The Tribune

By MORGAN ADDERLEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

madderley@tribunemedia.net

CRUISE ships are being diverted to Half Moon Cay for the foreseeable future after a fire destroyed four buildings on Princess Cays late on Monday night.

Yesterday, Central and South Eleuthera MP Hank Johnson told The Tribune about the events at Princess Cays, a private port and resort at the southern tip of Eleuthera owned by Princess Cruise Lines.

Police confirmed the fire yesterday, with Mr Johnson noting there were no injuries nor fatalities. Chief Superintendent Walter Evans, head of Police Fire Services, also told The Tribune that the cause of the fire is still under investigation. 

“There’s no injuries and there’s no loss of life,” Mr Johnson said. “And they’ve lost some equipment and four of their little buildings out there.”

When asked about a potential cause of the fire, Mr Johnson replied: “We don’t have any idea at this point. The fire department from New Providence is doing their investigations as we speak.” 

He also said: “It’s a cruise ship terminal, where the cruise ship comes in. And they come in several times out of the week, and the passengers will exit and spend the day at that place.” 

Mr Johnson added a cruise ship was scheduled to dock at Princess Cays today and “several” were scheduled for Sunday. 

When asked what will happen to those ships, Mr Johnson said they will be diverted. 

“The arrangement for tomorrow (Wednesday), according to the manager on site, the ship tomorrow will be diverted to the Half Moon Cay tomorrow. 

“Most likely, most of their ships probably will be diverted there for the next few days or maybe another few weeks, until they get the operations back up and running.”

In a statement released yesterday, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said: “Police on the island of Eleuthera are investigating a fire that has destroyed a number of buildings at a major tourist destination, Monday, January 28. 

“Shortly after 10pm, police responded to… Princess Cays on the southern end of Eleuthera, and discovered four wooden buildings engulfed in flames. Police and community fire service volunteers made efforts to extinguish the fire; however, the buildings were totally destroyed.  

“Fire Services officers from New Providence are on Eleuthera to continue investigations into this matter.” 

Princess Cays Resort Manager Janice Strachan yesterday told The Tribune the four buildings destroyed were “warehouses and workshops.”  

Princess Cruises public relations specialist Alivia Owyoung also provided The Tribune with a statement on the incident yesterday.   

“The fire encompassed several buildings on the south side of the island,” the statement noted. “It was fought by local firefighters and island staff for approximately one hour before it was extinguished.

“There were no guests at Princess Cays at the time, and no injuries have been reported. No guest-facing facilities were impacted except one of several public restrooms.

“The cause of the fire is currently unknown and under investigation.

“The safety of our employees and guests is our number one priority. Any impact to future Princess ship calls is currently being assessed.”