Following the construction of a new berth and investment of millions of dollars in improvements, the Bridgtetown Port is ready to accommodate the cruise industry’s largest vessels.
Indication of this came from Barbados Port Inc. chief executive officer (CEO) David Jean-Marie, as he and other officials welcomed TUI cruise vessel MS Mein Schiff 3 to Barbados recently.
It was the fourth ship to make a maiden voyage to Barbados for the winter season, and one of the largest vessels expected this year.
The 962-foot-long ship required the full length of berths three and four to dock on this trip. On its next trip it will test the ship readiness of the new berth five, which came on stream this month, in preparation for hosting two mega ships at once, MS Mein Schiff 3 and the MS Britannica.
As he greeted the vessel’s captain Ioannis Anastasiou, Jean-Marie assured him that berth five was ready, and that the port was pleased that the Mein Schiff 3 had chosen to home-port in Barbados.
“We built berth five to accommodate you and we are looking forward to testing out the berth on November 20 when we will have two mega ships in port,” the CEO said.
The Mein Schiff 3 started its seven-day cruise from Palma de Majorca to Barbados and travelled on to Dominica, Antigua and Tortola. On this trip it carried 2 468 guests and 1 000 crew members.
“We are very pleased to be here for our maiden voyage, the pilot performed excellently and we were able to dock safely and we expect a safe and succcessful season,” Anastasiou said as he welcomed officials on board for the customary ceremonial plaque exchange.
“We look forward even more to testing out our new berth next time we return to start home porting in Barbdos,” he said.
