CHEC lands big port project in Cayman
Published:Friday | July 8, 2011 | 12:00 AM
China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) has reached an agreement with the Cayman government for the construction of two cruise ship piers and repairs to a jetty and landing facility to accommodate mega-cruise liners calling at Grand Cayman.
The agreement was signed by Cayman Islands premier McKeeva Bush and CHEC regional director Zhongdong Tang in late June, CHEC said in a statement.
The value of the projects was not disclosed.
The Cayman Islands project is the second large-scale undertaking in the Caribbean for CHEC, which said it has expertise in engineering as well as project management and was willing to invest financially in the region.
According to the memorandum of understanding signed for the Cayman Islands projects, CHEC will design, build, operate and transfer the piers and facilities in the capital, Georgetown, and one near a turtle farm at West Bay, as well as upgrade an existing jetty and landing facility.
The engineering firm established its regional headquarters in Kingston in April 2010 after being appointed general contractor for the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme, a five-year road work project funded by the China EXIM Bank.
CHEC has also been granted the contract for the Palisadoes shoreline protection and rehabilitation project, which involves the construction of a sea revetment and lifting the stretch of road that runs between the Caribbean Sea and Kingston Harbour. The US$65.4-million project is also 85 per cent financed by China ExIm Bank.
Palisadoes is the only land-based access to the Norman Manley International Airport.