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CI Times Weekly | Current Issue 262 | 04 August 2008

Sea cruises getting the ships to tie up

Ports Chairman Sam Crocombe believes there are long term economic benefits from constructing a new deep water port at Nikao opposite the site of the current Parliament.
Against future development of Avatiu Port is that it cannot be further deepened and enlarged without enormous costs to enable large cruise vessels to turn around. There are also height restrictions in terms of the aircraft flight paths. Also with further commercial development of the area, streets would become too congested.
To construct a deep water port at Nikao, Crocombe estimates construction costs at between $50 million to $100 million. While this might sound prohibitive, consider this, a single large cruise ship carrying 2,000 passengers and 1,000 crew members could pump between $500,000 to $1 million into the local economy especially if overnighting. One large cruise ship a fortnight could mean around $20 million pumped into the local economy in the course of a year. There is also the revenue the port would make from berthing fees.
The June issue of Tourism Corporation’s “Drumbeats Fortnightly” newsletter says that the cruise industry offers huge potential for the Cook Islands and that the Asia Pacific region is growing in popularity among world cruise companies. The report goes on the say, sadly Rarotonga and Aitutaki lack serious port facilities which impact on our ability to develop this sector. It further reports that New Zealand will receive over 100,000 cruise passengers on 92 ships and the amount expected to generate in expenditure has been estimated at $368 million in direct spending equating to around $3,500 per person. NZ’s cruise industry generates an additional $165 million in value added services and sustains over 2,500 fulltime jobs a year. If Rarotonga’s cruise industry could generate just a fraction of what NZ makes, it would be worth it. Having a deep water port would attract other cruise companies not currently calling here.
A concept plan has been completed. The Times has been shown the plan which shows a “U” shaped harbour(see page 3). Crocombe says the concept is similar to the port at Raiatea in Tahiti. He said discussion of the port at Nikao surfaced early last year when he and Sir Terepai Maoate and Don Silk were guests aboard the cruise ship “Paul Gauguin.” Silk told Crocombe that Nikao was the ideal site and that he (Silk) had been promoting the idea of a port at this site to successive governments in the past but to no avail.
Crocombe said copies of the concept have been given out to MPs.
The plan shows a basin 12 metres deep with berthing for both cruise ships and container vessels. The port area would be on top of compacted excavated material. The “U” shape is designed to counter sea surges. There are two entrances. The port is 80 metres wide at its narrowest and will have a recreation area with public toilets, a vendors area, a pick up area for buses, taxis and tour vehicles, an information centre with currency exchange office, offices and toilet facilities, a port administration office, cargo sheds and a container area. Both ends of the port have buffer zones with tree plantings and there will be concrete or COPED protection units off these zones.
The port will sit out in the lagoon and have a causeway around 100 metres long connecting it to the shore.

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