A chat with E. Michael Jones

A couple of weeks ago, I sat down for a chat with St. George's mayor, E. Michael Jones, about cruise ships and Bermuda's ailing tourist industry.

WEDCO and the Corporations of Hamilton and St. George's are all considering how their cruise ship facilities should be developed to cope with the increasing size of modern ships. The cruise lines like big ships because they're more profitable, carry more passengers and require less crew. They're faster, cleaner, quieter and can deal with their own water, sewage and trash for short periods of time. In contrast, the small ships currently coming to Bermuda are older and cheaper and lack some of the facilities that cruisers on newer ships may have become accustomed to, such as their own balcony.

The fate of St. George's appeared to have been sealed at the beginning of July, when Transport and Tourism Minister Dr. Ewart Brown said, “The vision is to develop Penno's Wharf to accommodate a single modern cruise ship... Ordnance Island would still be used for cruise ships but not on a daily basis."

St. George's currently hosts two ships on most days. Dr. Brown's plan to have one 950 ft long, 110 ft wide “Panamax” ship in St. George's would bring approximately 700 fewer passengers, but would see them all arrive at the same time. Mr. Jones was confident that the Town could handle this, however. The facilities at Penno’s Wharf would be improved, while congestion in the Town Square would be reduced. Mr. Jones didn’t think the taxis would be under any more pressure either.

Computer simulations will begin this month to determine whether it will be necessary to widen Town Cut to get a Panamax ship through. Although the Cut is currently 270 ft wide, the length and height of the larger ships make them difficult to steer straight, particularly in high winds. If the Cut does need to be widened, however, blasting is not the only option. It may be possible to install a pulley system to get the ship through, or a series of giant rollers to keep it moving if it touches the sides. Other ideas being discussed include the possibility of building a new dock at Ferry Reach or Tobacco Bay, anchoring the ship outside the harbour and getting people to shore on tenders, or (most improbably) bringing the ship into the harbour down Ferry Reach and replacing Swing Bridge with a tunnel.

This is not a done deal, however, and it’s still possible that St. George’s may decide that it doesn’t want to play host to any ships. Indeed, despite the possible ramifications for his own business, Cafe Latte, Mr. Jones said that this is his preferred option right now. However, he is keeping an open mind and the consequences of such a decision still need to be considered.

One of those issues is where the Corporation of St. George's would get its revenue. Currently it gets half a million dollars annually in wharfage dues from the cruise ships, in addition to charges for disposing of the ships' sewage and a tax that varies with the ship's length. Even with a single Panamax ship, the Corporation would get less revenue as one 950 ft ship will generate less tax revenue than two 650 ft vessels and will be able to process its own sewage. With no ships, obviously this source of revenue would be eliminated.

There is also the question of how the local retailers and tour operators would survive. If no ships were to dock in St. George's, and passengers were to be ferried there from Dockyard instead, it might dissuade some passengers from taking excursions such as snorkelling or kayaking tours (as it would be more difficult for them to return to the ship to shower or change). It would also reduce crew spending in local bars. On the other hand, more visitors might eat in the local restaurants, as it would be inconvenient for them to return to the ship for lunch.

The elimination of the cruise ships could actually have a negative environmental impact too. Bermuda's seagrass beds, which help prevent coastal erosion and provide a habitat for local marine life such as turtles and snappers, are already in decline. One of the things currently helping to fertilise them, however, is the sewage from the cruise ships. Lose the ships and the seagrass beds by Fort St. Catherine might be adversely affected.

The debate about the cruise ships cuts to the heart of how St. George's should be positioning itself to tourists. To me, this seems obvious: it should play to its strengths. It has its history, its harbour, its beaches and its coastline. It needs to make the most of them.

Sprucing up its historic forts, including Fort St. Catherine, would be a start. Mr. Jones would like to have more Williamsburg-style animated historical attractions (along the lines of the ducking stool re-enactment) and ban traffic from Water Street. He suggested that the boat operators might re-invent themselves as eco-tour operators, marketing themselves as much to locals as to tourists. If there were no ships, Mr. Jones hinted that Penno’s Wharf could be converted from an ugly concrete dock to something more in keeping with the Town’s historic character, and its under-utilised waterfront improved along the lines of the proposals for Hamilton.

One thing’s for sure: giant cruise ships are not in keeping with the Town. When the final decision is made on St. George’s future, which Mr. Jones hopes will be before the end of the year, I’ll be hoping that he’s found a way to get rid of them.

Comments

[Somers on 14.10.05 at 08:30]

"The elimination of the cruise ships could actually have a negative environmental impact too. Bermuda's seagrass beds, which help prevent coastal erosion and provide a habitat for local marine life such as turtles and snappers, are already in decline. One of the things currently helping to fertilise them, however, is the sewage from the cruise ships. Lose the ships and the seagrass beds by Fort St. Catherine might be adversely affected."

Um Um - Phil, I am not a scientist and I don't play one on TV but what star have you been dreaming under? Perhaps did your source mention anything about cruise ships actually stirring up the bottom? More sand in the water = less sunlight getting through to the bottom. Less sunlight = less sea grass. Maybe the frequent cruise ship visits ARE the reason for less seagrass.
p.s. Ask your inlaws how clear the water in St. Georges harbour was when they were kids....

[Raptor on 14.10.05 at 09:19]

Limey: "The elimination of the cruise ships could actually have a negative environmental impact too. Bermuda's seagrass beds, which help prevent coastal erosion and provide a habitat for local marine life such as turtles and snappers, are already in decline. One of the things currently helping to fertilise them, however, is the sewage from the cruise ships. Lose the ships and the seagrass beds by Fort St. Catherine might be adversely affected."

Sewage from cruise ships is being distributed near Fort St. Catherine? I hate to get into discussing sewage first thing in the morning, but just where are these ships releasing it?

[wave2wave on 14.10.05 at 10:34]

The St. Geo sewage outfall is north of Tobacco Bay and ends about 300m from shore out near the ships channel in around 80ft deep water. It is not treated except by maceration, (ie is raw), and with a good north wind I would guess some nutrients reach the shore. Many times, however, the sewage facility in St. Geo (very close to the Town Hall) cannot handle the ships excess and it overflows into the water near the ferry dock (within nose-shot of the White Horse and where people often fish - yum).

Seagrasses in the area are negatively affected by any ships. The nutrients may help if in small concentrations but the townfolk generate a lot of nutrients anyway and that also goes through the sewage pipe. The wave action and suspended sediments from ships travelling through the channels has an erosional and light-inhibiting effect which destroys seagrass beds.

[Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 14.10.05 at 10:53]

Sediment from cruise ships have had a negative impact on the reefs of North shore.This is especially so to the reef areas near the channels.Mega ships in St. Georges should never happen,it will be bad for the enviroment and terrible for St.George's.We need more tourists to arrive by air,they are the tourists that really spend the most money in our economy.The mega ship terminal should be in Dockyard for the near future.The best solution is to design and build a deep water port off Black watch pass.The new port would be under the control of the Corporation of Hamilton.The new port would take the over flow of mega ships from Dockyard and handle all freight import and wharehousing.Hamilton and St.George's are too valuable to destroy for the benifit of the Mega Cruise ships.

[Full Fullish on 14.10.05 at 11:08]

BBW - I couldn't agree with you more. I am dead set against altering our already diminished landscape to accomodate these monstrosities. I've suggested in the past that a perfect place for these ships would be the old Naval Annex. It was built and dredged for large ships after all. Not much will have to be changed to accomodate them. I'd rather not see Dockyard touched as in itself it should be preserver due to it's own history. Keep the smaller ships in Dockyard and St. Georges, and now we have another port for the larger ones, even more tourists to the Island! Still rather see more come in via air as well, but until something is done about airfair, that probably won't be much of a reality.

Move the docks to the naval annex as well, get all of that extra congestion out of town as well. North Shore is far to exposed to the elements (having lived right next to black watch pass growing up I know how bad it gets down there during your average winter storm), not to mention that traffic congestion would be an absolute nightmare at the Langton Hill/BW Pass/Northshore junction, as most of St. Georges and all points East takes this route.

[wave2wave on 14.10.05 at 11:13]

Yeah - except any ship traffic down the North or South ship channels has a negative impact on our coral reefs. The idea of a new port off N. Shore is attractive for many reasons, but would devastate the huge (> 2 sq km area), healthy seagrass meadows that are there (where a huge number of the fish we like to eat start life). So yep, air travellers are the way to go. Tourists on ships spend less money than those from the air too.

[Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 14.10.05 at 11:46]

Maybe Morgan's point makes the most sense...but I would like to make that whole area into Bermuda's version of Central Park.Good point about the sea grass habitat on North Shore,,,,maybe an enviromental impact study should be made. Re cruise ships in Bermuda...a second berth only for one mega ship more.Hamilton and St.Georges should be given on a twenty year bases to the cruise line that builds four ships that can conform to our present facilities.How does that sound?

[Full Fullish on 14.10.05 at 11:51]

Sounds good to me! I think alot of research needs to be done, all pro's and con's outlined and weighed, instead of a knee jerk reaction of "Ug bigger ships, must rip open cuts to accomodate!" I doubt we're going to find an exclusive win/win situation, but there must be common groun which is relatively neutral for all aspects concerned (Environmental, Logistic, Captalistic, Etc.)

The upper part of Morgans point would be excellent for a park though....

[Phil on 14.10.05 at 13:17]

Somers

Just reporting what Mr. Jones told me. He wasn't saying that keeping the cruise ships would help the environment, just that doing so is not completely without its pros. Apparently he's been speaking to the Biostation, National Trust and David Wingate about all this stuff, so I assume he knows what he's talking about.

wave2wave

Thanks for explaining about the sewage.

Wolf

Mr. Jones told me that the Horizon and the Zenith were custom built for Bermuda so it's possible that we could persuade a cruise line to build some newer ships with our facilities in mind. However I understand that the problem is what the cruise lines would do with those ships in the winter. Realistically, it's probably not going to happen.

Full Fullish

A lot of research is being done right now. When that is complete, hopefully by the end of the year, Mr. Jones said he will have a public meeting at which he'll make a recommendation and gather residents' feedback on it.

But Mr. Jones (and I assume the others too) are interested in people's opinions now too, so if anyone has any thoughts I'd encourage you to get in touch with them.

[Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 14.10.05 at 15:39]

No Mega ships for St.G and Hamilton....Second mega berth at Dockyard...Two more berths at port facility at Morgans point or a new North shore port facility can be built on North Shore if there would not be too much enviromental harm.Bio Station to do research on the impact of sediment creation caused by mega ship traffic.If St.Georges cut is futher opened the volume of water pushed into St.Georges Harbour will do much more significant surge damage if a hurricane strikes from the South East.Our Tourism future should not be wrapped up in what the Mega ship cruise lines want in Bermuda.

[Tiger Bay on 14.10.05 at 15:47]

Who is paying for the consultants who are proposing the port changes; Bermuda or the cruise companies?

[Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 14.10.05 at 16:03]

The cruise ship companies Tiger.Bermuda is one of the most profitable runs and they really want to operate mega ships here based on their business plan.They have been trying to get around the Bda National Trust and the Ministry of transport for years.I would not be surprised if they threw a little seed money Sir John's way to encouage the redevelopment of Hamilton's Water front. Now I can tolerate Horseshoe beach being swamped with humanity a couple of times a week,but when it comes to ripping and digging Islands out of the way to reach StG and Hamilton....I say HELL NO!

[Ethiops on 14.10.05 at 16:18]

BBW

Some really good ideas knocking around. I agree totally when you say "Our Tourism future should not be wrapped up in what the Mega ship cruise lines want in Bermuda"

As for trimming the shorelines for mega ships. I don't support the idea one bit. As tiny as we are there is no logic to be trimming away at what little we have. Esp for boats that for the most part don't pump actual dollars into the local business economy. I don't think we should get into feeling the need to comply with wishes of ship companies. We should give them clear regulations and let that be that.

[Full Fullish on 14.10.05 at 16:30]

BBW - Behind you 100% on this one!

[Tiger Bay on 14.10.05 at 16:57]

Who is paying for Bermello Ajamil to work on the Port Enhancement Project? Bermuda or the cruise companies?

[Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 14.10.05 at 17:16]

I think Tiger you will find that he is the Cruise Lines man....but I'm not one hundred percent certain Tiggy! I'll try phoning Lawson or Michael and find out.Ok! Ok! ^..^

[Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 14.10.05 at 17:59]

Tiger I think it is the same group that did the 1999 plan...they are out of Florida. On their first visit they may of been working for the cruise lines....I'll have to check with my contacts.They are updating the old plan for the Bermuda Government this time.

[Lisa on 14.10.05 at 19:09]

If it looks like ANY part of the Bermuda platform is going to get fu**ed for the sake of cruise ships - you can bet your ass I'll be out there protesting even if I have to camp out on a rock in Town Cut!

Limey - Come on!! I mean really... sewage dumping seriously screws with any ecosystem and even a techie like you should know that! What may benefit one species may be detrimental to another. Google "eutrophication" to find out more.

I wont go on since Wave2wave has made it quite clear. I don't care who Mr Jones has spoken to... cruise ships are an environmental NO NO and anyone who says otherwise is either 1) an idiot or 2) too worried about which side their bread is buttered on.

Currently there is no cost-benefit analysis on any of these mega cruise ship plans and I think once this has been done it will be obvious that most of the current suggestions are seriously lacking in benefits.

L.

[SmokingGun on 14.10.05 at 19:41]

I'm at a loss as to why Bermuda would do much bending for the Mega Cruise Business anyway. We already know that the average toursit on those ships don't spend much on shore. We already know that the ships strip away the core attraction of the vistors that stay in our hotels and guest houses by clogging up Hamilton, St. Georges and the beaches during the day. We already know that our fragile eco system will suffer greatly if we try to accomodate them. And we also know that our ideal "cruise ship" visitor is the one that prefers the smaller, highly serviced type of cruise. Keep the visiting Mega ships in dockyard. In a funny way it will actually enhance Bermuda's qauintness.

[Nicolette on 16.10.05 at 12:56]

Smoking Gun - I bet the impetus behind the cruise ship business is financial - not what the passengers spend, or don't spend (more likely) BUT because they pay an immigration tax per head - this is hidden in the price of the total cruise and remitted by the various cruise lines to our revenue department.

[Martin on 16.10.05 at 19:58]

Other than the possibility that our seas are slightly rougher than the Caribbean, why can't the ships stay outside St Georges and boat the people in?

Much like they do in Grand Cayman.

No expenditure needed + revenue for our ferries.

[Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 16.10.05 at 21:04]

Tiger Bermello are consultants out of Florida working as advisors to the Bermuda Government.They are land based consultants to the Cruise ship industry.They are not the same group that did the report for the cruise ship industry re Bermuda port facilities in 1999.Larry Jacobs is working in Transport to facilitate the plans and talks.No enviromental impact study has been done to date.The impact of wake displacement and sediment shift in the north channel have not been done.Both the Corporation of Hamilton and St. George's will be playing key roles in the discussions.No final plans have been arrived at although there is active talk about a second mega cruise ship birth being constructed at Dockyard in the near future.

[Beez Evans on 17.10.05 at 16:19]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have heard the arguements for and against the "mega-ships" for the past two years. I find myself taking a step back, as I am one of those individuals benefiting from the presence of the ships. I am the vice president of the Tour Boat Owners Association and I own the Rising Son Catamaran. I have been in business for 4 years, and in the industry for 10. I am not quick to back any development plan as I would like to consider myself objective. I do wish that you take a step back and see it from the perspective of somebody living within the tourism industry.

When a tourist visits our island they expect to find basic shopping and activities that other islands offer, whether they arrive by air or sea. Watersports are one of the few activities available on our island. I would like to point out that there are more watersports companies than retail stores that cater to visitors. These watersports companies rely on cruise lines. I for one would not be in business if I had to rely on air arrivals. I am the only operation that is sold through Expedia and Travelocity. I sold less that 80 tickets in the past 6 months through those online agencies. The cruise line website sold that many tickets online for the first week of May. 99% of my daily tour business comes from cruise lines. This is not for lack of marketing to air arrivals. I have invested $13,000 in the past year in print advertising (destination bermuda, tourist box, yellow pages, royal gazette, etc) This did little for my business, as it is all tailored to visitors staying in hotels and apparently we have very few.

I understand that many of you dislike the cruise ships, and can appreciate some of your points.

I do believe that altering the Town Cut would be a mistake, especially if we have not exhausted all other options.

I do agree that the sewage pumped off of Tobaco bay should not be. This is not a new issue, it has been occuring for years. It is not an arguement against newer ships, as they have better means of disposal than the older smaller versions.

I do believe that St George's will become a ghost town when the ships leave. If you disagree, spend a weekend in St George once the Majesty pulls out.

Hamilton will survive without the ships, as it is our island's hub. When the mega ships call on the weekend, Hamilton's streets are full. St George still is a quiet little town. Hamilton also has the benefit of the traffic from the international business arena. Restaurants seem to be doing very well.

Now perhaps you are not from St George, and like many Bermudians, rarely visit. Or perhaps you do live in St George and you enjoy a quiet little town. Perhaps you are upset by the cruise liner blocking your view of the harbor 3 nights a week, 5 months a year.

Perhaps this is because you have a comfortable job in one of our islands "visiting" companies. But one should consider that many look upon the monstrous buildings in Hamilton to be equally unpleasant upon the eyes.

I am open to progress and I understand that the large buildings in Hamilton are a part of the international business plan for Bermuda. I appreciate that these companies provide jobs for many of my country men. Can you appreciate that the cruise lines provide jobs for myself and several other Bermudians?

Getting rid of the cruise lines will not save Bermuda's tourism market. Air arrivals will not suddenly rebound. What will happen is there will be many happy cruise line passengers (several hundred thousand) with a grin on their face in Tortola instead of Bermuda.

BBW:

We have to understand that in a world where people want bigger better cruise liners, the cruise lines will meet these needs. Please pass on the word that CCL, NCL, RCCL, etc do not plan build any more of the small ships to cater to our existing infrastructure. Its not financially viable. They can't sell cruises on the small ships to any other destinations in the off season, as all other islands down south have made efforts to accomodate the larger ships.

Ethiops:

"I don't think we should get into feeling the need to comply with wishes of ship companies. We should give them clear regulations and let that be that."

Didn't we take this attitude with air arrivals in the 80s? The attitude that Bermuda doesn't need to change is not right. Just ask Aruba, last time I flew down I met several couples who used to vacation here.

BBW:

I'm curious. When did you get to view the CAD models that demostrate the increased flows in and out of St George's Harbor. Town Cut was modified before, and the proposed modification does seem drastic. Perhaps we should view an actual development plan and flow model before closing the book on modification of the cut. Unless of course the arguement against the widening is solely based upon environmental impact, at which point I could certaily agree with you.

Please do not see this response as agressive. I would like to have the comments continue on this post, as my future and many others rely on the cruise line decision. I would like to know where everybody stands on the issue.

[Beez Evans on 17.10.05 at 16:30]

Martin,

I do believe the tendering option is under consideration. The anchorage would be to the north side of St George. This creates issues with swell and wind as you mentioned before. One could argue that the current ships are affected by wind already in St George, as we lose ships if the winds pass 20 knots.

Having been on many ship tenders, I can say that the process is lengthy as it can take as long as 3 hours to unload a larger ship utilizing more tenders than our island currently has to offer. It also tends to involve alot of motion and can be dangerous in rough seas transfering between vessels. Bermuda's average passenger is much older and less agile. I believe it would be unwise to rely on tenders, but would welcome them regardless. If this were to happen, I would hope the goverment would seek outside advice in selection of the vessels. I see no point in spending $20 to $50 million on high speed tenders for a two mile coastal cruise.

[Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 17.10.05 at 16:36]

Achorage out of St. G is a bad idea...If a second mega berth is created at Dockyard more fast ferries will have to be built to run day trippers off the cruise ships to St.Georges.

[Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 17.10.05 at 16:40]

Beez I have not seen the proposed flow charts re new widening of town cut.It is logical with the surge damage from Fabian in St.G that widening town cut means that a hurricane can push a greater volume of water into StG and probably will increase surge damage in the town.

[Beez Evans on 17.10.05 at 17:19]

BBW:

I understand your concern. Fabian did make a mess for us in the east end. Course it did give the White Horse floor a good rinse, which never hurts.
I have to say, I would be curious to see the modeling for the proposed widening. From what little I remember of my Fluid Dynamics and Coastal Erosion courses in university, allowing a wider entry for water does not necessarily mean increased amounts of water. It does lead to a slower flow as more water can pass through, ultimately reducing erosion (though after we remove 150ft what does that matter). It also means that more water may pass through in less time, but it also works in reverse. The surge will drain all the faster.

[SmokingGun on 25.01.06 at 12:55]

"There is also the question of how the local retailers and tour operators would survive. If no ships were to dock in St. George's, and passengers were to be ferried there from Dockyard instead, it might dissuade some passengers from taking excursions such as snorkelling or kayaking tours (as it would be more difficult for them to return to the ship to shower or change). It would also reduce crew spending in local bars. On the other hand, more visitors might eat in the local restaurants, as it would be inconvenient for them to return to the ship for lunch."

Dr. Brown's swinging towards making Dockyard a ship hub. That idea is valid, especially for the Panamax ships. Why not reserve St. Georges and Hamilton for smaller more upscale ships and you get the best of both worlds. The kicker: Seeing as the BIU will likely shut down ferries on a whim for meetings then the island can create more jobs for mini-buses and private boat excursions. Sustainable growth with little damage to the environment.