The Tribune

RESORTS World Bimini’s proposal to construct an artificial island atop a live reef in Bimini and the extensive dredging needed to create a jetty to accommodate the company’s five-story cruise ship will cause irreparable and continuing damage to the marine environment of that island, the Bahamas National Trust said yesterday.

While the BNT admitted that it has not been able to confirm from government that a full comprehensive review of the EIA has been done, the Trust said it recently received a copy of the EIA from Resorts World Bimini.

However, the resort company’s report has fallen short of the environmental watchdog’s expectations.

While the BNT said that it is in receipt of additional documents from Resorts World Bimini to cover the gaps it discovered in the company’s original report, it still remains concerned the EIA has not been made available to the public nor has there been any public consultation within the community on the proposed jetty.

Government expects that the project will bring in almost $400 million to that island – an attractive prospect for a cash strapped economy.

The ship can hold up to 1,600 guests, with the goal, according to Resorts World officials, to turn Bimini into a year-round destination for tourists.

However the lack of a suitable jetty for the SuperFast vessel has caused concern for investors as guests are forced to board smaller ferries to be shuttled to the mainland of Bimini.

Genting Americas President, Colin Au, has suggested this lack of a jetty, in conjunction with rough weather, will inhibit plans for the ship to operate year-round.

But both Bimini locals and environmentalists have questioned whether or not the potential environmental degradation would be worth the money.

In an interview with The Tribune earlier this summer Lorrick Roberts, owner of Dolphin Golf Cart Rentals, claimed that residents were worried about over-development as the infrastructure of the island was “not able to maintain what they are trying to bring.”

He added: “Bimini has never seen a recession, so I don’t know why they’re making it seem as though so much is being done for Bimini. People are just coming here, overcrowding Bimini with nowhere to stay, and the island is over developed.

“Bimini has seen 100 per cent employment for the last 12-15 years. We know that we make our money from March to September, and we know that from September up until March next year, it’s slow. We’re a fishing town, a boating town. I don’t know why this island is being overloaded.”