201 ink BIG petition supporting new Tinian casino

A company that is looking to build a $130-million Titanic-themed resort and casino on Tinian has garnered a total of 201 signatories to a petition it started to support its project.

Bridge Investment Group LLC started the petition last Feb. 3. So far it has garnered 201 supporters as of 7pm last night.
BIG’s project has been stalled due to a lack of permits arising from the nature of the establishment and the definition of port-related activity. It has been constantly unclear to the government agencies involved about what exactly are the limitations of port-related activity.

According to BIG chief executive officer Philip Mendiola-Long, BIG is looking to get Tinian out of the economic slump that it is currently experiencing by providing a reliable means of transportation to and from Tinian.

“We are investing o n Tinian and in the community. One of our projects is the [roll-on/roll-off] ferry and included in that is the ferry terminal,” said Mendiola-Long in an earlier interview with Saipan Tribune.

Mendiola-Long also shared that BIG has already purchased a 50-meter ferry for the project.

Along with boosting the economic activity on Tinian, Mendiola-Long believes that having a type of ferry service could benefit the tourism of the CNMI, the main revenue source of the CNMI economy.

“Tourism will also benefit from the ferry aside from an increase in inter-island commerce,” he said.

In a separate interview, Marianas Visitors Authority managing director Chris Concepcion agrees with Mendiola-Long.
According to Concepcion, MVA has received multiple inquiries about transportation to and from Rota and Tinian.
“There have been repeated inquiries regarding ferry transportation from Saipan—vehicle ferries in particular—to enable tourists and residents from Saipan to bring their vehicles onboard, spend the day or more on Tinian, and help spread some of the revenue being produced and spent on Saipan to our sister islands in the south,” said Concepcion, adding that MVA fully supports the ferry.

“The MVA is ready to help promote and market this attraction to tourists who visit the Marianas should this type of investment take place,” he said.

To view or sign the petition, log on to https://www.change.org/p/cnmi-government-support-b-i-g-developments-on-tinian.