Mystery landowner set to gain big from cargo project
(CNS): Finding out who owns the land surrounding the Breakers site that the Cayman Islands Government is proposing to develop as a cargo facility is proving very difficult, given the barriers that exist here when it comes to land and company searches. However, CNS has learned that one mysterious company acquired hundreds of acres in the area just over a week after the last election.
CWS Cayman Ltd purchased at least eleven parcels of land at the end of April 2021, putting it in a favourable position if this proposed project goes ahead.
But Lands and Survey holds no information on this company, and the General Registry charges $30 to $50 per search to learn just the PO box number and possibly a director’s name. Given that this is just one of many companies, individuals, families and other entities that own land around the proposed site that CNS is trying to identify, the cost is prohibitive.
Therefore, we submitted a freedom of information request to the General Registry for information on this company to address the secrecy that currently surrounds land ownership in the Cayman Islands, especially where it has a direct impact on the public.
Within just 24 hours, the FOI request was denied, and we were invited to pay for a search. However, since we intend to seek out information on landowners around the East-West Arterial extension as well as the landowners around the proposed cargo facility, we will continue to press the government to reveal this information without payment, given the obvious public interest.
According to the limited information about landowners in the area that we have managed to gather so far, many parcels around the dock project have been in the hands of local, albeit politically connected, and prominent families for many years.
However, several parcels are now owned by large commercial entities, including companies connected to the Dart group. Others are in the hands of less well known individuals, overseas owners and other opaque land holding companies.
CNS has also seen documentation indicating that several prominent individuals from the community have been pressing for a cargo project in this area for many years. These individuals appear to have been instrumental in the proposal finding its way into the Strategic Outline Case drawn up by the then port director Joey Wood as well as some appointments to the Port Authority of the Cayman Islands board.
The SPS on the cargo expansion provided an overview of a number of options for what some argue is a pressing need to expand cargo operations in Cayman to meet the growing demand for goods in the face of a growing population.
At two meetings in George Town and Bodden Town last month, Ports Minister Kenneth Bryan said there were concerns that the current George Town port had “reached its functional capacity”. Therefore, as the local economy and population grow, it will no longer be able to handle the amount of stuff this country imports.
Unless there is a fundamental shift in the governance of the country and new policy decisions that actually are sustainable, the port will likely struggle to handle imports within the next decade. Government could take a different view of growth but this administration, like its predecessors, remains on an unsustainable path, allowing unlimited population growth, continuous development and unchecked consumption.
According to the consultants currently working on the outline business case for the project, if the project goes ahead, it will also attract other related industries to the area, such as a new concrete plant fuelling the vicious circle of development.
This additional development and the infrastructure required to support such an ambitious project will ensure that the value of the surrounding land will increase significantly.
During the Bodden Town meeting, former speaker of the House Mary Lawrence noted that the discussion about a commercial cargo port in Breakers is not new and has been circulating for many years. As a result, people have bought land knowing full well the profits that are likely to be made if this project goes ahead.
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Category: development, Local News, Politics
BIG corruption usually sucks in the detractors, and this has already, and nothing will be done until saltwater completely floods or inundates Northward.
Cargo ports typically attract a range of businesses that support and benefit from the transportation, logistics, and supply chain activities happening there. These businesses are essential for the smooth functioning of the port and related industries. Common types of businesses found around cargo ports include:
1. **Shipping and Freight Companies**
– **Shipping Lines**: Companies that own and operate fleets of ships to transport goods internationally.
– **Freight Forwarders**: Businesses that arrange the transport of goods for exporters and importers.
– **Customs Brokers**: They help businesses comply with customs regulations, handle paperwork, and facilitate the clearance of goods.
2. **Logistics and Warehousing**
– **Distribution Centers**: Facilities that store goods temporarily before they are moved further inland.
– **Third-Party Logistics (3PL)**: Companies that manage logistics and supply chain services, including transportation, warehousing, and inventory management.
– **Cold Storage Facilities**: Specialized warehousing for perishable goods like food and pharmaceuticals.
3. **Transportation and Infrastructure**
– **Trucking Companies**: Transport goods between the port and inland destinations.
– **Rail Services**: Ports often have connections to rail networks for long-haul transport.
– **Container Storage**: Facilities that handle and store empty containers for future use.
4. **Manufacturing and Assembly**
– **Light Manufacturing**: Some companies set up manufacturing or assembly plants near ports for easy access to imported raw materials or exported finished goods.
– **Packaging Companies**: Businesses that package products, often for export or distribution after import.
5. **Marine Services**
– **Ship Maintenance and Repair**: Shipyards, dry docks, and repair facilities for vessel maintenance.
– **Pilot and Tugboat Services**: Companies that assist in guiding ships into and out of port safely.
– **Fuel Suppliers**: Businesses providing bunker fuel and other marine supplies to vessels.
6. **Trade-Related Services**
– **Import/Export Agencies**: Facilitate trade between domestic and international businesses.
– **Commodity Traders**: Some ports specialize in specific types of cargo like oil, grain, or metals, which attracts trading companies.
– **Inspection and Certification Services**: Companies that ensure goods meet quality and regulatory standards.
7. **Retail and Wholesale**
– **Duty-Free Shops**: Typically found near international shipping routes, selling goods without local taxes or duties.
– **Wholesale Importers**: Businesses that buy goods in bulk directly from ships for local distribution.
8. **Support and Ancillary Services**
– **Banks and Insurance Companies**: Specializing in trade finance, insurance for cargo, and risk management.
– **Legal and Consulting Firms**: Focus on maritime law, trade regulations, and port operations.
– **IT and Technology Providers**: Companies offering software and hardware solutions for port operations, customs clearance, and logistics tracking.
9. **Environmental Services**
– **Waste Management Companies**: Handling ship-generated waste and pollutants.
– **Recycling Facilities**: Especially for ship materials or containers that are being decommissioned.
10. **Hospitality and Food Services**
– **Hotels and Restaurants**: Catering to business travelers, port workers, and crew members.
– **Catering and Provisioning**: Supplying food and other essentials for ship crews during their stay at port.
These businesses form a vital ecosystem around cargo ports, enabling the efficient movement of goods globally.
And then you have to truck all the containers back to GT via the Grand Harbour roundabout.
This Breakers port scheme is the kind of large infrastructure project that goes to die in Cayman.
And your point is….
the cruise industries threats are without basis. Many ports in the mediterrean can only be accessed by tender, nothing unusual
And a lot of them are starting to either limit or ban cruises altogether because of the destruction and over crowding that comes with cruises
Yep. They ker going to Santorini Greece for example even tho it’s a tough tender, then funicular or donkey walk or trek
The Land Registers will state the registered office address of the company in question. It’s usually fairly easy to piece together who is behind things based on that.
PO Boxes are not allowed to be used as Registeted Offices, has to be a physical address.
Only Island in history taken over without a fight. Grand Cayman, where the ex-pat far outnumbers the local, has their own economies built, while the locals sleep walk around at CUC and Government paid jobs. its so laughable if it wasn’t so sad.
LTD DA Unboozler
That’s been the story of the Caribbean since Columbus stumbled ashore and started nabbing gold from the natives. The only difference in Cayman’s case is that it has been a settler population from day one. And the original settlers have now been outnumbered by new settlers who the old settlers imported.
Read some actual factual history – Columbus failed miserably at finding gold. Yes, others did, but your account of history is woefully poor.
I am not convinced that land values will increase if a port ever goes there. Certainly from a residential standpoint, a nearby port will likely devalue the land as residents will be less likely to want to live near an industrial port.
And this concept is years and years and years away from ever happening. From decision making to studying to planning to tendering and constructing such a large-scale project, this is at least 10 years away at best.
Actually it will be 9 years of planning and study then the project will fall apart.
If it looks, smells and feels like corruption…you know where I’m going with this.
I will happily help cns pay for the searches. Unfortunately the searches will not reveal who owns the company but maybe some other information can be gleaned. This is why this Island needs an open registry. Corruption is rampant and not getting any better.
Drat! (Or an anagram of that word)
Great work, keep it up!
Notice also that the push for the cruise dock continues. Predictably, Cayman is expected to commit to massive infrastructural spending based solely on some threats from a couple cruise industry executives in Miami.
If the industry cattle wagons are really to be so big that the occupants can only be disgorged onto a dock, then why do they carry lifeboats?
The threats levelled at Cayman are as nasty and hollow as the overall cruise experience.
So what is the problem with this? Just business as usual. Is this a problem because it is not done the DEI way? Those who didn’t earn it don’t get it? Honest Question. Insider trading?The owners knew something that most didn’t and had the money or ability to get a loan? Isn’t that just normal here? Another honest question. Maybe the answers are in who is the ones complaining.
The simple answer is that local and foreign educated folks actually think ahead 10-15 years for investing. CIG is completely out of its league. Better lawyers, better accountants, better project managers, forward thinkers who saw an uneducated electorate who can/was easily herded off the cliff. And Caymanians lined up for the jump.
So, are we demonizing people for owning land?!! Particularly in certain parts of the island. No matter what hedging someone does with purchasing land, it is no guarantee that the Government will be building the port or anything around it. We all know that before anything is done in Cayman, there has to be decades of talking, more talking, and then debates on the issue. Take for instance the EWA… after decades of talk, we are finally getting this much needed road. Yes, much needed.
We’re not but you have to admit the timing of the buying of the land is suspicious.And we shouldn’t need to spend an arm and a leg to find out who owns the land. Money laundering is more likely to be done with land now that they can’t use the bank. I find it ironic that Andre want to levy fees on the Caymanians through banks and Credit Union but the foreign land owners can hide behind ghost companies.
Nice try. BTW EWA is not needed.
how is it not? you must live in west bay.
Sounds like you are a shareholder in CWS Cayman Limited
Correct 7.53….those of us who missed out on this commercial opportunity can’t blame those who took advantage of a possible future benefit.
The land was after all transferred by a willing seller who also profited from the transaction.
Don’t let envy poison your day.
Baird’s Report on condition and capacity at George Town Port disagrees significantly with Bryan’s amateur self-assessed end of life capacity statements, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone. The ACC should be drilling into the laundering and obscuration of UBO information at the Lands Registry. eg.DRCL uses hundreds of nominee companies in this way, and for PLA applications. For a jurisdiction fighting internationally to defend the suitability of its AML regime, it’s a completely different standard of enabling opacity being applied within CIG branches.
Cayman is fully in the clutches of developers, local and foreign, who will stop at nothing in their quest for the almighty dollar. They are fully aided and abetted in their schemes by the politicians and the senior level civil servants. The place is now basically corrupt and rotten.
Some of these large parcels were purchased in the days and weeks after the last election.
Coincidence? Collusion? Corruption?
Follow the money!