The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

AMERICAN Queen Voyages made its inaugural visit to Grand Bahama on Saturday, bringing some 200 passengers.

The vessel arrived at Freeport Harbour around 11am.

There was a brief plaque exchange at the dockside by the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation and harbour officials, followed by a tour of the vessel.

William Annand, vice president of marine operations, lakes, ocean and expedition, said Freeport is the first port of call on its southeast itinerary. The vessel is part of the American Queen’s ocean fleet of vessels, he said.

“This ship was built in 2001 in Jacksonville, Florida, and we purchased the vessel in 2019, rebranded it just this past Fall to American Queen Voyages, and changed the name of the ship to Ocean Voyager,” he said.

“It has 202 passengers, and it is considered small ship cruising or boutique-type cruising,” Mr Annand said.

The vessel is 300ft long and has a crew of 85. It is Bahamian flagged and sailed primarily on the Great Lakes. It operates in a warmer climate in the winter months.

According to Mr Annand, the ship will come every 10 days through April, and it will go to the Great Lakes in the summer, and back down to Freeport in the fall.

He said the cruise line sails between the US and Canada.

“We sail all five Great Lakes, and this is our first time in Freeport, and we are very excited,” he said.

Nuvolari Chotoosingh, manager of the Ministry of Tourism’s group events/ niche markets, said the vessel’s visit is welcomed.

“Today’s visit by Ocean Voyager represents us getting back to some sort of normalcy, even though we are still going through the pandemic,” he said.

“It also represents an opportunity for these 200 passengers to become investors here on Grand Bahama. That is the way we see them,” he said.

Mr Chotoosingh said this visit also brings some economic activity for vendors at the harbour.

When asked about the state of cruising on Grand Bahama, he said: “We are moving slowly, but surely. There are many things on the drawing board right now that we are hoping will come to fruition in the very near future.

“As you are aware, Minister (of Tourism Chester) Cooper and his team have been working on the sale of the Our Lucaya property, and we are hoping it will come to fruition in short order,” he said.