The multi-million-dollar Point Seraphine Berth One extension was formally opened on Saturday, Jan. 13, and welcomed Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas, with a 5000 passenger capacity, making her the first-ever mega vessel to anchor at Port Castries.

The upgrading of the cruise facility was undertaken by the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA), in keeping with the government’s outlook for improving the tourism product, and in response to several calls by cruise lines to accommodate larger vessels.

Acting General Manager of SLASPA, Daren Cenac, said internal research indicated that both classes of vessels had parameters greater than that of the design capacity of  the previous berths at Port Castries.

“In 2014, Royal Caribbean International indicated their intention to introduce the Freedom and Quantum Class Vessels to the Southern Caribbean for the 2015/2016 cruise season as well as plans to make Saint Lucia an anchor call for that voyage,” he said. “In response to that opportunity and noting the cruise industry’s trend of increasingly larger vessels, SLASPA saw it necessary to ensure Port Castries’ ability to accommodate mega vessels such as the Anthem of the Seas, if Saint Lucia were to maintain its preferred cruise status within the region.”

Prime Minister Hon. Allen Chastanet, in welcoming the new US $18.8 million investment, said this is just the beginning of several other investments in tourism.

“We have entered into a partnership which we will be announcing shortly with regard to the redevelopment of the commercial activity here at Pointe Seraphine, which will also include the construction of a new hotel at this site,’ he said. “We’ve got to use Pointe Seraphine for more than just the cruise ship passengers, a regular call for locals, business people, and the guests staying at the other hotels.

“As everyone knows we have signed onto the DSH deal. In fact, the Hon. Stephenson King, two other ministers, and myself, later this month, will be going to Miami to meet with some of the cruise ship companies to hopefully finalize their commitment to the expansion of the cruise facilities in the south. We now have an announcement that Sandals is going to be breaking ground very soon with a $350 million project. But it is our intention to make sure that the airport project breaks ground, and that by this summer we have the new airport operational by 2020.”

The Point Seraphine Berth 1 Extension is expected to significantly impact not just the local tourism sector but the national economy as a whole. Construction spanned eleven months and was undertaken by Ballast Nedam International Projects, with construction oversight and management supervision being provided by the local company, Engineering Construction and Management Consultancy Ltd.

SLASPA said its looks forward to harvesting the bountiful fruits of this investment, the largest investment undertaken by the Port Authority within the last 20 years.