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Carnival inks deal for Grand Bahama cruise development

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The signing - from left, Carnival's Arnold Donald, Bahamas cabinet secretary Wendell Major and Danya Wallace, director of legal affairs, Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs, the Bahamas
Carnival Cruise Line is moving forward with a major port development on Grand Bahama Island that will offer a two-berth pier, mile-long beach, food and beverage outlets, shops and water-based amenities.

The company said it will be the largest purpose-built cruise facility in the Bahamas.

Long in the works, the project was sealed at a signing ceremony in Freeport between Carnival and the Bahamas government. It is the latest cruise line development in the Bahamas, where MSC Cruises is building Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Royal Caribbean is adding a dock and expanding shoreside offerings at CocoCay and Norwegian Cruise Line is upgrading facilities and attractions at Great Stirrup Cay.

The pier will be able to handle two of line's largest cruise ships simultaneously and is expected to eventually host up to 1m passengers annually.

Carnival said the multimillion-dollar project will provide a significant economic benefit for the Bahamas, including employment and economic opportunities throughout the development, construction and ongoing operation once completed.

'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,' Carnival president Christine Duffy said.

In 2017, along with Carnival’s sister lines, Carnival Corp. & plc will carry close to 3m passengers to the Bahamas via calls at Nassau, Freeport, Grand Bahama, Half Moon Cay and Princess Cays. The latter two destinations were developed and are operated by Holland America Line and Princess Cruises.

'Collectively, we represent the single largest cruise company investor in the Bahamas,' Duffy added.

During Tuesday's signing ceremony, Carnival Corp. president and ceo Arnold Donald noted that when Ted Arison, the founder of Carnival and a pioneer of the modern Caribbean cruise industry, embarked on his first cruise, it was to the Bahamas.

From that day until now, the Bahamas continue to be one of the most strategic and important destinations for Carnival, Donald said.

Signing the agreement, he added, is especially meaningful as Carnival strives to further contribute to the prosperity of the people of the Bahamas by providing experiences that 'continue to exceed our guests’ expectations.'

Prime Minister Perry Christie said 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, Christie added, 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.