North America's first LNG ship will be named by Miss Dominican Republic and registered in The Bahamas
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Carnival Cruise Line has chosen Miss Dominican Republic Kimberly Jiménez as godmother of its new ship Mardi Gras, which will be the first LNG-fuelled ship to operate in North America when she begins cruising from Port Canaveral, Florida later this year.
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in the Dominican Republic, Jiménez has volunteered at the Los Niños de Cristo orphanage, a non-profit foundation that advocates for abused and abandoned girls, for three years. She is also a founding member of the Dominican Republic Women’s Club, dedicated to providing services to indigent women suffering from breast cancer. This work has earned her one of Carnival’s new 'Spirit of Carnival' awards for embodying its values of fun, friendship, diversity and inclusion.
“Kimberly is a role model for female empowerment and has a passion for so many worthwhile causes, particularly those that assist women, children and families,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “It is such an honour to present Kimberly with the ‘Spirit of Carnival’ award and an even bigger thrill to announce that she’s going to be the godmother of our newest ship, Mardi Gras. Kimberly joins a group of esteemed women who have served in this time-honoured role for Carnival.”
Jiménez will preside Mardi Gras’ christening and then join Miss Universe 2021, Miss Mexico Andrea Meza, on one of the ship’s first week-long cruises from Port Canaveral to destinations in The Bahamas and Caribbean, including Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic.
Carnival has also revealed that Mardi Gras will now be registered in The Bahamas, rather than Panama as she has been throughout her construction and registration process. According to Carnival, the move to the Bahamas Maritime Authority “made business sense for a number of reasons”.
“The Bahamas will be a frequent destination for Mardi Gras, and we are pleased to bring this new level of environmental sustainability to the many ports in the Bahamas and the Caribbean that the ship and our guests and crew will be visiting,” said Duffy.