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Employment opportunities will be available to the Grand Bahama community throughout all phases of the project: pre-construction, construction, and operations. Among these are road construction, utilities, ground and civil works, engineering, architecture, administration, finance, retail, food & beverage operations, shore excursions, transportation, and more.  Predominantly, there will be 1) training of people that will be working directly for Carnival, 2) training for people that will be not be working for Carnival, which includes a. training for taxi operators, b. training for food and beverage workers and operators. 

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85 to 90 percent of the employees at the port will be working with other companies. Carnival will only work with companies that have licenses from the Port Authority. With respect to employees that will be working directly for us, the vast majority will be Bahamians.

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The new port will offer a variety of new opportunities for shore excursion and taxi operators. There will be a shore excursion pier for operators of water excursions. The port’s ground transportation center will feature an area where taxi drivers will be able to pick up their guests. It will also feature a center for land-based tour operators with cruise line contracts.

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The economic impact that will be created by the new port will provide tremendous opportunities for businesses in Grand Bahama, not only during the pre-construction and construction periods, but throughout the period when the port will be fully operational. Only existing and newly created Bahamian retail and food & beverage brands will be allowed to operate the destination. The new port will be close to the areas of activity at the Freeport cruise port and the rest of the island. In partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, we will further promote Grand Bahama in general and promote the new destination.

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Those businesses that are dependent on the beach activity from Carnival ships will have the ability to create new excursions. These excursions may include not only beach experiences, but may include water-bound activities, whether these are glass bottom boats, fishing, and other water excursions, or land excursions.

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Throughout the project, the following sectors will feature opportunities for qualified Bahamian entrepreneurs to operate businesses:

Pre-Construction – Architecture; Design; Engineering; Environmental Planning; Permitting

Construction – Plumbing; Road Works; Fencing; Landscaping; Electrical Works; Roofing

Operations – Food & Beverage Operations; Shore Excursions; Transportation

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The new destination will be located in a unique location characterized by a sensitive environment. Consequently, we will make this port the greatest model for environmental sustainability of all the port that Carnival has developed, further enhancing our best practices in this field. These practices are applied in the development and operation of all our ports.

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An Environmental Management System will be designed to ensure that operation of the port will have as little impact on the environment as possible. This system will be strictly applied to all operations including food and beverage vendors and tenants.

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We will engage in environmentally sustainable collection and disposal of all waste generated by the construction and operation of the port.  As part of these efforts, we will implement a ban on single use plastics for products where alternatives are readily available and affordable, and measures to reduce the use of the remaining plastics. We will also minimize the use of products that become solid waste, such as aluminum and glass. Furthermore, we will ensure that every item at the port will be recyclable and labelled as such. With respect to wastewater, we will implement an advanced wastewater purification system that will allow for zero discharge into the coastal environment. 

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There are various steps that we will take to fulfill our duty to serve as good environmental stewards. We will promote coral reef conservation and implement a mangrove conservation and restoration program. We will promote and participate in coastal cleanups, encouraging the participation of the local community and crew members. Furthermore, we will engage in protective zoning of sensitive habitats. 

A: We want to be transparent and environmentally responsible when constructing the new port.  Consequently, we will conduct an environmental impact assessment to accurately determine the effect that the port will have on the surrounding area. We will mitigate the environmental impact of the project to the furthest extent possible. 

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We have identified a new location, very close to the Freeport cruise port, where this project will be based. The port will be located at the Sharp Rock site. The new site is 20.2 miles from the Freeport cruise port by car, and 17.93 miles by air.

A: When we took a closer look at the proposed location in East Grand Bahama, we realized that from a maritime perspective the location had a lot of challenges. The amount of dredging that would have needed to take place made the site neither cost effective, nor environmentally sensitive. The other issue was that it was quite a distance away from the main population center. We are serious about ensuring that this project creates opportunities for Bahamians, and we realized that locating it within the Freeport industrial area would mean less dredging and therefore less environmental impact, and it would also be close to the population center. We consider this location a win-win.

A: As a port of entry into the country, the Port must be a secure facility, just like any airport, for example. No cruise port is completely open to the public. However, up to 1,000 Bahamians will benefit from the Port as either business operators or employees of the Port or its service providers.

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The project is expected to be ready two years after we start construction. 

A: We will avail ourselves of every opportunity to provide pertinent information related to our progress in achieving the project objectives. This includes participation in public relations events, engagement with local television and radio programs, and distribution of press releases to local Bahamian media outlets. 

A: News and press releases related to the project will be featured on the project website for public consumption. 

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Information regarding public relations events can be sent to us via the email address in the “Contact” section of the project website. 

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In accordance with standard practice, the Bahamian government will release the Heads of Agreement to the public.