Thursday, September 09, 2010

Nanaimo Cruise Ship Terminal Opens March 2011

Artist Concept Of New Floating Cruise Ship Dock
 Cruise Ship Terminal Construction Underway

By next spring, Nanaimo will truly be able to live up to the name of Harbour City with the completion of the new floating cruise ship pier and welcoming terminal capable of receiving large cruise ships of today, and designed for even larger ships of tomorrow.

A minimum of dredging was required to facilitate the new terminal with approximately 1.5 metres of surface material being removed from the harbour bottom to allow the required draft for the large vessels. A large floating section of the new pier is currently under construction in Vancouver and when complete will be floated over and set in place, In the meantime work is beginning to drive the piling necessary to secure the floating dock. The new pile driving equipment, while not whisper quiet, is considerably quieter than the older drivers some readers may be familiar with. The time for driving piles is restricted from 7:30 am - 5:00 pm so as not to disturb area residents in the evening.

The marine side of the construction is scheduled to be complete by the end of February 2011 while the building side of the project (Welcome center) is scheduled for completion by Mar. 15. 2011. Meeting these deadlines is critical to some degree, as the entire project must be complete no later than Mar. 31, 2011 in order to qualify for the Federal funding portion which is approximately $8.5 million.

Off To A Good Start For 2011

There are six confirmed large cruise ship visits to Nanaimo for 2011, with the Norwegian Pearl coming on May 7, Celebrity Century May 11, Celebrity Infinity May 18 and Oct. 8, Reliance of the Seas May 26 and Celebrity Millennium on Sept. 10.

In addition there will be 5 visits by the pocket cruise ship the Spirit of Endeavor which dates are yet to be confirmed.

Since the cruise ship companies firm up there plans a year in advance it is unlikely any further ships will be added to the schedule for next year.

The Future - Competitive and Promising

In order to be a full blown success the Port Authority would like to see 20+ large cruise ships visit Nanaimo each year and while that will require some serious marketing efforts it should be quite attainable given all that Nanaimo has to offer. Not everyone thinks that stopping in a huge metropolis like Vancouver is more desirable than visiting a smaller, warmer, more welcoming community such as Nanaimo.
The Welcome Centre will provide adequate space for creative entrepreneurs to present unique mementos to our guests as a reminder of their visit to the charming port city of Nanaimo.  Regular shuttle service will take our guests right downtown where they can experience all our downtown and waterfront promenade have to offer. In addition there will be tour buses providing day trips to other mid-island destinations which are sure to entice our guests to return again and again.

No doubt, after sampling what  Nanaimo has to offer, our guests will discover what we already know:
Nanaimo is 
A Perfect Place To Call Home!

Just for fun the following clock shows the time left until Mar. 31 2011



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