DOCKING OF WORLD’S LARGEST CRUISE SHIP AT PORT ZANTE IS A MOMENT ALL KITTITIANS AND NEVISIANS SHOULD BE PROUD OF, SAYS PM HARRIS

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, December 12, 2018 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Tuesday, December 11, 2018, marked a historic day in St. Kitts and Nevis, as that day saw the world’s largest cruise liner, the MS Symphony of the Seas, docking at Port Zante in one of the smallest independent countries in the world – a moment, Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris and his Cabinet colleagues believe every Kittitian and Nevisian should be extremely proud of.

MS Symphony of the Seas is an oasis-class cruise ship owned and operated by Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. It can accommodate 5,518 passengers at double occupancy up to a maximum capacity of 6,680, as well as 2,200 crew.

Prime Minister Harris was among a delegation of invited high-level government officials who attended Tuesday’s plaque exchange ceremony onboard the MS Symphony of the Seas, which was at the time making its inaugural call to Port Zante. Also, on hand to witness this moment in history were His Excellency the Governor General, Sir S.W. Tapley Seaton; Deputy Prime Minister, the Honourable Shawn Richards; Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Lindsay Grant; and other members of the Federal Cabinet; officials from the Ministry of Tourism; representatives from the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA); and other senior government officials.

While presenting a plaque to the captain of the vessel, Minister responsible for SCASPA, the Honourable Ian Patches Liburd said, “The largest cruise ship in the world came to the smallest independent nation in the world, and I think we ought to be proud as Kittitians and Nevisians.”

Delivering remarks at the opening of the brand-new East Line Bus Terminal on Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Harris commended Minister Liburd for drawing such a comparison – a comparison, he said, speaks well of the potential of St. Kitts and Nevis.

“This is significant—this is history in the making, that is, our people exciting the rest of the world; this is our people showing the best that they can be and showing to the world the full potentiality of our people left unexploited, and with nurturing, care and support, we can rise to become the best that there can be,” the prime minister said.

The Symphony of the Seas was one of two cruise liners that made its inaugural call to St. Kitts on Tuesday, December 11. The 2,402-passenger capacity Norwegian Jade also docked at Port Zante on the same day.

A total of seven ships is expected to make first-time visits to St. Kitts in the 2018/2019 cruise season.