The Freeport News - Jul 1, 2009
By K. NANCOO-RUSSELL
Though talks of a new cruise port for Grand Bahama has been in the works for some time, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham announced this week that it may become a reality sooner than most thought.
During his address in the House of Assembly on Monday, Ingraham named Williams Town as the designated site for the proposed $100 million port and said the government is looking for a strategic partner to build it.
"My government is also pursuing the strategy of engaging a major strategic cruise line partner, with respect to the development of a new cruise port on Grand Bahama," he said.
Word of the new cruise port was introduced back in February during the Grand Bahama Business Outlook event at the Our Lucaya Resort, when Carnival Cruiseline executive Giora Israel revealed that the government was seeking a possible location.
At that time, Israel said Carnival Cruiseline would be happy to make whatever investment is needed to get the cruise port off the ground.
Israel said he has been in talks with the government since 1997, when he first shared his vision of the development of a new cruise port which would have the potential of establishing the island as a major new cruise destination.
He added that the passing of the late Edward St. George did slow down the progress of that development.
Watch the interview here.
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