The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) executives yesterday pledged that their Ocean Cay private cruise port will have as "close to zero" environmental impact as possible, as mandated by the project's financing.

Matthew McKinnon, senior advisor to the MSC Foundation, said the global shipping is developing the man-made island in the most ecologically intelligent way. He added that the destination will offer activities for cruise visitors to connect with nature, and provide opportunities to learn about the protection of the oceans and the importance of preserving coral reefs through dedicated edutainment programmes.

"We aim to involve a large proportion of them on different activities related to the environment, to build their environmental awareness of the uniqueness of the marine ecosystem in The Bahamas," said Mr McKinnon.

He added that MSC has spared no effort to transform the island, which was formerly used for industrial activities such as aragonite mining, in a way that exceeds the highest environmental regulatory standards. The area around Ocean Cay is also set to be designated as a national Marine Protected Area (MPA).

"The area around Ocean Cay is both on one hand populated by many species of fish that are of commercial significance nationally to The Bahamas, like spiny lobster, queen conch and grouper but, at the same time, the eco system is in a degraded and declining state," said Mr McKinnon.

"The conch has been exploited at unsustainable levels, the coral has had as much as 50 per cent mortality in recent years. The reefs are basically on the way out." Mr McKinnon pledged that the MSC Foundation will take the lead on conservation in the area.

"The project financed though banks in Europe," he added. "They have very high environment conditions set on financing so, in addition to even the local regulations and what regulations might be in the US, they have to meet even higher standards. It is as close to zero impact as it can get in terms of operation.

"The area is in a degraded state right now. A lot of anxieties around the environment on this type of development is when you take a pristine area and put a development here, and what impact that might have."

Tanya Ferguson, principal of Design Elements, a Bahamian consultancy engaged by MSC to conduct environmental management for the project, yesterday said there had been extensive consultation with environmental stakeholders and numerous inquiries surrounding the project's potential impact.

"There has been very little negative push back to the project, and everyone we spoke to seems to be pleased about it," she said.