Foreign Company To Manage Cruise Ports For 30 Years

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(PRESS RELEASE)

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has entered into an agreement with Global Ports Holding LLC (GPH) to invest over US$80 million dollars in the further development of the cruise tourism port in St. John’s.

The negotiations began in June 2018 and has culminated in an agreement that has been thoroughly examined by the Solicitor General and a team of lawyers from the Ministry of Legal Affairs, and finally by the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda today, Thursday, January 31, 2019.

 The agreement will allow Global Ports to bring its considerable financial strength and expertise to the expansion project at the cruise port, and to eliminate a debt of US$21 million that has been serviced sparingly for more than twenty years.


Global Ports will ensure that the completion of the dredging, already underway in the St. John’s Harbour, will allow the Oasis Class Ships, capable of carrying more than 6,000 passengers and 4,000 crew, to dock at a fifth berth parallel to the Point Wharf.


It is estimated that the number of cruise ships entering the St. John’s Harbour will also increase, and that the passenger base will be diversified. At the moment, the overwhelming majority of passengers come from the USA. Global Ports will increase the flow of cruise tourists from Europe. Global Ports operates many ports in Europe and has been able to increase their performance as cruise tourism ports.


The thirty-year agreement with Global Ports will bring many benefits to the Antigua and Barbuda economy, the Minister of Tourism has asserted. The Cabinet thanked the officials who were involved in the tweaking of the agreement.

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8 COMMENTS

  2. I am all for development of tourism but another dock with OASIS class ships will turn St.Johns on its head. It is already congested, parking is a nightmare, and “on cruise ship days” taxis occupy prime parking. I hope some of these issues are addressed when they take over.

  5. Not five years with the option of renewal based on performance?

    NOW IF FOR ANY REASON THE GOVERNMENT IS DESIROUS OFF ENDING THE CONTRACT PREMATURELY THEY WILL HAVE A HIGH PRICE TO PAY. 30 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE SEEMS LIKE A LONG TIME AGO

  6. I think this is a good deal if the contract is worded properly and provides thought amongst all the possibilities. I really hope the government put provisions into the contract dealing with the issue of requiring the company to do annual maintenance and keeping things modern, i.e. IT systems, cosmetics, etc.

    In any case, I think PM Browne did the right thing by doing this deal – it frees up a lot of financial burden we have and allows us to focus on other important things for our global tourism strategy.

  7. Somebody must be drunk! Is there a performance clause? Thirty years is a lifetime! What happens if the company’s Dynamics change? What happens to our children and grandchildren? Not wise! Development, yes! Squandering our heritage, NO!

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