Nanaimo's water could prove key to luring more cruise ships to city

Officials consider selling fresh H2O as added service to international vessels

Tamara Cunningham, The Daily News
Published: Saturday, November 19, 2011

Fresh water could help lure international cruise ships to the new docking terminal in Nanaimo.

City officials are considering selling potable water to cruise lines as an added service. It could persuade cruise ships to use Nanaimo as a destination, rather than a stopover as it's considered now. The city and the Nanaimo Port Authority are only in the early stages of creating a partnership to sell the city's water supply, but both are eager to take advantage of the opportunity.

The port authority has been planning to build the infrastructure needed to supply water since construction of the terminal began, but said it wasn't in their budget until now.

"Victoria, Vancouver, Prince Rupert . . . they all provide services to cruise ships with water being one of the more dominant," said Bernie Dumas, president of the NPA "It's something we're in a good shape to do and it could be giving cruise ships another reason to come to call here."

It is not known yet the revenue would be or how this would tax the city's water supply. Mayor John Ruttan has said previously the city could run into water supply issues in a decade.

Water is a service other coastal ports already provide to cruise ships and Nanaimo could be more competitive if it also gets on board, according to Dumas.

Nanaimo has been trying to become a larger player among cruise carriers with a new strategy in the works to boost recognition of the city terminal. Cruise ships made stopover here only five times this year, compared to the average 15.

Ruttan said the opportunity is one the city is considering as a way to bring more passengers downtown but they need to do more research before the city commits to supplying water.

If an agreement is reached soon, Dumas said the port could refit the terminal with piping next year. The project would cost the port $50,000 to $60,000.

© The Daily News (Nanaimo) 2011