Portland gets first cruise call in nine months

PORT ANTONIO, Portland:

The resort town of Port Antonio received its first cruise vessel since February as Seven Seas Navigator docked at the Ken Wright Pier with a little over 500 passengers last Friday.

The arrival of the cruise ship was a welcome sight for many tourism stakeholders, including craft traders and Jamaica Union of Travellers Association (JUTA) members, who were assigned to transport tourists to attractions, including Rio Grande rafting and the craft village.

Neville Green, a JUTA member, told The Gleaner that the arrival of the cruise ship paved the way for industry players to earn from their livelihoods, but also provided them with the opportunity of interacting with the travellers.

But some Portlanders who were privy to the ship’s schedule and had earlier expressed scepticism about the garbage crisis, were heartened that the National Solid Waste Management Authority conducted a four-day clean-up involving private truck operators.

Huge pile-ups of garbage have been choking parishes, with NSWMA’s fleet below capacity, mainly because some trucks reportedly developed mechanical problems.

Meantime, some craft vendors who were assigned tents near the entrance to the Ken Wright Pier appeared happy about the ship’s arrival.

The residents argue that business has taken a nosedive since the onset of COVID-19 in 2020, which sparked a shutdown of the country’s tourism sector.

Seven Seas Navigator docked at the Ken Wright Pier in Port Antonio shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Friday and set sail shortly after 12 p.m.