The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Association of Bahamas Marinas (ABM) president yesterday complained he has been placed at a competitive disadvantage because Nassau Cruise Port has yet to dredge the harbour. 

Peter Maury, who operates Bay Street Marina, told Tribune Business that extension of the cruise port’s northern-most pier to provide for two Oasis-class cruise ship berths has cut-off access to his property for mega yachts until dredging takes place to provide deep-water access yet again.

He explained: “They have built the dock but they haven’t dredged the harbour, so I don’t have deep water access to my marina.” Mr Maury said he had written multiple letters to Nassau Cruise Port and the authorities in a bid to rectify the issue, but said his concerns have yet to be addressed and he is losing business by having to turn away larger vessels. Cruise port officials, though, have told this newspaper that the necessary dredging will take place imminently.

He spoke out after Michael Maura, Nassau Cruise Port’s chief executive, earlier this week sought to reassure New Providence marina operators that it will not “cannibalise” their business through its plan to offer mega yacht docking facilities.

Revealing the intention for Prince George Wharf’s $250m transformation to be more than just a cruise port, he told Tribune Business that mega yacht docking fees will be set “at the highest level of all marinas in the area” to ensure it only attracts “the big boys” and does not steal business from existing operators.

Mr Maury, though, rejected the reassurance, and said: “I have a 550 foot dock with a 20 foot draft, but I can’t get a 20 foot draft boats in. I already have a mega yacht/super yacht marina. So what he’s saying is not necessarily true.

“Atlantis has super yachts. Albany has super yachts. Freeport can have super yachts. We’ve all got super yachts. I often times get boats that come in here that are 350 feet. I just want my deep water access back. All they have to do is re-dredge the channel. They have made the approach impossible. 

He added: “I’ve already lost business because of it, because in this weather like this with the shallow channel, a lot of boats are just not making the approach. I had a boat cancel yesterday because of it. They said it was too windy and with the chains, it is too risky, so they didn’t want to chance it.” 

Mr Maury said six properties were being impacted by the situation, and added: “They don’t just have to re-dredge the harbour. There’s a channel in the harbour already, and to the east of the Prince George Wharf they’re building..... you will see they’ve extended a new pier out there.

“If they extended that pier and put new pilings in, that’s where the channel across the deep water access along the southern-bound property of the harbour is. Right within the harbour is the northern bounds of the harbour, which is for Paradise Island, and the southern bound is Nassau.

“There are six properties on the southern bound of the harbour entrance, with two of them having a 20-foot draft. That needs to be reinstated or re-installed. They have 100 metres of dredging, but right now it’s down to about a ten-foot draft. I need 18 feet, which is what we had before.

“You can go to Google Earth and you look at Prince George Wharf, and you will see right down the middle of the harbour there is a bank, and close to Prince George Wharf is where we used to come through, but with that pier extended out you can’t get through that any more. All they have to do is take out a portion of the bank that’s there.” 

Speaking during a tour of Nassau Cruise Port’s construction site, Mr Maura said the company and its Global Ports Holding parent remain adamant their investment is not designed to produce a “wealth transfer” from downtown Nassau and other local businesses.

It plans to provide mega yacht berths on the southern side of the northernmost pier, which is now being extended to accommodate two Oasis-class cruise ships when that industry returns in earnest from its COVID-19 shutdown. Mr Maura added that Nassau Cruise Port aims to become “a maritime transportation centre” or “maritime commercial centre”.

“What we did when we looked at mega yachts was all along our plan and objective has been to complement downtown, and not be in the business of transferring wealth from one downtown pocket to another downtown pocket,” Mr Maura told Tribune Business.

“So when we looked at the mega yacht business we reached out to the various marinas to get a sense of what they were charging for dockage per linear foot. Our rate is $7 per linear foot plus $100 per day on top of the $7. That’s the rate we charge.

“We set our price at the highest level of marinas in the area because we’re not looking to cannibalise any of the marina operators in New Providence. We’re looking at these yachts because of their size; we’re looking for the big boys.”

Mr Maura said the Nassau Cruise Port had already had success in attracting its target high-end mega yacht clientele, having accommodated vessels owned by Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, as well as Dallas Cowboys’ owner, Jerry Jones.

“Relatively speaking, we’re not a convenient mega yacht facility; we’re a secure mega yacht facility,” he explained. “People will be spending higher rates for dockage because of the extra security and identification checks” to access Prince George Wharf and the vessels.

“We’re looking for people who want that additional security and are willing to pay for it,” Mr Maura reiterated