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Patterson...ordered investigation
Garwin Davis, Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
TOURISM interests in Port Antonio are worried that, as was the case in 1982 when police indiscretion almost ruined their cruise industry, last week's controversial searching of passenger luggage could yield a similar result.
In 1982, the Port Antonio police, in what many in the resort still regard today as a colossal blunder, demanded a search of the captain of the Boheme, a vessel that was making weekly calls to the port.
The captain, reportedly, was willing to comply but requested that it was done on board the ship and not in the presence of passengers to which the police refused. The search, to the amazement of the officers who later revealed that they were acting on what they considered reliable information on alleged marijuana trafficking by the ship's captain, turned up nothing and signalled what was the beginning of a major cruise ship drought for Port Antonio.
"That was really when things started to take a turn for the worse here in this town," explained Thoywell Phillips, an executive on the board of local JUTA drivers in Port Antonio.
"It was an ill-advised search on the part of the police and which greatly embarrassed the ship's captain. The Boheme made only a few calls afterwards, but we all could sense that the writing was on the wall."
Derron Wood, owner of Derron's Car Rentals and Tours, also remembered the incident vividly.
"That was a classic case of jumping the gun too early and although last week's fiasco was a lot milder, both incidents do share similar traits," he said. "The pulling out of the Boheme was a major blow to tourism in this town and I am not sure if our cruise shipping industry has ever fully recovered."
Furore
The Port Antonio police on November 16 created a furore among tourism circles by their alleged searching of luggage belonging to passengers on board the luxury ship, Europa, and incurring the wrath of the captain who reportedly vowed never to return to the island.
The handling of the situation by the police has not only been roundly condemned by tourism officials, but has brought on an investigation that was ordered by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson. Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) personnel, including general manager for cruise shipping, William Tatham, have also been busy trying to do some damage control but their efforts so far to contact the owners of the German based vessel have proven unsuccessful.
The incident, however, could not have come at a worst time for Port Antonio residents who have watched grudgingly over the years as the resort towns of Ocho Rios and Montego Bay enjoyed the lion's share of the cruise ship market.
"For us, this is really a cruel blow," remarked Winston Cannickle, president of the Port Antonio Cruise Shipping Council. "Just as our efforts to revitalised the industry were starting to show signs of coming to life, this incident has to happen. I am afraid this thing could really set us back."
Port Antonio enjoyed its most productive period in the 1970s where the town not only established a long standing relationship with cruise line giants, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Caribbean Lines but was arguably the cruise shipping capital of Jamaica. The Boundbrook wharf, which was the official port, was soon joined by the Ken Wright Pier to accommodate an expected 1980s boom, but which never happened.
"The Boheme mishap had a lot to do with the downturn but so did the twin harbours which were simply too small to accommodate the larger vessels," explained businessman Howie Cover. "The people who designed the pier lacked the vision to see that ships would only get bigger in the future and so Port Antonio was left behind. The Boheme incident may have been the final nail in the coffin but we were bound to lose the ships anyway."
The 2001 official cruise shipping schedule shows no vessel slated for Port Antonio but the town, as in previous years, was expected to get the odd one or two that may have been re-routed from another port, as was the case of the Europa.
"It is a case where we have to take what we can get," said Pearlita Thomas, businesswoman. "Gone are the days when we had fleets coming here. We now have to be thankful for the small scraps that fall off somebody else's table and it is important that we don't take it for granted. The police should try to develop some skills in public relations and be less vigilant in their approach."
