Plans are underway to welcome smaller cruise ships to Speightstown as early as the upcoming cruise season, Member of Parliament for St Peter, Colin Jordan, has revealed. The initiative aims to revitalise the historic town and boost economic activity.
Speaking at the annual general meeting of the Barbados Labour Party’s St Peter branch at The Alexandra School, Jordan revealed that cruise liners have shown increased interest in exploring the town’s rich heritage.
“We know the value of Speightstown, not just to St Peter but to the entire country. Speightstown is, as far as I’m concerned and as far as many people from St Peter are concerned, really the centre of history and heritage in this country,” the MP said.
He added: “Those who operate cruise lines also recognise that and have been asking for some time to be able to come to Speightstown. Obviously, Speightstown will only be able to accommodate these small ships, and so in my most recent discussion, I’ve been told that there may be one ship actually interested in coming to Speightstown this coming cruise season.
We were planning for the next cruise season, but I’m told that there may be one small ship interested in making a few calls to Speightstown in the coming cruise season.”
Jordan emphasised the need for proper shore operations to handle incoming vessels, including immigration, customs, and port health services. He suggested that the current fish market could potentially house these services, given its proximity to the jetty.
“The way our Barbados Labour Party operates, we never put anybody out to do something else, and so when I’m talking about using that facility, it is not to the detriment of any current users of the facility, and those users actually include now the district emergency organisation where we hold meetings from time to time,” Jordan declared.
Infrastructure improvements are also being considered to accommodate the ships. Jordan explained: “One of the pieces of infrastructure is actually what they refer to as moorings. Only very small cruise ships—not even cruise vessels—maybe some of the mega yachts—will be able to pull up at the jetty. But those smaller cruise ships with maybe 100 or 150 passengers will not be able to.”
He further elaborated on the mooring system: “They have agreed that they would tender—they call it tendering—so they will attach themselves to mooring. I’ve been told that one mooring has been put down so far. This would be some mechanism in the sea beyond the jetty, beyond the reef, that allows the ship to anchor and stay in position while a tender vessel, which is a smaller vessel that can pull up at the jetty, takes the visitors and brings them to the jetty.”
Jordan praised the recent renovation of the jetty, noting its resilience against recent weather conditions. “I think that the renovation has worked pretty well. I think it is MV Harbour Master that is in now, and the jetty is being used as we speak for this, I think, right up until maybe just after Kadooment Day,” he said.
The MP stressed the importance of managing visitor numbers: “We will not be able to handle seven or eight hundred people in Speightstown for a six-hour period. We are looking at smaller numbers.”
As discussions progress, Jordan plans to engage further with Barbados Port Inc. on the initiative, emphasising the potential for St Peter’s economic fortunes and the revitalisation of the northern town.
