By
Rebecca Gibson |
The British Virgin Islands Ports Authority (BVIPA) is to officially open its newly extended cruise pier on 29 April with a call from Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Getaway.
Calling at the BVI with more than 4,000 passengers, Norwegian Getaway will be the second ship to call at the new pier as the port expects to handle a visit from Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Liberty before the official opening.
To mark the official opening, the BVI Tourist Board, the Ministry of Communications and Works and the Authority have planned a series of festivities including live music, dancers and mocko jumbies. More details about the opening ceremony will be revealed in the coming weeks.
“What is very special about 29 April is that we are also welcoming Norwegian Getaway to our new cruise pier facilities and we are doing what we can to ensure our guests visit is a memorable one,” said Claude O. Skelton Cline, managing director fo the BVIPA.
BVIPA’s US$35 million Cruise Pier Expansion Project includes extending the pier to 1,300ft in length and 60ft in width. The pier will also be strengthened to enable it to accommodate ships greater than 170,000gt, while the companies will construct a 20-foot boardwalk to handle passenger traffic.
In addition, the companies will develop the excursion dock facility, carry out dredging and land reclamation operations to provide a safer and wider turning basin for visiting ships. The companies will also construct a five-acre Tortola Pier Park complex featuring commercial, retail, entertainment and green spaces.
Carried out by the Government of the Virgin Islands and BVIPA, the project has also secured funding from FirstCaribbean International Bank.
In January 2014, Norwegian and Disney Cruise Line signed preferential berthing agreements with the BVIPA to guarantee of that they will bring a total of 350,000 and 75,000 passengers to the islands per year, respectively.