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Taxi & Tour operations shut out of Berthing Agreements!
Many critics of the two-year-old led National Democratic Party (NDP) Government have now described the agreements as just more ‘deception to the highest degree’ as they go through the lines of the leaked preferential Berthing Agreement.
After the story was firstly and accurately broken by Virgin Islands News Online on February 4, 2014, it set off a flurry of back and forth and embarrassing infighting between the BVI Ports Authority boss Claude Skelton-Cline and the Minister for Communications and Works Honourable Mark. H. Vanterpool.
Embarrassing infighting as MD & Minister duke it out!
Mr. Skelton-Cline’s BVI Ports Authority issued a statement on 4, February 2014 to the media saying the agreement would not be released to the public because of the confidentiality clauses and bashed and threaten the media over what he described as “irresponsible publishing” and a day after the Minister for Communications and Works Hon. Vanterpool fired back saying that he was surprised the Berthing Agreement was not already released and vowing it will be, as he had already promised that.
Minister Vanterpool also said that he is getting ready to have the document registered where the public will then have access.
What’s in the Agreement? Were we told about landside?
The agreements with Disney Cruise Lines (DCL) and Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) as professed by the National Democratic Party regime have been proven to have attempted to deceive the people of the Virgin Islands by the inclusion of landside development project and the pier extension.
As the people of the British Territory had understood it, a berthing accounts for the bringing in of vessels to a dock and ensuring that we would have gotten some 425,000 passengers per year between the two companies.
However, a quick glance of the agreement signed by the NDP Government it is clear that the landside development project and the expansion of the dock are all married therein giving an all-time new meaning to the word “Berthing” as spelt out clearly in Appendix II of DCL agreement.
The Agreement states, “The project – the project is comprised of the construction of a two-span expansion of the Pier, Improvement to the Pier Park ….. and related works, as well as the ongoing operations, maintenance and repair of the Pier and Pier Park (collectively, the “Project”). The Pier Park means the area adjacent to the Pier…”
What is now very troubling to many is obvious leash that are tied around the necks of taxi operators, retailers at the port, and tour operators.
What does NCL’s agreement says on tour operators:
The Agreement states, “NORWEIGIAN TOUR OPERATORS – BVIPA hereby agrees that any shore excursion tour operator selected by the Norwegian (Norwegian Excursion Tour Operator) shall be given access to the areas of the Port set aside for such Norwegian Excursion Tour Operators on the terms that are no less favourable than those given to any other pre-booked tour operators, including as to the level of fees that it will charge the Norwegian Excursion Tour operator (“the excursion access Fee”) in respect of the round trip for access, parking, permits or related access fees.”
While the aforementioned might be a given, and arguably so, the blow below the belt selling out of our birthrights came in the following section of the signed agreement: -
In the Birthing Agreement it’s vital to note “TOUR OPERATORS NOT SELECTED BY NORWEGIAN - Other tour operators who are not designated by Norwegian as Norwegian Excursion Tour Operators may be given access to the areas of the Port set aside for tour operators of like kind. BVIPA will use reasonable efforts to separate Norwegian Excursion Tour Operators from other tour operators to allow initial and direct access for Norwegian passengers to Norwegian Excursion Tour Operators. BVIPA will use reasonable efforts to control and monitor such other tour operators who are not Norwegian Excursion Tour Operators so as to minimize aggressive solicitation of Norwegian passengers by such tour operators.”
This preferential privilege given to the Cruise liner is consistent in the sections relating to Retailers in the port and taxi operators.
The Agreement also states, “RETAILERS IN THE PORT – Tenants of the retail and commercial space in the Port (Who are not designated by Norwegian as Norwegian Excursion Tour Operators) shall be permitted under the terms of their respective leases only to work and solicit customers from their leased premises or space at the Pier Park. BVIPA will use reasonable efforts to control and monitor such tenants so as to minimize aggressive solicitation of Norwegian passengers by such tenants.”
According to the Berthing Agreement, “TAXI OPERATORS – Taxi operators and other ground transport operators who are not designated by Norwegian as Norwegian Excursion Tour Operators who are not designated by Norwegian as Norwegian Excursion Tour Operators may be given accesses to the designated areas of the Port for such taxi operators. BVIPA will use reasonable efforts to control and monitor such taxi operators so as to minimize aggressive solicitation of Norwegian passengers by such taxi operators.”
The Public Speaks
Examining these and other sections of the document in the procession of our news site have confirmed that it is glaring that the Berthing Agreement clearly is one that should have been named “Berthing and Pier Park access agreement”.
Others who have reviewed the deal signed have not seen where neither DCL nor NCL are using their own monies to invest in the expansion of the pier or the development of Park therefore, it should have not been as intrusive into the areas of Taxi/tours operators and retailers at the Port. “Plain, straight and simple we have been sold out. We need to pressure the government to annul this agreement forthwith,” said one person of interest.
“All this government is doing is rendering themselves incapable to effectively negotiate. DCL and NCL are being used as credit for the government to get their loan from which ever financial institution of them to do that project, NCL and DCL not giving them no direct monies for that projects, so absolutely there wasn’t any need for them to go in that direction,” said a young potential politician.
“What is striking more than anything else here is the insinuation that our locals are aggressive and whoever this cruise line chose or they themselves establishes in our port, in our territory have authorities over our own people and for our government, that NDP government to suggest that our own are likely to be aggressive is a low down dirty shame,” said a local businessman.
“Mark my words when this whole thing is done, if we allow them to go through with this, our locals would be tucked in some small corner, craft alive will become craft a-dead, and our taxi guys would be shoved in some areas away from the central area. You mark my word,” the businessman added.
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34 Responses to “ Taxi & Tour operations shut out of Berthing Agreements! ”
Stop talking s#!t. Whether it's VIP or NDP developing the ports, a cruise line will be involved and will have a lot of say in the process. VIP had an MOU with Royal Caribbean and trust me, if they were moving it forward they would have the same stipulations in the agreement. Don't bring politics into this, regardless of who you vote for the investor always wins, why? What other choice does BVI have? Now, this is where building a proper reserve comes in. If we had money saved and managed our finances well in the past, we won't be on our knees kissing ass to extend a stupid pier and build a building on the dock. Say one, say two, if you make it political it makes no sense.