Officials from Carnival Cruise Line and the government of the Bahamas signed an agreement on May 3, 2017, for the construction of a major new cruise port facility on Grand Bahama Island.
The $100 million project is expected to be completed in two years, once the necessary agreements are in place.
The project includes a pier capable of accommodating two of Carnival’s largest cruise ships simultaneously and is expected to eventually host up to 1 mil-lion guests annually.
The new port will be funded and operated by Carnival Cruise Line. It will feature a one-mile stretch of beach, food, beverage and shopping outlets, and a wide array of recreational facilities.
The as-yet-unnamed planned port will be the largest purpose-built cruise facility ever constructed in The Bahamas and will provide a significant economic benefit for the country of The Bahamas.
“Carnival Cruise Line is the leader in year-round cruising to The Bahamas and this new development will not only provide a truly extraordinary and one-of-a-kind destination experience for our guests but it will further solidify our partnership with the people of The Bahamas,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “In 2017, along with Carnival’s sister lines, Carnival Corporation will bring close to 3 million guests to The Bahamas via calls to Nassau, Freeport, Grand Bahama, Half Moon Cay and Princess Cays.”
Collectively, Carnival brands represent the single largest cruise company investor in The Bahamas,” Duffy added.
During the signing ceremony, Carnival Corporation President and CEO Arnold Donald said his company has been dreaming of this for 15 years and has been actively working on it for the past three.
“When Ted Arison, the founder of Carnival and the modern day cruise industry, embarked on his first cruise, it was to The Bahamas. … The Bahamas continues to be one of the most strategic and important destinations for our company,” he said.
The Bahamas Prime Minister Perry G. Christie stated, “The Government of The Bahamas has had a long and close association with Carnival which has been of great economic benefit to both parties.”
“This new cruise port initiative in East Grand Bahama will deliver a cruise port in the traditional sense, but more than that, its shore project will create a new ‘destination’ with a distinctive flavor and characteristics that offer the broadest Bahamian entrepreneurial and employment opportunities, representing another phase in the development of Grand Bahama as a viable tourist center.”
The project is subject to a detailed public discussion process, environmental studies and permitting.
