The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A Bahamian environmental advocate yesterday said she was “flabbergasted” that Royal Caribbean’s Paradise Island project has been given the go-ahead, adding: “I don’t understand how they think they’re going to pull it off.”

Gail Woon, founder of Earthcare, who submitted multiple questions to the Royal Beach Club’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) consultation, told Tribune Business that nothing which emerged from the process changed her opinion that the 17-acre site is too small for the average 2,750 passengers it will accommodate per day.

Arguing that “you don’t have to be a rocket scientist” to arrive at such a conclusion, she added that she was “insulted” to learn the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) had given its approval from Royal Caribbean rather than the agency itself or another part of the Government.

Ms Woon suggested that permission for the cruise giant to proceed was always likely given the Government’s early 2023 announcement that it had given the $100m Royal Beach Club approval in principle, subject to favourable environmental findings, and added that environmental activists can do little now except monitor Royal Caribbean’s activities and ensure it abides by all its pledges and commitments, as well as applicable laws and regulations.

“I’m quite flabbergasted. I don’t really see where that June 8 meeting answered a lot of the questions we had,” she said. “I’m amazed. I’m amazed that it was approved, and I’m also insulted it was announced through Royal Caribbean’s website and not through the Government. Whose leading it? Is Royal Caribbean leading it or the DEPP leading it?”

The DEPP, in its August 15 letter to Royal Caribbean, said the cruise line has “substantively addressed the environmental concerns” surrounding its Paradise Island project and can now proceed to the next step of the approvals process which involves submission of its Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for review by the same agency.

Ms Woon said Royal Caribbean’s answers to her questions were “what I would have expected them to say. I wasn’t surprised”. While she plans to visit Royal Caribbean’s private island, Coco Cay, located in the Berry Islands, on August 28at the cruise line’s invitation to assess its waste water treatment system - the same model that it has pledged to install at Paradise Island - she added that the DEPP’s approval has made the trip “sort of moot”.

Confirming that her Royal Beach Club concerns have not changed, she reiterated: “That strip of land is too small for that amount of people. It’s quite simple. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. I think there’s going to be several swimming pools and however many food and beverage outlets. It’s just too much for that tiny piece of land. I just don’t understand how they think they’re going to pull it off.”

Royal Caribbean, in one of its answers to the EIA consultation, said: “By 2027, we expect between 900,000 and one million guests will visit the Royal Beach Club each year. As a result, we would expect an annualised maximum daily capacity of 2,750 guests per day. This translates to 171 guests per acre (assuming one acre is removed for back of house needs).”

Ms Woon, meanwhile, argued that the consultation process “put the cart before the horse” by not allowing persons to review and critique Royal Caribbean’s EMP, and pose further questions, before DEPP gave its approval. She also suggested the go-ahead was almost a foregone conclusion given that the Government announced the approval in principle earlier this year subject to environmental outcomes.

“Our Prime Minister announced this was going ahead before any of the environmental things were done, so everyone was chasing their tails to get things done that should have been done before thus announcement was made,” she argued. “Most definitely, certainly, because the announcement was made by the highest person in the country everyone else had to fall into place and dot their ‘i’s’ and cross their ‘t’s’ after the fact.

Our last hurrah was June 8. Now they’ve been approved there is nothing we can do as far as we are concerned. When the DEPP did their approval it tied their hands. We can complain in the newspaper and make noise, but as far as stopping it that’s pretty much impossible unless Atlantis takes them to court, which I don’t think they’ll want to do.”

Rashema Ingraham, executive director of Waterkeepers Bahamas, yesterday agreed that it is now critical to monitor Royal Caribbean’s Paradise Island activities and ensure it lives up to both its pledges and environmental laws/regulations once the project moves into the construction and operational phases.

“It’s just a matter of monitoring those phases of the operation and staying in close contact with DEPP if any issues arise,” she explained. “They’ve provided their protocols and guidelines, so it’s just a matter of any discrepancies or concerns that may arise going forward.”

Ms Ingraham said her remarks related just to the Royal Beach Club’s environmental implications, and not the socio-economic issues raised by the project, which she argued the cruise line has yet to address. “It’s just now us continuing to be on alert,” she added. “We hope they continue as good corporate citizens. Let’s hope nothing happens. We’re going to wait and see.”