Investigations to see whether it is possible to thread giant Panamax cruise ships through the shallows into Hamilton and St. George?s have not yet been concluded ? but any talk of major blasting of underwater rocks to clear a path has not found favour with the mayors of either community.

However, if it is found that there only needs to be some small scale alterations to the Town Cut at St. George?s to open the way for a 950-foot-long Panamax cruiser then that option will not be categorically ruled out, according to Mayor E. Michael Jones.

?I believe almost all the people of St. George?s, and most of those on the Island, would not be in favour of a widening of the Town Cut,? said Mr. Jones.

?However, when we get back all the information they may say it only needs to be widened by five feet or so and that is something that we might be able to live with.?

All three cruise ports on the Island are being reassessed as part of the Ports Enhancement Project and an Island-wide Waterfront Task Force.

Dockyard is already able to accommodate a Panamax-size cruise ship and its future seems to point to it playing host to two of the giant vessels.

West End Development Corporation general manager Lloyd Telford said recommendations were still to be made to the task force but broadly speaking there does not appear to be any reason why the port cannot expand to allow two of the cruise ships, carrying around 2,500 passengers each, to visit simultaneously.

For Hamilton and St. George?s there is still much to evaluate but the crux for both is whether it is even a realistic option to pilot a Panamax cruise ship into port in view of the narrow channel access at both locations.

While St. George?s Mayor Mr. Jones can at least see a possibility of small alterations to the Town Cut being allowed, his counterpart in Hamilton would not personally back any blasting of the Two Rock Passage just to allow giant cruise ships to visit the city.

Giving his own personal view, Hamilton Mayor Lawson Mapp said: ?If it is shown that the Panamax ships can?t get through Two Rock Passage and there is then a move to blast the rocks then that is something I?m not in favour of.?

He told : ?We haven?t had a chance yet to have a full meeting with the consultants, Chamber (of Commerce), National Trust and the stakeholders to get their input about how they feel.

?We are committed to the waterfront development and we will put in a facility to take a Panamax or two of the niche cruise ships that we already service.?

A Panamax cruise ship is as much as 300 feet longer than the current cruise ships that visit Hamilton. The Corporation of Hamilton is awaiting the findings of a simulation being carried out by cruise line Royal Caribbean to see if it is possible to pilot a Panamax-sized cruise ship through Two Rock Passage.

St. George?s Mayor Mr. Jones is keen to hear all the views from the community and interested groups before any final decision is made on what the future holds for the East End.

He said: ?We are in the process of continuing to get information and are waiting for technical information from the Government about the computer simulations. We have a meeting scheduled this Saturday for interested parties to discuss the potential development of the waterfront and the potential development of the former Club Med site.?

St. George?s has an interesting variety of routes it might take, from allowing a Panamax ship to dock to sticking to the smaller cruise ships as at present or even having no ships if the cruise line owners say it is ?Panamax or nothing?.

If the latter scenario became reality, the town is looking at the option of partnering with Wedco to create a regular hourly ferry from early morning to late night servicing Dockyard, Hamilton and St. George?s allowing thousands of passengers from the double-docked Panamax ships at Dockyard to visit the East End.

Such an enhanced ferry service would also create a reliable commuter route for regular workers.

There are pros and cons to all the options. If the visitors were brought on ferries from Dockyard they would likely patronise the town?s restaurants and cafes because it would not be so easy for them to walk back onto their cruise ship for lunch or dinner. The downside of having no cruise ship in St. George?s however, would be the loss of revenue from wharfage fees and the extra income from crew members spending in town.

Mr. Jones hopes that sometime before the end of the year a public meeting will be held to share all the information about options open to the town.