Bahamas News

The Vancouver based company that has been tasked with transforming Lynden Pindling International Airport [LPIA] into a premier gateway has disposed of a substantial interest in the company.

YVR Airport Services has now entered a partnership with Citi Infrastructure Investors (CII) to jointly pursue the sourcing, funding and maximization of potential airport opportunities, according to the airport management company.

Last week, the Bahama Journal reported that YVRAS officials disclosed in a note that was posted in the Vancouver International Airport Authorit-y’s financial statements that it was in the process of disposing of a substantial interest in the company. However, there was no indication about who was interested in buying into the company.

The airport authority stated that if the transaction went through, the capital for YVRAS would be “substantially changed.”

Under the terms of the agreement, CII will also acquire 50 per cent of the shares of YVRAS and YVRAS will become CII’s exclusive platform for investing in airport assets, it was reported this week. The airport management company is relying on CII’s extensive global connections, long-term capital and an in-depth understanding of airport investment.

Officials also reported that CII is attracted to a partnership with Vancouver Airport Authority – the parent company for YVRAS – because of its innovation and operational excellence developed at its internationally recognized, award winning, North American gateway home airport of Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

In addition, YVRAS had amassed the reputation of being one of the pre-eminent managers of international airports with a successful track record in bidding on international airport assets.

“This is a new chapter in a great made-in-B.C. success story. In only 12 years, YVRAS has grown from three people and a bold idea into a major airport development company, operating 18 airports in seven countries,” said Graham Clarke, chair of Vancouver Airport Authority Board of Directors.

YVRAS, created in 1994, manages airports in seven countries, including The Bahamas, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Chile, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos and Cyprus. A few years ago, the company won the contract to redevelop LPIA which is the fourth busiest airport in the Caribbean region and handles approximately 3.2 million passengers annually. The airports in that portfolio recorded consolidated revenues of $433 million and combined passenger traffic of 29 million last year, it was reported.

“If British Columbia is to grow, then YVR must compete and win in the gateway battle for airlines and passengers - and to be the best at home, you need to be achieving out in the world,” said Larry Berg, president and chief executive officer of Vancouver Airport Authority.

“We are proud of how our subsidiary company has taken the excellence of B.C. and YVR into the international market. We see the partnership with CII as critical in taking YVRAS to the next stage of growth. We believe we have found a strong, complementary long-term partner that understands airport infrastructure and brings a lot to the table.”

Felicity Gates, co-head and partner of CII, said the company is seeking to establish a small number of best-in-class infrastructure platforms for growth and long-term investment through its alliance with the Vancouver company.

George Casey, president and chief executive officer of YVRAS called the move a welcome partnership that validates YVRAS position in the marketplace.

“CII is sponsored by one of the largest financial institutions in the world and their understanding of infrastructure and world capital markets will further support YVRAS as it matures to the next level,” he said.

The Nassau Airport Development Company Limited (NAD), in which YVRAS is heavily involved and through which it is driving the transformation of LPIA, was established to manage, operate, maintain and develop the airport under a 30-year agreement with the company.

NAD assumed responsibility for the airport on April 1, 2007.

NAD is responsible for introducing best practices, managing the development and construction of a new passenger terminal and related infrastructure estimated to be approximately US$400 million, enhancing commercial venues and improving the US Pre-Clearance facilities and services.

Source: Bahama Journal

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has shaped a plan to make the island of Grand Bahama a major player in tourism once again, according to Minister of Tourism Neko Grant.

At the 10th Annual Grand Bahama Business Outlook held at the Our Lucaya Resort, he announced that through the Ministry’s community based tourism programmes, spearheaded by Jeritzan Outten and her team, the ministry can now deliver 35 new tours and activities to visitors to the island.

The tours will be available to visitors and residents alike, ranging from two tank reef dives to eco-tours, he said.

“The idea of community based tourism is not new, but our approach to it is innovative. We have determined that the communities on Grand Bahama Island have a vital role to play in ensuring that the overall tourism industry is sustainable,” Mr. Grant said.

He said that the Ministry of Tourism is currently finalizing assessments for the development of tourism resources in these communities and expects to be able to increase the number of destination experiences on the island by 16 from 35 to 51 activities by the third quarter of this calendar year.

Last year at a town meeting held in Freeport by the Ministry of Tourism, it was reiterated by stakeholders in the industry that tourists complained that there was nothing for them to do on the island.

Minister Grant said that the new attractions include a south Grand Bahama tour, East End Trip and excursion to the Abacos, Holmes Rock Nature Trail and Cave Tour, Lighthouse Point in Pinder’s Point; the Eight Mile Rock Boiling Hole in Hepburn Town, Grand Bahama Museum, Sculpture Points at Junkanoo Beach Club, Coastline Cruise and Shopping Tour, Coastline Cruise to Paradise Cove and Beach Party, and Rafting the Lucayan Creek.

Many of the onshore tours will include visits to native restaurants and bars for drinks and local snacks coupled with indigenous music and cultural entertainment.

“Regardless of our less than stellar performance in recent years, world tourism is on the rise,” Mr. Grant said.

Global estimates for 2007 suggest a six percent increase in the world’s tourism economy according to United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), he said.

“An expanding global tourism economy represents opportunity for Grand Bahama Island to expand its tourism performance moving forward,” continued Mr. Grant.

One of the fastest growing sectors is the cruise industry, where interest from an aging US population, an expanded cruise season, and successful introduction of new ships have combined with demand to produce record profits for some US cruise providers in the third quarter of 2007, he said.

“Despite the threat that cruise vacations pose to our core stopover visitor business, this remains an important sector, providing a source of incremental tourism revenue that has the added advantage of flowing immediately, and directly into the hands of a large cross section of independent small Bahamian business persons,” he said.

Mr. Grant also noted that if it had not been for the intervention of the ministry, Discovery Cruise Lines daily cruise ferry service would have come to a stop in the fall of 2007.

He said that for sustainable growth to take place in the tourism sector, the ministry must work assiduously to ensure that on-shore experiences exceed expectations.

“Only in this way will we be able to boost the average visitor spend from $53 to the industry standard in the region of $100 per person. This is achievable provided Grand Bahamians are prepared to invest in tourism products that complement the destination,” Mr. Grant said.

He noted that that the $100 million new cruise port that was foreshadowed in the government’s plan is being actively pursued and “drawing closer.”

“We have negotiated additional new non-stop jet service from other gateways that you will be hearing about shortly as we advance our plans to reposition and re-launch this destination in true partnership with the private sector,” Mr. Grant said.

Source: Bahama Journal

At least 4.14 million tourists came to The Bahamas last year, according to the details of a new economic report released by the Central Bank of The Bahamas, although the Ministry of Tourism has yet to release the total figures for visitor arrivals to the country in 2007.

Five million had become somewhat of a local benchmark for success in tourism once the feat was achieved a few years ago. However, in the last several years, The Bahamas has failed to hit the mark.

The Central Bank noted in its Monthly Economic and Financial Development Report for December 2007 that over an eleven month period last year visitor arrivals fell by 3.8 percent [0.18 million] to 4.14 million.

The figures reflected a contraction in the main air and sea components by 1.7 percent and 4.8 percent respectively.

“In terms of the major markets, broad based declines were noted for visitors to New Providence [1.3 percent], Grand Bahama [6.8 percent], and the Family Islands [7.4 percent],” the report said.

The weakness detected in the local tourism sector was reflected in the worldwide picture last year.

The recent United Nations World Tourism Barometer report indicated recently that although confidence has weakened, international tourism is projected to still grow this year despite a global economic slowdown, worries about a recession in the US economy, turbulence in the US housing market and spiking oil prices.

According to UNWTO, international tourist arrivals grew by an estimated six percent to reach a new record figure of 900 million. It meant that there were nearly 52 million more tourist arrivals last year over the year before, in what officials said was an astonishing achievement given that the 800 million mark was reached in 2005.

In the Caribbean region, there were 19.3 million international tourist arrivals, according to the report, which also indicated that the overall prospects for 2008 are positive.

Central Bank analysts also noted that weakness continued to hound the main driver of economic activity in The Bahamas late last year ultimately contributing to a lag in the economy.

“Initial data for the month of December [2007] suggest a slowing in the pace of economic activity, as signs of weakness in the tourism and construction sectors offset growth in consumer demand,” the report added.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has yet to reveal the total tourist arrival figures for 2007. However according to the ministry’s preliminary data, between January and October there were just under four million visitors to The Bahamas which was 3.8 percent less than the total number of tourists here between January and October 2006.

The figures also showed that 2.3 million of those visitors who came to The Bahamas in that period arrived in New Providence, while the other 540,000 were recorded for Grand Bahama and another 1 million traveled to the Family Islands.

In the month of October alone there were over 298,000 tourist arrivals, the data showed.

The Ministry of Tourism is expected to operate with a larger marketing budget soon to raise this country’s profile and draw more visitors to The Bahamas. Director General of Tourism Vernice Walkine has welcomed the additional $12 million boost from the government.

It would supplement the ministry’s 2007-2008 advertising budget of around $5 million.

Source: Bahama Journal

Former Housing and Immigration Minister Shane Gibson and his wife, Jackie, were among scores of mourners that gathered yesterday at Lakeview Memorial Gardens on John F. Kennedy Drive, to mark the one year anniversary of the death of former U.S. reality t.v. star Anna Nicole Smith.

Members of the U.S. media were kept behind barricades as Smith’s former attorney turned boyfriend Howard K. Stern recalled the memories he shared with the former Playboy Playmate.

He said Anna Nicole should have lived to hear her daughter call her “momma,” rather than the child only knowing her mother through photographs.

He said if she had lived, Anna Nicole “would be bragging to everyone who would listen” about her baby girl.

“She would make people listen about how beautiful and smart DannieLynn is, and she would be right,” Mr. Stern said.

“That’s how things should be and no matter what anybody tells me it doesn’t make things any easier that that’s not how things are.”

On February 9, Anna Nicole was found unconscious in her room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino near Hollywood, Florida.

The former Playboy centerfold later died the same day at a hospital. Her sudden death started a tabloid frenzy in a Broward County courtroom over her body and the paternity and custody of her infant daughter.

Eventually, Anna Nicole was buried at Lakeview next to her 20-year-old son, Daniel.

Daniel died at Doctors Hospital on September 10, 2006, three days after his mother had given birth to his half-sister.

A coroner’s inquest into the young man’s death has so far revealed that Smith had a combination of eight different drugs – a mixture of stimulants and depressants – in his system at the time of his death.

According to expert testimonies, the methadone – a drug used to treat heroine addicts – was the most lethal.

Mr. Stern told those attending the memorial that he just can’t stop thinking, “Why?”

“Why are things the way they are instead of the way they shoud be?” he questioned.

“I stand behind what I said at Anna’s funeral, the truth, the only real truth is what you live. It’s not what is said in the media. It’s not what’s said in court. It’s what you are hearing with your own senses, and the truth about Anna, what I know for a fact, is that there was nobody stronger, nobody smarter, nobody more compassionate, nobody funnier and certainly no body more beautiful.”

Mr. Stern said those who really knew Anna Nicole, knew what she was “really all about.”

“We loved her. We respected her. I worshiped her and I still do,” he confessed.

Mr. Stern added that Anna was “right about everything.”

“The people who she thought was using her – they were. They people who she thought were trying to get famous off of her – they were. The people who she thought would sell her out – they did. The people who she thought were liars and thieves – they are. Few people who knew Anna might not realize how smart she actually was because unless she wanted you to know you didn’t know,” he said.

“When Anna died part of me died. The best part.”

Mount Horeb Baptist Church Pastor Dr Lloyd Smith – who presided over the celebrity’s funeral service – presided over the memorial service yesterday, which lasted less than an hour.

One-year-old Dannielynn and her father Larry Birkhead was also in town for the memorial service, which was also attended by Mr. Gibson’s parents.

In the final months of the Christie Administration, Mr. Gibson had come under fire for his close relationship with Smith who was a permanent resident of the Bahamas.

The allegations at the time were Smith’s permanent residency application was fast tracked because of her relationship with Mr. Gibson.

The debacle eventually climaxed with his resignation from the Christie Cabinet right before the May 2, 2007 general elections.

During a Coroner’s Inquest into Daniel’s death, Frederick Taylor, an inspector at the Central Detective Unit, told the court how he arrived at the hospital to find the then Minister of Immigration and his wife in the hospital room as Daniel’s body lay on a nearby bed, waiting to be transferred to the morgue.

Source: Bahama Journal

Today marks one year since former starlet Anna Nicole Smith died suddenly in a Florida hotel and casino, leaving behind the controversy that had dogged her and her family and which gathered steam with the sudden death of her 20-year-old son Daniel Smith at a local hospital.

Born Vickie Lynn Hogan, the buxom beauty and former reality TV star, moved to The Bahamas to escape the critical glare of the international media and to give birth to her daughter Dannielynn.

However, her dreams of leaving the papparazzi behind came to a tragic end when her son colleaped in her hospital room at Doctors Hospital in September 2006 from what one forensic pathologist said was a lethal combination of per scri ption drugs.

Two toxicology reports indicated that Daniel had a combination of eight drugs in his system – a mixture of anti-depressants and stimulants.

Ironically, it was determined that Anna Nicole died from an accidental per scri ption drugoverdose as well some five months later.

Daniel was Anna Nicole’s child with her first husband.

A coroner’s inquest is still going on in a Bahamas court to officially determine what contributed to Daniel’s death.

The last time the court met, two, once close friends of Anna Nicole G. Ben Thompson and his son-in-law Ford Shelley recounted how they saw the young Smith’s lifeless body in the hospital room and that on September 10, 2006.

The inquest resumes on March 17, when the last four witnesses, including Dannielynn’s father Larry Birkhead and Mr. Stern, are expected to be called to the witness stand.

Although he now has full custody of the child, it had been a rough road getting to that point. Following Daniel’s death, a fierce custody battle over baby Dannielynn ensued which wound through both Bahamian and US courts.

At the end of the ordeal Birkhead was declared the biological father.He is now raising Dannielynn. She was then married to late billionaire J. Howard Marshall and battled with his family over his fortune following his death in 1995.Who will now get that money remains up in the air.

The Bahamas related angle to the Anna Nicole saga was one that reach the top levels in government. The biggest scandal revolved around her relationship with former housing and immigration minister Shane Gibson who was accused of fast tracking her application for permanent residency status because of his relationship with the former playboy starlet.

For many months Mr. Gibson and the former PLP administration vigorously defended themselves against all charges of impropriety. But eventually the saga escalated into even more criticisms when photographs were printed in the media of the two locked in an embrace.

Eventually, Mr. Gibson resigned as a cabinet minister, all the while declaring that his relationship with Anna Nicole and her family was above board.

It followed allegations that the former minister had received a Rolex watch from Ms. Smith as a thank you present for her approval as a permanent resident.

Anna Nicole Smith gained popularity in her youth as a Marilyn Monroe lookalike.

Conflict seemed the follow Anna Nicole in her adult years.

Born and raised in Texas, she had dropped out of high school and first married at the age of 17. Her highly publicized marriage to oil business “Corporate officer” executive and billionaire J. Howard Marshall, 63 years her senior, resulted in speculation that she married the octogenarian for his money, which she denied.

Following Marshall’s death, she began a lengthy legal battle over a share of his estate; her case, Marshall v. Marshall, reached the U.S. Supreme Court on a question of federal jurisdiction.

She became involved in litigation with Marshall’s son E. Pierce Marshall and temporarily joined forces with his other son, James Howard Marshall III, whom the elder Howard had disowned.

In 1996, Smith filed for bankruptcy in California as a result of a $850,000 judgment against her for sexual harassment of an employee. As any money potentially due to her from the Marshall estate was part of her potential assets, the bankruptcy court involved itself in the matter.

Smith claimed J. Howard orally promised her half of his estate if she married him. In September 2000, a Los Angeles bankruptcy judge awarded her $449,754,134.

In July 2001, Houston judge Mike Wood affirmed the jury findings in the probate case by ruling that Smith was entitled to nothing and ordered Smith to pay over $1 million in fees and expenses to Pierce’s legal team. The conflict between the Texas probate court and California bankruptcy court judgments forced the matter into federal court.

In March 2002, a federal judge vacated the California bankruptcy court’s ruling and issued a new ruling but reduced the award to $88 million. In December 2004, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the March 2002 decision, affirming the Texas Probate jury findings that no misconduct had occurred, Smith was not one of J. Howard Marshall’s heirs and that the federal courts lacked jurisdiction to overrule the probate decisions of a Texas state court.

Source: Bahama Journal

As the new Chairman of CARICOM, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham is expected to shift the focus of the Caribbean Community’s agenda over the next six months from economic integration to tourism.

While world tourism grew by seven percent last year, tourism in the Caribbean grew by only one percent, a figure Prime Minister Ingraham is hoping to help turn around.

“One of the things that we do not appreciate in the region is the extent to which we are not top of the world’s list in terms of travel anymore,” Mr. Ingraham said during a recent interview with the Bahama Journal.

“We have got to find a means by which we can increase our growth rate. We have become very expensive. We have not ensured that our infrastructure is up to acceptable standards in many respects and we in the region have got to find the means by which we can collaborate more than we are [doing] today.”

The data is still being collated but there are apparently doubts that The Bahamas reached the five million visitor mark in 2007, a feat that was achieved for the first time in 2004.

The latest figures from the Ministry of Tourism show that up to October 2007 just under four million visitors had chosen The Bahamas as a vacation destination, which was 3.8 percent less than the total tourists who visited these shores between January and October 2006.

The figures also showed that 2.3 million of those visitors who came to The Bahamas between January and October last year arrived in New Providence, while the other 540,000 were recorded for Grand Bahama and another one million traveled to the Family Islands.

Data also shows that in the month of October alone, there were over 298,000 tourist arrivals.

Tourism Minister Neko Grant has blamed a softening US economy – in part – for the less than stellar performance in tourist arrivals last year, a sentiment Tourism Director General Vernice Walkine echoed during a press conference announcing this year’s National Tourism Week, which kicked off this past Sunday.

“This year, there is even more urgency and importance placed on the conference. This is a time in which we see the United States, our largest and most lucrative tourism market, taking measures to fight off a possible recession,” Ms. Walkine said.

“The US dollar is weakening, consumerism is low and many middle-income families find themselves in a mortgage crunch…We must come together to discuss these things. There is nothing more important to our country and we should tackle these issues together.”

Ratings and services group Standard and Poors’ (S&P) revised report has pointed to some degree of concern for the pace of investments and tourism in The Bahamas.

In fact, the report noted the continuously below-par performance of the tourism sector.

Officials noted “the sector, which represents about 60 percent of The Bahamas’ GDP is expected to be negatively affected by the curbed demand from US consumers.

An estimated 85 percent of the tourists who come to The Bahamas are from the United States.

While bringing the keynote address at Caribbean Marketplace 2008, Prime Minister Ingraham recently called for creativity and imagination, which he said are critical for land-based tourism operators in the region.

“Of the total growth in Caribbean tourism over the last year or more, 60 percent of the growth was accounted for by Cuba and Santo Domingo,” Mr. Ingraham told the Journal.

“…So we are not doing as well as we ought to and we are going to have a major focus on doing better. The extent to which we have been able to attract high income persons has helped to compensate for a number of deficiencies.”

Tourism is not the only issue Prime Minister Ingraham is expected to focus on during his tenure as CARICOM chairman.

Mr. Ingraham is expected to continue CARICOM’s focus on functional cooperation – that is the extent to which the region can work together to improve education, healthcare, environmental standards as well as disaster management.

Source: Bahama Journal

We hope that there is a wind, a constant wind, or else the no-see-ums come out to bite us. And the wind is almost always a presence. We can hear the turquoise sea lapping the beach and old coral outcrops and the rattling of the coconut palm fronds. We can also hear a twittering or swishing sound, like a flock of birds that never gets closer or farther away. That is the quiet voice of the wind-driven propeller cranking out kilowatts for the Island School, on Eleuthera, The Bahamas.

The school is devoid of students just now and our family, all 18 of us, has descended on it for the Christmas holidays. We have the use of the girls’ and boys’ dormitories and some of the staff quarters since they are mostly away in the United States for Christmas. We also have the use of the bicycles, kayaks, and snorkelling gear, plus their modestly industrial kitchen and open-air dining hall. Our 31-year-old son, Christopher, started teaching at the Island School three years ago.

The real boss and founder is Chris Maxey, an ex-U.S. navy Seal, a Yale graduate and now environmental educator. Maxey’s dream, thanks to his energy and the hard work of many, has grown significantly over the school’s nine-year history. Its student-driven research has expanded into the Cape Eleuthera Institute and now Cape Systems Ltd. is promoting sustainable systems like solar hot-water heaters in the Bahamas.

Since the Island School started, it has spawned a middle school to offer new opportunities to local Bahamian students. Despite this growth, “small is beautiful” still rings true here. The school has an enviable pupil-teacher ratio of approximately three-to-one, with 48 students and 15 teachers. The kids are mostly 16- or 17-year-old American high-school students. They attend for only one semester but those 3 1/2 months are always life transforming in a positive way.

Since the 1960s, I have been giving talks on the hazards to the planet and individuals of our instant-pudding packaged world; this world might be sweet, smooth, convenient and quick, but it creates problems from depletion of resources to pollution to psychological stress. Children in our society are suffering from “nature deficit disorder” as described in the landmark book, Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv. Recent research has shown that bringing children back to nature and the outdoors will decrease obesity, attention deficit disorder, drug and alcohol abuse, depression, suicide and bullying. It also helps to improve academic achievement – just what the doctor ordered.

Our family is here in the Bahamas first and foremost to have family fun, but we will also be very busy learning from the school’s philosophy and setting, as well as exploring Eleuthera on land and under water.

With the constant wind comes the constant flapping of the Bahamian flag – blue and yellow stripes and black triangle. The flagpole is in the middle of the central compound and around it, when school is in session, the students and staff gather before sunrise to sing the national anthem of the Bahamas, make the day’s announcements and commence the hour-long run and swim – staff included. If anyone is late for the exercises, the assembled group – staff included – does push-ups until the tardy one arrives. After the run, there are campus-wide chores, then breakfast and then the school-day starts with all subjects related to the surrounding environment and culture.

In spite of unorthodoxy, it is fully accredited academically. The research station, dedicated mainly to marine biology, is attached to the school. It has real scientists who involve the students in genuine research projects.

For example, there are fish tanks, including one with tilapia, a very tasty, rapidly growing fish. The filtered tilapia water, still full of nutrients, is gravity-fed to a hydroponic operation for growing lettuce and other leafy vegetables. Vegetable table scraps are composted for the school’s orchard and nursery. The nonvegetarian scraps are fed to the pigs. Waste at the Island School is seen only as an opportunity. All of the school vehicles run on biodiesel, which is made on site from the free, used cooking oil that the school gets from the cruise ships visiting a small port facility nearby. Here again, a waste loop is closed.

For the duration of the semester, the school prohibits junk food, candy, the Internet and personal cellphones, those seemingly essential items in the life of teenage North Americans. The semester includes an eight-day ocean kayaking trip, two days of solo time almost out of sight of others on an immense beach.

The students also interact with the local Bahamian community in homestays, community projects, ball games and celebrations.

Thanks to a growing potential for scholarships at the Island School, the student body is diversifying from its original private school set. As these young men and women move into leadership positions in their various communities, they will be able to spread the ideas and philosophy of the school into a wider world. The students grow in physical strength, mind and especially spirit.

On the last day, all of the girls are in tears and most of the boys are, too. But the catch is that many of them have serious re-entry problems getting back into the great American way of life. We were told that some sit in their room and cry for the first few days because the modern lifestyle seems so hopeless and shallow.

Our son and the rest of the staff work with them to devise re-entry programs that would involve volunteering and organizing their friends to find ways of helping others. There is no question in my mind that all the young people of North America, in fact, the whole of society, would benefit from many of the things that the Island School is practising. Even small models are worth looking at.

Our family does our last pig feeding and says goodbye to the friendly barracuda that followed us on our snorkelling jaunts. As we stand around the bonfire singing “Auld Lang Syne,” I know that we have been at least a little changed in a positive way for 2008 and beyond. The breeze and the flag wave us goodbye as we head for the little airport.

Robert Bateman’s realistic painting style, featuring wildlife in its habitat, encourages examination of the natural world. He is a well-known artist, naturalist and spokesperson for many environmental and preservation issues. The subject of numerous books and films, his honours and awards include Officer of the Order of Canada.

Source: The Star

The two men were identified as Graham Knowles, who is in his early 20s, and Calvin Knowles, who is in his 50s.

Mr. Lloyd told the Bahama Journal on Monday that information was received 7pm Sunday of three people having swum ashore in the Yamacraw area.

He explained that the three, who claimed to be from a vessel that had departed with five people on board, were at sea to do a test from the Yamacraw Beach area, although he did not specify what the test was.

“They had gone straight south approximately five miles and by 11:30pm the vessel had sunk,” Mr. Lloyd said. “Unfortunately, two of the persons on board were non-swimmers and last known to be holding on to the hull of the vessel.

“The bow had an air pocket in it and was floating and so it is possible that the missing persons are holding on to a white cooler. Three persons were able to leave the sunken vessel and proceeded with the current. They swam to the shore, but were not able to get in until eight to nine hours later and raise the alarm.”

Mr. Lloyd said the Defence Force and BASRA received information regarding the incident and attempted to send a vessel into the unknown area, but the operation had to be aborted because of bad weather and total darkness.

He added that on Monday morning, the Defence Force and BASRA sent a vessel out after talking with the owner of the sunken vessel, Omar Roberts.

“Calls were also received [Monday morning] in the Yamacraw/Treasure Cove area where it was reported that an object could be seen from the shoreline sticking out of the water.”

He explained that an investigation took place as a result of the calls and it revealed that the object was actually the bow of the vessel.

Mr. Lloyd also explained that because the bow was found, a search begun for survivors in the same area but results were negative.

“An aircraft was dispatched by BASRA to do a search of the area of south New Providence and offshore since there were two non-swimmers and no lifejackets on board the vessel. The aircraft just got in and the vessel has been recovered and towed into Yamacraw,” he said early Monday afternoon.

Mr. Lloyd said the boat was towed in to check whether there was no anyone trapped on board, but there was no one trapped.

“The vessel had no safety equipment and no flares,” Mr. Lloyd said.

He urged anyone in the area, even though the waters were choppy, to keep a look out as RBDF and BASRA officials are hoping that the men are still alive.

“The vessel did drift into Nassau so we are hoping that they have come ashore and are working their way along the shoreline or in the bushes,” Mr. Lloyd said. “If they got separated from the boat or cooler in the drift being non-swimmers and without life jackets, that’s not a good sign.”

The 26 foot vessel – “Don Rebel” – is powered by two 200 Yamaha engines and has a white hull and black bottom and is registered in Eleuthera, according to Mr. Lloyd.

Mr. Lloyd urged the boating public to always take into consideration safety measures when going out to sea.

“Anytime you go to sea, you need life jackets for everyone on board and not just onboard but they need to be accessible,” he said. “At night, we strongly advise putting the life jackets on in advance of anything happening, especially in choppy conditions.”

Mr. Lloyd explained that while on the sea, things could go wrong very, very quickly.

“You also need a working radio so you can [make] a distress call,” he added.

“If the persons who swam to shore [weren’t able to swim] and raise the alarm then no one would actually know [the men were missing].”

Mr. Lloyd explained that if a test is being done there is a good chance of something going wrong, so people should do their tests along the shore in shallow waters where the shore is accessible or an anchor can be dropped

“Safety equipment, a radio, filing a float plan that shows where you are going and sticking to it, accessible life jackets and just respect for the sea are all necessary,” Mr. Lloyd said.

Source: Bahama Journal

There are more than 125,000 registered vehicles on the roads of New Providence.

According to Road Traffic Controller Jack Thompson, officials are trying to get drivers to use alternative means to reduce traffic congestion like car-pooling.

At the beginning of the year, the Advance Logistics Group (ALG) out of Spain submitted some recommendations to the Department of Road Traffic for alleviating the traffic congestion problems here on the island.

Mr. Thompson was attending the National Road Safety Youth Symposium at Workers House yesterday when he told the Bahama Journal that the Department of Road Traffic might have to put in place a restriction on the number of cars registered to each household.

“I don’t think New Providence will forever be able to sustain the number of vehicles which we have coming here on a daily basis,” said Mr. Thompson.

He said if these vehicles were shipped to the other Family Islands, there would be less traffic issues on the island of New Providence.

Mr. Thompson said the crux of the matter is the need for a good public transportation system.

It was recommended by the ALG and is something the ministry will look into shortly, said Mr. Thompson.

He added that having a good transportation system would create a proper mode of transportation for many individuals.

He also addressed the issue on the toxic exhaust coming from various vehicles on the road.

Mr. Thompson said he asked the Transportation Planning Unit to give urgent attention to the emissions.

“This is a very vexing situation and the merchants of Bay Street are constantly talking about the problem. Their walls are plastered with black dirt from the exhaust,” Mr. Thompson explained.

He said many of these vehicles use diesel, and the Road Traffic inspectors are trying to alleviate the problem by enforcing transportation inspection more strictly.

Mr. Thompson said the traffic fatality count stands at 39 so far for the year.

Most of the victims have been between the ages of 25 and 35.

Source: Bahama Journal

Chalk it up to luck or a bad forecast, but the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season did not live up to the dire expectations forecast by both the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) or the Bahamas Department of Meteorology.

The hurricane season that kicked off June 1 – and ended yesterday – was a relatively mild one for the Bahamas.

In early August, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center forecasted that this season had an 85 percent chance of being “above-normal,” a 10 percent chance of a “near-normal” season, and only a five percent chance of a “below-normal” season.

NOAA – and the Bahamian met office – expected the 2007 season to become the tenth above-normal season which translated into a likely range of 13-16 named storms, seven to nine hurricanes, and three to five major hurricanes.

According to meteorological officer, Godfrey Burnside, overall this hurricane season met forecasters expectations.

“What we did have was 14 named storms, five hurricanes and two intense hurricanes – Dean and Felix – that impacted Central America,” he explained.

He pointed to the impact the storm had on Jamaica and Cayman Islands – two countries that faced the fringes of two Category 5 hurricanes.

Said Mr. Burnside: “In terms of the Bahamas we had a very quiet season. As a matter of fact we were only affected in November by Tropical Storm Noel, that produced considerable amount of rainfall over the central and southeastern islands in the amount of…15 to 20 inches of rainfall.”

Tropical Storm Noel killed over 40 people in Haiti and left thousands homeless. Meantime, authorities in the Dominican Republic confirmed 79 deaths and said at least 62,000 were left homeless by the storm.

In Cuba, more than 30,000 people across the island were evacuated and 19,800 tons of vegetables and 35,000 acres of farmland destroyed by floodwater.

Here, in the Bahamas, Tropical Storm Noel claimed the life of Exuma’s Kevin Milford, in addition to destroying personal belongings in Exuma, Long Island, Eluethera, San Salvador and elsewhere.

According to NOAA, the prediction for an above-normal 2007 hurricane season reflects the combination of two main climate factors – the continuation of conditions that have been conducive to above normal Atlantic hurricane seasons since 1995 and the continued La Niña-like pattern of tropical convection.

Additionally, scientists said temperatures in the western tropical Atlantic and Caribbean Sea remain well above average – a combination of conditions known to produce high levels of Atlantic hurricane activity.

Now, that the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane season is behind them, Mr. Burnside said forecasters are “breathing a sigh of relief.”

“Now it’s the challenge of another hurricane season, 2008. What would it bring?”

Source: Bahama Journal