An expedition cruise operator from Cape Breton plans to make Sydney NS homeport of his company.
Andrew Prossin, owner and managing director of One Ocean Expeditions, sees no reason why Sydney can't be the Arctic gateway of Canada.
Prossin said once Sydney Harbour's 2nd berth is built, his company would use it for getting his cruise ships ready for sea - a commitment which he said would bring millions of dollars with it. He has a couple of ships that tour the Arctic and Antarctica, and intends to expand the fleet.
Prossin currently preps his vessels in a variety of ports, including St John's NL and Halifax. Preparation includes fuelling, food supplies and gear. He had spent nearly USD 6 million in Halifax in 2016 on company-related business, and would like to move some of the expenditure to Sydney.
"It makes good business sense. I'm not just doing this out of my loyalty and patriotism," he said. "Now we finally have a great business case to do it as well."
Prossin is optimistic about the impact on Sydney NS's economy. The second cruise berth is slated to be finished by 2018 fall.