Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise company with nine cruise lines and over 100 cruise ships, has signed an agreement with the Bahamas to build a pier on their private island, Half Moon Cay.
Half Moon Cay is visited by ships from Holland America Line and Carnival Cruise Line. Cruise ships currently need to anchor offshore and use tender boats to ferry passengers to the island. Because of this, calls can be canceled due to rough water which makes tendering unsafe.
A pier for cruise ships to dock at will dramatically cut down on missed calls to the private island.
Carnival is planning an $80 million investment to Half Moon Cay. The project is expected to begin in 2020 and will be built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane.
The pier will also allow larger cruise ships to visit Half Moon Cay. This includes Carnival Corporation’s 180,000 gross ton LNG powered vessels, the largest ships built by Carnival.
Half Moon Cay, one of the most popular cruise line private islands, is on the island of Little San Salvador. The island is well known as one of the region’s most beloved ports, visited by guests sailing with Holland America Line and Carnival Cruise Line.
The current development on the western side covers less than 3% of the 2,400-acre island and includes a tender marina. The new addition will be on the northern part of the island and include a pier able to accommodate larger ships. The beautiful beaches of Half Moon Cay will continue to be a main attraction.
Half Moon Cay received little impact from Hurricane Dorian and cruise ships have resumed visits on the island.
