The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Nassau Cruise Port’s (NCP) new arrivals terminal will be operational by year-end 2022, its chief executive said yesterday.

Michael Maura told Tribune Business yesterday that Prince George Wharf’s near-$300m transformation has not slowed since The Bahamas reopened from COVID-19 lockdowns and associated restrictions. He added that work has accelerated in the past few weeks.

“We have a lot planned. We’re going to have finished our town square and our marketplace, our living coral exhibit, our art studio and our curator product. We have the GT (ground transportation) area, which is for taxis and tour operators,” he said.

“We have our new ferry dock, which will all be available by May, and everything else I just articulated will be by the end of the year. We’ll be operating out of our new arrivals terminal by the end of the year along with Immigration, Customs and the Port department.”

Mr Maura was speaking as the world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, docked in Nassau on its maiden voyage. The Nassau Cruise Port chief estimated it had brought around 4,500 passengers to the Bahamian capital.

“The vessel to the side of us, which is the Freedom of the Seas, has I think around 3,500 passengers on board. We’ve got three Carnival vessels today. Our passenger count is right around 14,000 passengers, which is the highest it’s been in some time,” he added. “We have awesome forecasts and projections with ships and passengers.”

“We’ve got a lot of fun events planned, as you would have seen. We have a Junkanoo group out there right now, we have refreshments, we have dancers. We’re really trying to bring our Bahamian culture to these passengers as they disembark the Wonder of the Seas today.

“They’re actually here until 9pm tonight. So both ships, we have a lot also happening downtown. We have a band at Pompeii Square, we have a band in Rawson Square. So again, we’re trying to draw those passengers off the pier and into downtown, where they can spend some money and they can get their hair braided. They can get a taxi, a tour, buy something authentically Bahamian and so forth.”