By
Cherie Rowlands |
Tenders operator Cayman Marine Services is proposing a 75 cents per passenger rise in fees for transporting cruise guests to and from vessels calling at George Town harbour in 2013, according to a report in the Islands’ daily newspaper, Caymanian Compass.
The increase represents a 17 per cent rise from the last time the fees were amended five years ago and is being introduced to help cover the rising costs of fuel, labour, materials and maintenance, the newspaper said.
Cayman Marine, which operates 16 tenders in the town's harbour, is set to implement the increase in three phases. The initial stage came into force on 1 January with a 25-cent rise, while the next two phases will follow in June and October, according to the newspaper report.
Responding to the news of the changes, Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) president Michele Paige said: “The increase in tendering fees is going to severely affect the amount of tonnage coming into Cayman. I’m not in a position to speak on behalf of individuals and members, but the industry is troubled.”
Paige also referred to the port’s lack of berthing facilities and indicated that this was already an issue. She said: “Because Cayman is a tendering port, the number of arrivals is already lower than elsewhere and the lines are making less revenue every day. Cayman has said nothing to us, only that they need to offset costs. They did not decide this in consultations and gave it less than 30 days. It will have a drastic effect.
“This is a business and we are here to make a profit. If you have a 3,000-passenger ship, that is an extra $2,500 – and that doesn’t include the crew. If there are 50 trips per year, that is $150,000, and that erodes profit.”
"The Cayman Islands is our partner and we look forward to working with them for improvements in facilities. Now is the time to move forward," Paige added.
Cayman Marine’s Adrian Briggs reportedly said: “This is only a proposal and nothing is set in stone. We are always open to negotiations.”
The newspaper report said Carnival has 227 calls scheduled for Grand Cayman in 2013, while according to a written statement from the Cayman Islands' Government, the brand's passenger arrivals bookings are “projected to fall by nearly a quarter of a million in 2013.”
The statement said that on 21 December the FCCA informed the Ministry of Tourism by telephone of the changes, citing the cruise line’s desire “not to have Carnival Breeze serviced by cruise tender” and that “various cruise ships have also been reallocated to Roatan, Honduras and European routes.”