Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve to cost US$200 million and offer guests various entertainment options
By
Rebecca Gibson |
MSC Cruises is to invest US$200 million to create Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, an exclusive marine reserve island experience in the Bahamas.
The project was officially launched on 16 December when MSC’s executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago signed a 100-year lease agreement to occupy and develop the island with Perry Christie, Prime Minister of the Bahamas. MSC will work with the Bahamian Government and ecologists to develop the cay, a onetime sand extraction station, over the next two years.
Billed as the biggest island development by any cruise company in the Caribbean, the 95-acre island will be located 32km south of Bimini and 104.5km east of Miami in Florida. It will reflect the culture and natural landscape of the Bahamas by offering more than 80 indigenous Caribbean trees, grasses, flowers and shrubs; a traditional Bahamian village; restaurants and bars offering local specialities; shops; and an arrival centre with island-themed music gazebo.
Other highlights will include live music and entertainment at a 2,000-seat amphitheatre; restaurants and bars; facilities for watersports, bicycle rentals and beach games; a family beach with a children’s restaurant and play areas; a lagoon; a zip wire crossing the island; walking and running paths; and even a pavilion for hosting weddings and other celebrations. MSC Yacht Club guests will also have exclusive access to a spa and wellness sanctuary with private bungalows and massage huts on the north-west corner of the island.
In addition, the island will offer six beaches and a purpose-built berth and pier on the seafront, enabling guests to step off the ship and straight onto the island. The ship and all onboard services – including the casino – will stay open while berthed at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.
Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve will be accessible to all MSC ships serving the Caribbean region, including MSC Opera and MSC Armonia, which will be the first to sail from Havana, Cuba. It will also be visited by MSC Divina and the next-generation MSC Seaside – due to launch in December 2017 – which will both sail from Miami.
“Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve and its exclusive offerings will be a magnificent extension of our shipboard experiences,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises’ executive chairman. “We are scrupulous about ensuring every decision we take keeps each of our ships true to the promise of our brand, offering the authenticity and quality our guests expect. This is what made us the leading brand in many of the markets we operate, including across Europe, South America and South Africa. We will apply the same thinking and attention to detail to our Caribbean offering, of which this exclusive marine reserve will become a cornerstone, because we know our guests will be bowled over by this industry-unique experience.”
MSC plans to break ground on the development in March 2016 and open it to guests in December 2017. It aims to recruit 240 Bahamians in various roles over this period and will also open a new crew training school in Nassau to provide local manpower for the growing number of MSC ships sailing the Caribbean.