoE Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie confirmed Friday that she had received an email in June indicating that the committee was being “refreshed” and she was no longer required as a member.
However, the full negative environmental impacts of this project are still not understood.
CNS has sent questions to the tourism ministry about the change to the committee and the removal of the DoE and we are awaiting a response, but the ministry very rarely responds to this news organisation to queries about this project.
The DoE has persistently raised questions and pointed to the massive conservation threats the proposed development of two cruise piers in the George Town Harbour poses. In addition to the removal of swathes of coral to make way for the structure, the department has been particularly concerned about the impact of dredging on the marine environment.
The director confirmed that the necessary geological surveys needed to assess the real impact have never been conducted; and questions remain about whether or not the seabed will need to be blasted and how the sediment will impact way beyond the footprint of the project.
DoE researches have previously warned about the number of unknowns that will directly impact the marine habitat as well as engineering risks for the developers that will affect the length of the project and the costs.
The proposed coral relocation project has also failed to happen because the trial run poses a substantial number of problems. Testing with just one or a selection of random spurs cannot inform the whole project because all coral is different, which means it is impossible to generalize what will happen when attempts are made to move entire reefs based on the results of a small selection of pieces.
From the beginning, the environmental threat this project has posed has raised concerns across the community, even among those who support it in principle. The massive direct harm it will cause to the reefs and wrecks in the harbour in the area where the piers will be constructed is more obvious, but of equal concern are the much wider impacts from the construction process, the unanswered questions about the seabed and the remaining uncertainty about its impact on Seven Mile Beach.
The removal of the DoE and its cautionary advice as government moves closer to selecting a preferred bidder does not bode well when it comes to mitigating and minimising the potential destruction of the natural environment.
See cruise port project documents in the CNS Library
Related article: Cruise petitioners drumming up support this weekend
Category: development, Local News, Marine Environment, Science & Nature
That picture of the Balboa is hilarious, must be the one remaining piece of coral out in the harbor. I was out there a week ago, there really isn’t much to see.
all caymanians doing is sitting around in cayman supporting the RICH and politicians…or should i say..CAESARS taxes!????????????????
I find it funny how despite all the arguments, NO-ONE but maybe one or two people on these threads are even saying one thing about CHEC itself. CHEC is a wolf in a very bad sheep costume and the sheep dog has invited it into the flock. Seriously people, arguments aside, research China Harbour Engineering Company then ask yourself is this the company we want in Cayman? Bribery? Underhanded dealings? Every quality that would shut a business in Cayman down by the government in a heart beat..
I am a Caymanian and I am for a dock. I will say that again, I am a Caymanian and I am for a dock.
I think IF designed and built right, the environment won’t have to suffer as badly but for the love of God and all we hold dear.. NOT CHEC!!!! Once I researched CHEC my opinion changed and now the DOE is booted from the committee? Oh my ever loving God we need to halt the project as it is right now and look deeply into it and then proceed from there with the best plan of action and if that includes scrapping the project then so be it.
She should have been removed long ago and we would have our piers by now
One big problem is the environmental damage. And it will be significant.
An equal one is where will the cruise boat people go? Now Calico Jack, Royal Palms and Tiki Beach have closed there is only one place where they can enjoy our fabulous beach, the public beach next to the Kimpton hotel.
This used to be a great place to take the family. Now covered by hundreds of loungers for rent.
Or will the cruise boat people invade the beaches of the Ritz-Carlton, new Hyatt, Kimpton and new Four Seasons?
Our income comes from stay over tourists. Not the tattooed bikini lady in George Town.
On the issue of this cruise ship pier. I would like to see more ACTIONS by Cayman registered VOTERS , instead of comment . This is an issue that you just don’t sit down and write comment about , see the actions the Moses has taken . Done away with the best opposition DoE to project Get up go out and sign that PETITION FOR THE REFERENDUM .
Calico’s, RP’s, Hemingway, Tiki have been snapped up by a local developer who no doubt will be named as the company to build the dock…..now do you see the correlation? That’s where they will bus all the sangwich eatas.
Actually it won’t be significant at all. There is basdically a bridge that almost goes from Key Largo to Key West, with no negative enviromental impact whatsoever. You telling me this 300 foot dock (or however puny it actually is) with have a negative impact in Cayman ? Get real.
And when it’s built, the ecowackos will find some other alarm bell to set off.
I suggest you read the book ” the last train to paradise”, before making a bold statement about the florida keys.
I think that since the arrogant Minister won’t respond to CNS for answers , if a few hundred Citizens went to him Moses , with CNS to ask those questions , what would he say and do then ?
I would love to see that .
The biggest blockade to environmental protection in Cayman is the DOE itself!
It forces politicians in a corner and then they lash out.
Help find mitigating solutions that benefit the Cayman Islands, DOE.
Come off of your high-and-mighty pulpit, please.
For the benefit of us all.
Such a bold statement and yet no evidence is offerred, or at the very least a convincing argument.
I can tell you are a kirkbot , the biggest blockade to the PROJECT/PIER is the DoE , and that what Moses see . That’s why I think he got rid of Ms Gina . Stop drinking that Brac juice from Moses .
I wonder if he can be removed like how he removed Ms Gina Ebanks , he should be .
Alden and his cronies are no better that president Putin. If you don’t like the opposition remove them
The Cayman Islands Communist Republic has a ring to it.
MYOB and leave Putin alone.
Don’t see the world through CNN eyes.
No, not through CNN’s eyes, but of those who were contaminated and killed by Putins enforcers with nerve agent in the UK.
You blinkered fool, the man is a threat to us all through his total disregard for innocents or world order.
I might be wrong here but I thought that the point of a steering committee was to have experts from all relevant areas to guide the progress of the project and make sure nothing critical is overlooked. Having a bunch of people all in favor of the project no matter the cost, is a little short sighted. We need DOE on the committee to ensure the environmental cost has been considered. The fact that experts cannot agree on the environmental impact should be cause for concern; essentially it means nobody knows what could happen.
Exactly, having spent a fortune and experts cannot agree on the environmental impact, essentially means, no one knows what could happen, including Gina. We need to stop playing politics with this project. Educate yourself and stop allowing elected members to dictate, which is what has always happened here, with all administrations. The public becomes aware after the fact. The comments reflect the political ignorance of the Caymanian people.
Just built it.
Amen
A whole island full of lawyers, and with brilliant Caymanians at that, with nobody taking a legal good run at these buffoons intent on ruining Cayman?
C’mon! Rise Up People! Rise Up!
Get on social media and be heard!!
Get the world in your corner, state the facts, DOE removal especially, and get this travesty aired out in public.
A minute wasted is too much with this government!!
This government appears to have absolutely no plans, nor the desire, to fix the pressing issues which impact the honest, hard-working inhabitants. Instead, they seem to be hell bent on furthering their own wealth and those closest to them by hook or by crook. The nepotism, corruption and greed is so blatant that it shows the complete disregard they have for those that don’t move in the power circles. They fancy themselves as untouchable.
Sounds like every other banana republic in the Caribbean. So disappointing.
Anonymous 5:15 pm , I couldn’t agree anymore , and the Minister seems to be hell bent on parting George town harbour,one side for the kirkbots and the other side for the dartbots . I wonder if the petition gets the maximum signatures for the referendum, if he would say that was not possible .
Its after 4 pm, the shops are shut and just watch the shop workers try to spin this back after a day of anti port comments. Have you guys ever thought you are being used as slave labour?
4:52 pm , Yah , but we don’t care we love it here, and that’s the only way we can stay is to be slaves .
THE BIG NAMES WANT THIS PROJECT.
But the people want a say!
Vote for Democracy! Register!
Please stop this negative comments. We desperately need the port. But its going forward as Decco & CHEC are already signed and the ink is dry! Great job Unity Team!!
I support the need for cruise piers but shouldn’t someone ask the obvious question. If CHEC wasn’t good as a partner during the Mckeeva led government why are they good as a partner with Government now. In regards to DECCO if we have CHEC why do we need DECCO. CHEC has the money and the expertise what does DECCO bring to the project except more mouths to feed.
Exactly! @4:55 doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
*I pray Ezzard acts on this insanity!
The people need to act and sing the petition. Then vote against the dock. Do not leave it to Ezzard.
absolute idiocy “However, the full negative environmental impacts of this project are still not understood.” *not understood* How stupid can one be?? It a F#$#@$#$#$#$% Dock not a landfill !!!
Millions of docks around the world and no habitat ever collapse of because of a dock, anywhere.
What is moronic, is paying ten of millions upon tens of millions of dolars, decade by decade, for WORTHLESS enviromental impact studies that tell you absolutely nothing.
Ecowackjobism at its best.
Perhaps you would care to list those docks built over live coral reefs?
Bridges, light towers, coral even thrive inside of oil rigs. And guess where else too? Sunken “ARTIFICAL REEFS”.
You’re just another hysterical alarmist.
We catch lobsters in Florida by bridges and docks. They hangout in the keys by docks by the “thousands”. Coral and martine life everywhere.
There is absolutely no reason for marine life to be negatively impacted by the dock, further more it can easily be built to harbour MORE marine live.
http://www.ultimatechase.com/Press_Releases/March_2009.htm
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/08/science/marine-life-thrives-in-unlikely-place-offshore-oil-rigs.html
Good luck finding a live coral reef where the dock is going. you are drinking too much NIMBY koolaid. GT harbor where the piers are proposed is stone dead from 500 years of anchor chains.
Some of our politicians come from the same bunch that in the 80’s and 90’s repeatedly ignored recommendations from DOE/DEH and its predecessor to plan for and implement a first world solution to the dump. So is it any wonder why they listen and act on some cooked figures from DOT to support their crooked agenda?
They simply haven’t got a clue when it comes to prioritizing our core infrastructure projects, it’s all about what’s going into their pockets. The electorate don’t factor into their twisted equation. The sweet smell of quick green has made them deaf, dumb, blind and above all greedy.
To hell with political parties, and this coalition from hell we have now, these jokers are all cut from the same cloth.
Sounds like they’ve been taking lessons from the Donald Trump rule book.
Rule 1. If someone’s getting in your way, get rid of them.
Build Our Dock!!!!!
Just Another Day in Absurdistan
1:51pm
Find another ….stan country to blog about nah! Broken record that is you.
I kinda like my Cayman.
The Auditor General and Anti-Corruption Commission need to investigate every part of this dock project before they sign any contracts binding government.
Disgraceful by Moses and his government! It speaks volumes about the ego and agendas involved in this very bad port deal.
That must surely be illegal. But is does demonstrate the contempt that government holds for the environment and the DOE.
Underfunded and now dismissed from vital infrastructure spending oversight, what’s next?
you voted them in time after time caymanians?? we have no one to blame but ourselves…. that board walk at south sound! ha ha ha…oh well, better not laugh too much….haw haw haw!????????
Yes. And we knew the dock was on the agenda when we voted for them. I had my say at election. I voted for a dock.
Once upon a time we had a minister who cared about the environment but he was not reelected. Now take wa ya get. I believe there is a section of the Constitution dealing with protecting the environment. Maybe someone could challenge this in court.
Sign the petition today and let’s get the referendum. Any MLA that is is favor of the dock needs to be voted out. We put them there we have the power to remove them.
Hurry and get the petition for the referendum numbers at 25% of the voting population please so we can stop this nonsense dock from laying down roots.
Had no interest in signing the petition before; however, this event has changed my mind. I know Gina and respect her as an advocate for the environment, the fact that she has been booted off the Committee gives me real cause for concern.
I therefore now intend to sign as I believe a brighter light needs to be placed on this matter.
Wayne Panton former Minister for DOE must be furious with the PPM… oh wait no sorry he took his cushy chairmanship and abandoned his principles too.. looks like I voted for the right person in Newlands thank God.
We went from Spineless Panton to Joke Joke, no idea which is worse.
Oh that’s not shady AF!
The Department of Environment people are the only ones realistically looking out for our future. All the “build the dock” crowd knows is love of money.
What’s even worse is that it will be a very SHORT TERM love of money! After the destruction is done few if any tourists will come here as there will be nothing left to see or do and then even the rich merchants will quickly become the poor merchants, Total lack of common sense!!
What?! That is utterly ridiculous. Shows how much the government cares about the environment. Sell everything for a quick buck and worry about the consequences later.
We do not need any more environmental reports. Decco & CHEC just need to get moving with this as we need this beautiful new port to make us relevant in the cruise industry. Thank goodness our Unity team are strong and know what is best for the Cayman Islands.
Really? we are very relevant now or we would not have so many people arriving on our shores all year round.
This new beautiful dock you speak of can only be used in good weather, we are stuck using the Spotts dock or having them go right on by when there is bad weather. So, why bother railroading the people of Cayman into a project that will only benefit a few and so many will loose?
People like you are so against anything our wonderful government is doing to make our country better. You are soooo wrong.
“Record number of cruise passengers” and we need birthings to “make us relevant in the cruise birthing”. I am not anti- cruise birthing but please give me a better argument than that.
And should a minority of persons decide what’s ‘best’ for the country? Let TRUE democracy prevail and let the majority vote win. THAT is what is ‘best’ for my country. #democracy #nodictatorsplease #transparency
We will build the cruise dock as we need it. You anti government people need to stop now. Just as Honorable Kirkconnell said at the airport ceremony, all your kind do is complain. Well we are moving forward!
If it’s birthing we want it is hospitals we should be building!
So interested to see how they’re going to pull this off w/o The People knowing…
Well, here’s the start of it.
Guess what – it is already done.
Moses must have the 5 Star General on repeat on his current playlist because with actions like this he looking for war.
They did the right thing! let them focus on Iguanas on land, when they get that right we will put them out to sea….
Sign the petition people! A referendum must be held and this madness must be stopped once and for all!
The sooner we get this to a referendum the better!!!
Enough is too much!!!
Why would they want anyone with sense to serve on a committee that is so clueless and gullible.??
And the plot thickens.
Once again the muppets we elected are discarding procedure and protocol to push ahead with something that obviously would raise warning flags to all the watchdog departments by getting rid of the watchdog departments. This is your shadow government at work sheeple, and yet I am sure the kirkbots will begin their thumbs down campaign against reason and proper procedure. I don’t blame them, they are told to do so because I guess it’s in their contracts to promote Kirk’s interests but this is getting out of hand rather quickly. Kermit, Gonzo and Fozzie Bear are hard at work I will admit. Looks like I need to get extra tags.
– Muppet Hunter
Sadly this is Moses K and his minions version of transparency and good governance. SMH
of course….the lodge/ppm government does not want anyone asking questions or being a hinder to the (grand) master plan??????? us poor caymanians….
DOE should be separate and be able to render an uncompromised opinion.
Driven by greed. ***STAY OVER TOURISM IS WHAT’S NEEDED***
Corruption is systemic in Cayman
Too true. This is a done deal. Pockets are lined and palms have been greased. Seems like nobody has principles.
This entire project and the agendas playing out are a complete disgrace. They are lying to the public and afraid to share information. This is turning into a disaster from before the contracts are signed. We can only imagine the disaster if this proceeds. Stop the madness stop the dock now!
Despite the spin that the pro-porters started this weekend, the impact on the environment is the biggest concern of most people…we will only destroy it once. The removal of the DOE from the committee says all you need to know about this project-they are going to spin, lie and cheat to force this through and line their own pockets, and the rest of Cayman be damned. Disgraceful behavior and yet they claim transparency?
Maybe if when the Port had requested the assistance and permission of DOE to do the coral relocation test, they DoE had worked with them rather than say you have to have a project ‘first’ before we can consider it, then there might be a need to have them on the committee. Doe, needs to not get into the politics of this project but simply advocate strongly for the environment and not against something they have already privately stated they are opposed to
This is a renegade government that think they are a law onto themselves that will not take into consideration any environmental or financial concerns. If they will not take advice from the Director of DOE what does Moses, Ministry of Tourism and Cabinet have to hide?
They must truly be afraid of the truth if they will not allow DOE to do their job and raise questions about the protection of the environment to the same government that passed the National Conservation Law in 2017.
Time to vote the all out!
We need a recall provision for MLAs put into law.
And vote in who? This referendum committee?! caymans new saviors?!
I think this has passed voting them out. They need to be escorted out in handcuffs. I’ve said it before and I will say it again. TREASON!
#cleanslate2021
#votethemout2021
#newblood2021
#nomorepartypolitics2021
All righty then.
This place is becoming more and more corrupt by the minute!! It is clear that ANYONE who stands in this governments way will be removed! Case in point; Anwar Choudhury.
That is correct, so all complainers need to saddle up and ride off. Unity team, Decco & CHEC all the way.
WTF!
Stop this madness! how can anyone justify removing this department from this committee?
Why is the UK and FCO allowing the Caymanian politicians to run this OT like a third world territory!?
Another day in this frigging mess of a place!
Time for the UK to step in. Again.
I’d say that sends a clear message!
9:42 Money talks?