The $300 million Nassau Cruise Port, which is almost completed after three and a half years of construction, will be a "game changer" for downtown Nassau and Bahamian tourism, CEO of Nassau Cruise Port Mike Maura Jr. said yesterday, noting that the transformational development is on track for an official opening on May 26.
"We're doing our part to polish that Bahamas brand," said Maura as he led members of The Nassau Guardian's team on a tour of the new port yesterday.
"...This is an example of a successful PPP (public-private partnership) and looking right there is another successful example of a PPP at the container port, and The Bahamas, I think, has led the way in investing in maritime infrastructure and we will have visits for the next three years from others wondering how can they do what Nassau did."
Maura said the new cruise port will be "quite phenomenal".
For starters, it can accommodate three Icon class cruise ships — the largest ships in the world.
"The port today can handle six ships. It can handle three of the largest ships in the world. Historically, there would have been references to Oasis and that has been the ship class that's been used over the last 10 years to promote the largest ship in the world, but it is no longer," Maura said.
"The Icon class is that next step in terms of vessel growth, and so we can put two Icon class on the north berths, five and six, and we can put one on berth one. If we had a day where we didn't actually have six ships, we can actually handle four Icon class vessels in one day and those ships have about 7,500 passengers and around 2,600 crew."
That's a whole lot of passengers.
An estimated four million cruise passengers, in fact, are expected to visit the Port of Nassau this year.
"We've already had a day of 28,554 passengers," Maura noted.
"Historically, a 20,000 day would have been everyone 'high-fiving' one another, but, today, we will be exceeding 30,000 in a day given the investments we've made on the marine side."
Dredge material from the construction of the sixth pier was used to expand the western side of the port's commercial area.
The cruise port project started in October 2019, continued apace throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and progressed further after a change of government in September 2021.
"Back in 2019, it took profound leadership at the time, because as Bahamians, we are very nationalistic and the fact is that the real estate along our waterfront specific to Prince George Wharf was owned by the people, regulated by the government, controlled by the government, and to make a decision to pass that off to the private sector and in effect lend it to them and allow them to improve upon it [took leadership]," Maura said.
"And the Nassau Cruise Port Ltd. has been able to raise $300 million to be able to transport our waterfront landscape in our capital city, and then the government changed and it took the same degree of leadership and confidence [by] this administration to reach down and pick the shovel up that was dropped on that day when government changed, and continue this project and ensure that what you see before you will happen."
Authentically Bahamian
The port has emerged as a jewel at the harbor with an authentically Bahamian theme, which is evident in the architecture, the eateries, the mandate requiring all-Bahamian merchandise in the Port Marketplace and the Port Plaza, a Junkanoo museum and an art gallery where renowned Bahamian artist Antonius Roberts will serve as curator and artwork from Bahamian artists will be featured.
Bahamian culturalist Pam Burnside is heading an Authentically Bahamian Committee, which will be tasked with ensuring that only Bahamian products are in the shopping areas, the exception being at the International Bazaar, which will feature merchandise from other parts of the world.
Vendor booths at Port Marketplace.
"What we've done over the last 12 months, 18 months, we're kind of getting back to basics," said Amanda Freedman, the cruise port's communications manager.
"We're showing the value in promoting authenticity. We're showing the value in having our culture on display and we're showing the value in handcrafted goods again for the people who are going to come to visit."
The cruise port is also facilitating artisans from across the Bahamian islands to have their merchandise at the port through a supply network that is being set up.
Nassau Cruise Port granted the Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) $1 million and SBDC then granted each approved vendor $20,000.
Most of the small businesspeople were previously at Festival Place, which was on the site, officials said.
The hair braiders, who will be under a nearby pavilion, will be rotated to ensure they all get the opportunity to make money, said Ed Fields, the cruise port's consultant for business development.
"They will all get opportunities to make quite a bit of money," he said.
"It will be more professional and more inviting. Retail and merchandizing are all about making sure that people feel comfortable going to the space. When they see chaos, they run away from it."
The shopping plaza will feature Bahamian-branded stores, among them Bahama Hand Prints, Graycliff, Haus of Assembly, My Ocean and others.
Asked whether the cruise port will cannibalize businesses in downtown Nassau, Maura said they have met with the Straw Vendors Association to discuss ways in which they can work together, and the cruise port is hoping to help the straw market improve its brand and offerings.
He noted, too, that there is signage at the cruise port directing passengers to the World Famous Nassau Straw Market, and various exit points for passengers to have easy access to the facility.
"Anytime that you have something like this
occurring and coming out of the ground, the neighbors around you worry, 'What does this mean for me?' And it's not just the straw market. We've seen some of the operators on Bay Street taking it seriously," he added.
A view of the Nassau Cruise Port.
"I don't know if it has anything to do with what we're doing here, but we notice that there are some businesses on Bay Street that have chosen to remodel and renovate, which is great news."
Fields chimed in, "People are going to up their game."
Maya Nottage, the port's regional marketing manager, added, "We have tons of access points. We're even directing passengers into downtown."
Order
Officials say the days of chaos, solicitation and free for all are over for the port.
It is now about order, adherence to a code of conduct and a focus on hair braiders, artisans and other Bahamians as small business people who operate within an organized system, as will taxi drivers, scooter rental operators and tour operators.
The various stakeholders at the port will work in a harmonious environment, the site will be accessible to Bahamians and strictest security standards will be observed, cruise port officials said.
"The Bahamas right now is ranked fairly low on the list of destinations from a guest experience and while we can't point to any one aspect to say this is the only thing, one of the reasons is chaos," Fields said.
"I guess that's the only way to describe it. People feel harassed when they come out of the port. In fact, this whole area, which is going to be completely void of solicitation, is going to be the first time that they are going to be able to come into this space, collect their thoughts and decide where they want to go without being immediately impacted by people who are soliciting."
Fields added, "So, what we have done is work with all the stakeholders, scooter rentals, taxis, hair braiders, vendors, to organize them in such a way that when the cruise passengers come off, they have a choice; they select what they want to do as opposed to being bombarded. It will actually make those vendors and those stakeholders more money because rather than being apprehensive, they now have order."
He said the team has also been meeting with taxi cab union officials as well as Ministry of Transport and Road Traffic Department officials to determine how best to create an environment where taxis can get fares fairly and without having to solicit business.
Maura added, "The amount of investment that we've put into ground transportation, that area runs 900 feet long by about 100 feet wide. We've made a considerable investment to ensure that our taxi and tour partners are successful and our guest experience is positive."
Upon disembarking their ships, cruise passengers will walk through a breezeway where there is a 55-foot jumbo digital screen, which will advertise the city of Nassau and its offerings, as well as the islands of The Bahamas. Businesses can also advertise their merchandise and services on the jumbo screens (one is located on the other side of the port as well).
The area near the breezeway is where the cruise port's nerve center is located.
Bahamas Customs, Immigration, Port Department, medical facilities, a pharmacy, a Ministry of Tourism office and logo shop, the harbor control team, offices for security personnel and ship agents, as well as the Cruise Port Ltd., are all located at one of three levels of the facility.
Not far away is the Junkanoo Museum.
"This museum was designed to introduce all of these people coming off to one of our cultural events, and so what you're going to see in this case is our costume display along with other exhibits," Fields said.
"It is leased out to a private tenant. You will see displays and you will see also in time an immersive, digital depiction of Junkanoo and people will find that once they get into that environment, they will feel the rhythms, the beat of Junkanoo and then of course at the end here there will be a gift shop, so it's a great introduction to Junkanoo."
Continuing its Bahamian theme, the Nassau Cruise Port features an imposing amphitheater and a permanent stage.
Bahamian culture will be fully on display at the three-day events to mark the formal opening of the port next week, officials said.
The events will center around the amphitheater, which sits just next to a picturesque green space, hugged by a boardwalk on the western end of the port.
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