West End Development Company (Wedco) wants to expand the dock at Dockyard to take a second megaship, it was revealed yesterday.

Wedco general manager Ed Williams said the quango was delighted with the business generated by two Carnival mega-ships this year and wanted to expand the dock to take two of the great vessels at a time.

While it was for Government to decide if it wanted more mega-ships - the Carnival boats were on a trial basis - Wedco wants to increase the dock to take two ships, said Mr. Williams. Carnival has been given permission for a handfull of visits next year.

“If we get permission for an additional cruise ship, we intend to extend the cruise ship dock to accommodate two cruise ships at the same time,” he told a seminar at the National Tourism Conference at the Fairmont Southampton Princess yesterday.

“There is talk about changing Hamilton Harbour (redveloping it for bigger cruise ships) when we could have a second cruise ship. Dockyard has the ability to absorb people and distribute people throughout the Island.

“It (cruise policy) is not in our control, but what our plans call for are the ability to berth two larger vessels within the Dockyard.”

Mr. Williams said hotels must always be the mainstay of the Island's tourism industry, but more cruise passengers could generate enough business for shops to keep the infrastructure intact for when the good times return.

Hoteliers have expressed concern about mega-ships, but the Chamber of Commerce hailed the trial Carnival visits earlier this year as a major boon for struggling shops throughout the Island.