The Cayman Islands Government (CIG) has announced Verdant Isle Port Partners (VIPP) as the preferred bidder for the proposed cruise berthing facility and enhancement to the cargo facilities in George Town. The project procurement mode will be design, build, finance and maintain (DBFM). Cruise berthing facility will comprise two-finger piers constructed on pilings to allow the sea and marine life to move freely underneath. The design includes wave walls for extreme weather conditions to reduce potential flooding and wave overtopping into the road.

Verdant Isle Port Partners (VIPP) consortium consists of McAlpine Ltd, Orion Marine Construction Inc. Carnival Corporation Ltd and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The consortium will fund the project with capital from the two cruise lines and a loan from FirstCaribbean International Bank. The consortium will generate revenue from fees collected from passengers, the companies will levy a passenger fee of around $8 per head for every cruise visitor to the islands.

The selection of consortium was made by the Ministry of Tourism, the Port Authority Cayman Islands, PWD’s Major Projects Office and consultants KPMG, Hatch, Royal Haskoning DHV, and Appleby / Pinsent Mason’s in a transparent evaluation method. The bid was assessed against evaluation criteria and a recommendation was submitted to the Central Tenders Committee which granted approval to select a preferred bidder.

The cost of the project will be less than KYD 200 million (USD 240 million).