Cayman Islands - Dredge to Reefs Solution?

There's a battle brewing in the Caymans over cruise line port expansion. On one side environmentalists concerned for reef systems, on the other, business interests looking to increase regional tourism capacity.

"A warning from a diving legend that constructing a new cruise pier could be the death knell of an important part of the island’s tourism product. International Scuba Diving Hall of Famer Neal Watson points to the newly-opened cruise pier in Bimini, Bahamas, and the destruction dredging for that pier has caused. That 1,000 foot cruise pier is now operational in Bimini, meaning passengers on Resort Worlds Bimini’s Superfast ferry can now skip the tender."

Cayman’s plan to build two cruise ship piers calls for an estimated 820,000 cubic yards of dredging material to be created - that's a lot of material.

Artificial Reef Solutions

820,000 cubic yards of dredge could be “fixed it in place” by creating a series of artificial reef art structures and additional reef habitat for use around the Cayman Islands. Artificial reefs work, and next generation Dynamic Reefs companies like Reef Worlds design and create habitat tourism spaces that revive underwater tourism regions around the world.

 

The amount of proposed dredged material mixed with a low PH concrete could create an additional 10-16 sq miles of marine habit for the Cayman Islands. Building new marine habitat with dredging spoils that create exciting tourism spaces along coastlines is in the best interests of both commercial and conservation in the Caymans and across the Caribbean.

www.reefworlds.com