Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest leisure travel company, and two of its cruise line brands Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line today signed an agreement with the government of The Bahamas to build two major port developments. Under the agreement, Carnival Corporation will develop a new cruise port destination primarily for Carnival Cruise Line on Grand Bahama, and construction of a new addition, including a pier, on the Bahamian island of Little San Salvador, home to Holland America Line’s award-winning Half Moon Cay port. The Grand Bahama project will represent an investment of over $100 million, and the development on Little San Salvador will be an estimated $80 million investment over time.
The agreement was signed today at the Prime Minister’s Office in Grand Bahama at a ceremony that included Dr. The Most Honorable Hubert A. Minnis, prime minister of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance The Honorable K. Peter Turnquest; Senator The Honorable Kwasi Thompson, minister of state for Grand Bahama; and other cabinet ministers. During the ceremony,several executives from Carnival Corporation and Carnival Cruise Line were also present including Giora Israel, David Candib, Armando Corpas and Marie McKenzie, all from Carnival Corporation’s port and destination team and the leadership team for both new port projects. Also on hand were Terry Thornton and Chris Chiames, both representing Carnival Cruise Line.
Once done with the environmental and other permitting processes, construction for both projects is projected to start by mid-2020. The projects are expected to play an important role in the country’s recovery from the recent impact of Hurricane Dorian. As part of the development, Carnival Corporation’s plans include construction parameters that are designed to meet or exceed guidelines for being able to mostly withstand the impact of a Category 5 hurricane.
Both these developments will let Grand Bahama and Little San Salvador to welcome guests from the cruise industry’s larger ships, such as Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras, which will debut in August 2020 as North America’s first cruise ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). Mardi Gras will also be Carnival Cruise Line’s largest and most innovative ship.
Holland America Line has over 40 scheduled cruises planned to The Bahamas through the end of 2019. Two of Holland America Line’s newest ships, Koningsdam (delivered in 2016) and Nieuw Statendam (delivered in 2018), are both scheduled to visit Half Moon Cay this year.
These new projects will increase the overall deployment choices and guest experiences in The Bahamas, which include Freeport, Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Princess Cays. Six of Carnival Corporation’s nine cruise line brands at present have calls to The Bahamas scheduled for the 2019-20 cruise season.
The winner of Porthole Cruise Magazine’s Best Private Island award for the last 18 consecutive years, Half Moon Cay on the island of Little San Salvador is well known as one of the region’s most beloved ports, visited by guests sailing with Holland America Line and Carnival Cruise Line. The current development on the western side covers less than 3% of the 2,400-acre island and includes a tender marina. The new addition will be on the northern part of the island and include a pier able to accommodate larger ships. The beautiful beaches of Half Moon Cay will continue to be a main attraction.
Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Princess Cays received little impact from Hurricane Dorian, and the return to regular sailings is an important step in national recovery efforts in support of the country’s tourism industry and its vital economic impact on local businesses and people.
