MSC Cruises will have a new infrastructure development program for the Ocean Cay in the Bahamas.
An agreement was signed in Bimini on Monday, attended by the country's Prime Minister, the Honorable Philip Davis, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism, Investment and Aviation, the Honorable Chester Cooper, along with other government officials.
The company said improvements will be made to the island with additional services for MSC Cruises guests visiting the destination, accommodation for staff, as well as operational and technical improvements and environmental infrastructure.
“Guest facilities will be enhanced with the introduction of an excursion center to support water sports activities and island tours, an in-sea diving and snorkeling center, additional food and beverage outlets, and other facilities,” the company said.
The MSC Foundation Marine Conservation Centre will be built as a base for biologists, coral reef experts, and students. It will also house interactive pavilions, a conference room, and coral display tanks, and will offer MSC Cruises passengers visiting the island educational opportunities about the importance of the marine ecosystem.
The island is home to the MSC Foundation's Super Coral program , which is considered a fundamental contribution to the contemporary understanding of the resilience of coral reefs throughout the region.
The MSC Foundation is supporting a graduate student program designed to address and mitigate changes in the thermal resilience of coral reefs across the tropical western Atlantic. Ocean Cay's coral nurseries are teeming with critically endangered endemic coral species, offering hope for the restoration of these fragile ecosystems.
MSC states that the development will also see a third solar farm installed as part of MSC Cruises' goal to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions for Ocean Cay, an advanced wastewater treatment plant, and a landscaping plan to further diversify and develop the sustainable environment on the island with native and adaptable trees, grasses, and shrubs to provide erosion control, enhance vegetation, and support ecosystem health.
The new accommodation buildings will increase the workforce from 150 to 280 employees.
MSC Cruises has also committed, as part of its ongoing social responsibility and its commitment to investing in future generations of seafarers, to supporting the LJM Maritime Academy and the University of The Bahamas to enhance the training of Bahamians who wish to enter the maritime sector.
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