The Tribune

BY DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FREEPORT – The remaining 179 passengers on Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas, which is being repaired in Grand Bahama following a fire, were flown out of the country yesterday.

Some 2,000 stranded passengers returned on flights to Baltimore, Maryland.

“We got all 2,000 of those persons off the island yesterday,” said Director of Business Development at the Ministry of Tourism Terrence Roberts, who was at the airport until 2am.

“We stayed at the airport late into the evening, and never left until everyone had gotten on their flights,” he said.

Mr Roberts reported that the last 179 remaining passengers were checked-in for non-stop direct flights back to Baltimore on Wednesday.

The fire-damaged cruise ship will remain in Grand Bahama for over a month undergoing repairs at the Grand Bahama Shipyard.

Some of the crew will also remain aboard while repairs are being made.

Fire broke out around 2.50am on Monday. No one was hurt, but 40 cabins were damaged by the fire.

Around 70 displaced passengers were accommodated at the Pelican Bay Resort.

While passengers were happy to be safe, many described it as a frightening ordeal.

The stop over in Grand Bahama was unexpected, but proved beneficial for shop owners at the harbour, who were glad for the business.

Noel Clarke, owner of Sparky’s Restaurant, said: “It was a very long day, we were dealing with passengers until 2am.

“It was a great opportunity and I am glad that we were able to cater to them during their stay here.”