Bermuda's cruise trade will not collapse if the Island decides to ban mega-ships, industry experts have claimed.

Transport Minister Ewart Brown said earlier this month that Government does not want the new generation of huge cruise ships visiting Bermuda -- despite a draft consultants' report recommending the Island should prepare for them.

Dr. Brown said that even if the Island lost some trade from bigger ships, it may attract smaller vessels in the process. These decisions would be made following consultations with the industry.

Cruise companies contacted by The Royal Gazette backed Dr. Brown's view that Bermuda will always be an attractive destination for passengers on smaller ships who can appreciate the quality of life on the Island.

Dr. Brown has not released the final report from Miami-based consultants Bermello Ajamill, but he said Government wants to rule out mega-ships because of concerns for the environment and fears the island does not have the infrastructure to deal with more cruise passengers.

The Royal Gazette revealed the draft consultants' report recommended Government should prepare for ships up 950 feet long with 2,500 passengers and 800 crew.

They said one option to deal with these huge ships would be building a 600 foot pier into Hamilton Harbour.

Cruise ship companies have told The Royal Gazette that Bermuda has nothing to fear from turning away mega-ships.

John Kimbrough, the senior vice-president marketing of Premier Cruises, said smaller up-market cruise companies find Bermuda attractive.

His company has six ships averaging 1,100 passengers which visit Mexico, the Caribbean, New England and Canada.

He said: "Bermuda will always be of interest to the cruise market. I think that if you turn away the larger ships there will still be plenty of demand for cruise ships to come to Bermuda.

"There are always lines with ships smaller than the mega-ships, even among the newer ships that are being built. From our perspective, we don't want to have ships that stop us giving the personalised service for our passengers and you get to a certain point when you cant do that.

"We'll always look at the ships we have now and the ships of the future to ensure they are never too big to allow us to give the service our passengers expect. I don't think Bermuda is going to suffer.

"It helps protect the environment and the country, and helps make it the type of tourist destination that brings repeat visitors.

"The technology is going to improve, but that doesn't mean ships all have to become mega-liners. There is the mass market that wants the mega-ships, but there will continue to be other niches that don't want mega-ships.

"Cruise lines will still want to provide as good a service as possible and its difficult to do that with an over-sized ship.'' Mimi Weisband, the public relations officer of up-market Crystal Cruises, concurred with Mr. Kimbrough.

Her company has two ships with a maximum capacity of 940, but even if the fleet expands, its newer ships will be of the same size.

She said: "These are medium sized ships and we are looking to have the service and the quality of a small luxury ships but with more choice of activities.

"We have guests on board who have a very high income level and they can appreciate the ship, the architecture and the high standard of living in Bermuda.

"Our size of ship is perfect for your area and we consider Bermuda the kind of destination that appeals to our sophisticated travellers.

"Bermuda is a very appealing destination to us because of the charms, sophistication and quality of life. Bermuda is also perceived as safe, and that's very important to our guests. We also have a number of guests from the UK who are very excited about our Bermuda itinerary.'' Crystal has visited Bermuda before and is planning a one-off visit this summer.

When asked if the company was considering scheduling regular cruises to the Island, she said: "We haven't had serious discussions beyond 2001. We can find an area appealing, but we have to work it into our jigsaw of itinerary for the year.'' Dr. Ewart Brown