By
Rebecca Gibson |
Paradise Express Ferry is to introduce a new ferry service on Jamaica’s north coast by February 2015.
Pledging to invest US$30 million, the US-based company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) on 6 May at the JAMPRO Business Auditorium in Kingston. The MoU enables private companies to develop the government-owned lots 15 and 22 – located on the Montego Bay waterfront – via a long-term lease agreement to be negotiated with the Urban Development Corporation.
Initially, Paradise Ferry will use the existing small craft jetty and terminal building at the Cruise Ship Terminal, but aims to construct its own 30 ft terminal and permanent pier facilities by next February. Once built, the terminal will also function as the company’s Caribbean headquarters. The venture is expected to generate 170 jobs in Jamaica.
“The big winners arising from this investment will be Jamaica’s tourism industry with a brand new attraction that will benefit from the commercial and aesthetic revitalisation of the Montego Bay waterfront,” said Anthony Hylton, minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce. “And of course, it will benefit the people of Jamaica, who can look forward to another vacation option, jobs and the new skills to be created from this venture.”
Expected to enhance the island’s tourism market, the ferry service will initially operate between the tourism centres of Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Negril.
“We are not a cruise ship coming in to drop people off and depart,” said Garry Johnson, founder, president and CEO of Paradise Ferry. “We are buying our resources, we are buying our fuel, we are catering, providing security, IT, accounting and legal help, all from Jamaica. So, this is a complement to the first class tourism product that is here in Jamaica.”
Johnson said: “We know that we will be an attractive force in Montego Bay anchoring the revitalisation of Montego Bay, as the UDC has planned and we are committed to this process.”