Allyson Maynard -Gibson
By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net
Maritime mariages on Bahamian-registered vessels have generated 20 per cent more revenue than projected for 2014 to-date, the Attorney General telling Tribune Business that this nation has been approached by all the major cruise lines over this venture.
The Bahamas ranks as one of the most popular cruise destinations in the Caribbean and, according to Allyson Maynard -Gibson, it has seen growth in the cruise weddings sector, with more marriages at sea each year.
“Maritime marriages is growing very nicely for us,” she said. “Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, we’re only using them at the moment, but we have been approached by all of the cruise lines and, of course, it has to be a Bahamian-registered ship to be a Bahamian marriage officer.
“They all have approached us, they all are interested in participating. We had projected how much we thought we would earn, and we have earned 20 per cent more than we had projected,” said Mrs Maynard-Gibson, estimating that the Government had gained around $250,000 in revenue so far this year from maritime marriages.
The Attorney General added: “We have been asked by the cruise ship companies to maintain the ability for them to sign something for a nice photo. The bride wants a nice photo of her wedding, but from a business transaction it will all be online and go directly into an electronic register. We’re moving very smoothly with that.
“The registration of ship captains, assistant captains,the registration for people to get married all happens online, and the only thing not involving human intervention - because we haven’t yet figured out the capacity with our vendors - is the certificate.
“When you get married it’s signed and then PDF’d and sent back and that becomes a part of the electronic register. We really want to have the entire thing electronic.” Cruise ship passengers can marry on vessels plying Bahamian waters but, prior to the passage of the Maritime Marriage Act 2010, could not do so on vessels registered in the Bahamas.
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 10 years, 4 months ago
This ugly creature has now turned our country's marriage laws over to the foreign owned and operated cruise line industry for a mere tuppence. Maynard-Gibson really needs to have her head examined. How in the hell are we now going to manage the risks associated with marriages of convenience where foreigners who want to acquire Bahamian citizenship in a hurry will simply marry any Bahamian at sea who is willing to say "I do" for the foreigner's almighty dollar without fear of any meaningful vetting whatsoever of the marital arrangement. The cruise lines will have one more thing they can market to make a good buck while we as a country will be left with all the head aches as a consequence of delegating marriage powers to the cruise line operators that they should not have. It seems we are rapidly selling for naught any and everything to foreigners these days!
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