Cruise and Ferry Review - Summer/Spring 2020

1 3 KEYNOTE guests, employees, non-profit groups and many others to help The Bahamas recover in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, the most intense tropical storm to ever hit the islands. In addition to collecting donations to pay for more than 25,000 meals per day through Direct Relief and World Central Kitchen funds, the corporation joined forces with Tropical Shipping to collect an estimated 4.5 million metric tonnes of supplies and deliver them via its ships. “We have numerous employees and partners in The Bahamas and they’re all an important part of the Carnival Corporation family, so we did everything we could to help,” says Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation. “The extent of the damage was heartbreaking but with the help of various parties, we quickly provided much-needed resources so The Bahamas could start rebuilding. It was inspiring to see the cruise industry coming together with external parties to truly help those in need.” However, Carnival Corporation’s relief efforts did not stop there. Its ships continued calling to unaffected parts of the islands, and it also helped to get a local hospital and Grand Bahama Shipyard up and running again. In September 2019, it also signed an agreement to build two major cruise port facilities in collaboration with the Government of The Bahamas and the Grand Bahama Port Authority. One will be built on the south side of Grand Bahama and will primarily be used by Carnival Cruise Line’s ships. The US$100 million facility will be a “uniquely Bahamian destination” with a beachfront and other yet-to-be- revealed features. In addition, Carnival Corporation will invest US$80 million to build a pier and port facilities on the northern part of the island of Little San Salvador, which will accommodate large ships from Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line. Both projects are set to start in mid-2020 and construction methods will align with Carnival Corporation’s objectives to protect the local environment, use renewable energy and significantly reduce or eliminate single- use plastics and other items. The new facilities have been heralded as a harbinger of national prosperity and economic stability, largely because they will boost the local job market. “We’ll employ Bahamians during the construction phase and our facilities will generate multiple entrepreneurial and employment opportunities once they’re open for business,” says Donald. “This will help to support the Bahamian people and economy for many years to come, allowing it to recover and rebuild so that it is stronger than ever.” “It was inspiring to see the cruise industry coming together with external parties to truly help those in need” Carnival Corporation delivered relief supplies to Freeport in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian and has since signed an agreement to build two new cruise facilities on the islands