For St. Croix specifically, I think the plans are to expand upon the existing pier versus building new ones. So far, this one article in our local online new source is the only info released so far. It was part of a big announcement last month between Royal Caribbean and our local government. Not a lot of specifics other than deep dredging to accommodate larger vessels. No mention of increasing the length of the pier here. Hopefully it doesn't impact the pier which is an amazing dive for a site so easy to dive. The area around the existing pier is mostly sand and man-made debris, so shouldn't directly impact the surrounding reef system, although debris during any dredging operation could cause problems.
MIAMI, FLORIDA, SEATRADE — This year's Seatrade Global cruise industry conference here at the Miami ...
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"On St. Croix, Royal Caribbean will work with the government to expand and develop visitor experiences to bolster the island's struggling cruise tourism sector. There will also be enhancements at the Frederiksted Pier to facilitate Royal Caribbean's larger vessels, said Jayne Halcomb, director of development at Royal Caribbean. She said visitor volume can be increased without these developments, so a more prudent approach would be to first focus on the enhancements of what's already in place. "That is already an opportunity for us," she said. Mr. Dowe said enhancements to the Frederiksted Pier
will include deep dredging."