Bahamas News
GRAND BAHAMA SHIPYARD LAUNCHES $600 MILLION TRANSFORMATION
Transformation project marks significant industrial investment in Bahamian history and returns Grand Bahama Shipyard Ltd. to its leadership position in cruise shipping repair worldwide
#TheBahamas, October 23, 2023 – Grand Bahama Shipyard Ltd. is expanding its operation, helping it regain its position as the largest cruise ship repair facility in the world. The shipyard, together with Royal Caribbean Group and Carnival Corporation, recently received approval to proceed with an expansion project that is estimated to bring billions of dollars in economic impact to Grand Bahama’s economy over the next 25 years.
The $600 million transformation project includes the construction, delivery to Freeport, and commissioning of two
world-class floating docks that will allow the shipyard to service the entire range of cruise ships in operation and under construction, as well as much of the world’s commercial shipping fleet.
Prime Minister the Hon. Philip Davis K.C. hailed the expansion project as “a new and promising chapter in the story of Grand Bahama.”
While Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments & Aviation the Hon. I. Chester Cooper, said: “The timing of the Grand Bahama Shipyard expansion project coincides beautifully with our efforts to revitalize Grand Bahama’s tourism industry. This project is just the impetus that Grand Bahama needs to further boost the island’s economic growth. It is a strong show of confidence that Grand Bahama Shipyard is establishing the world’s largest ship repair facility in the Bahamas.”
Minister for Grand Bahama the Hon. Ginger Moxey M.P. said: “The $600 million transformation of Grand Bahama Shipyard marks a monumental investment for Grand Bahama. The shipyard has always been an important contributor to Grand Bahama’s economy, and this ambitious project will continue the revitalization of our local economy. As the shipyard undergoes this remarkable evolution, it will serve as a beacon of progress, bringing jobs, entrepreneurial spin-off opportunities and a renewed sense of pride to the people of Grand Bahama. Together, we embark on a journey toward a brighter and more prosperous future.”
Already the largest private non-tourism employer in The Bahamas, the expanded shipyard operations will create a significant economic boost in Grand Bahama, with opportunities for Bahamians, local businesses, and contractors, including hundreds of full-time jobs at the shipyard once it is in full operation.
Five Decades of Shared Commitment
“For half a century, we have worked side-by-side with The Bahamas and Bahamian businesses and contributed to the growth of the Bahamian economy while delivering unforgettable cruise vacations to millions of people,” said Josh Weinstein, CEO and Chief Climate Officer of Carnival Corporation & plc. “The success of our enduring partnership is built on our shared conviction that people must always be at the forefront of our thinking. That mindset is evident in the Grand Bahama Shipyard transformation project, which invests significantly in local businesses, creates jobs and contributes to a legacy of economic vitality in the country.”
“For more than 50 years we have partnered with The Bahamas to deliver exceptional vacations to millions of guests and create opportunities for local Bahamian communities,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group. “We are proud to expand our longstanding partnership and see establishing Grand Bahama as a premier maritime destination for repair and revitalization of all kinds of vessels, as a project that will drive economic growth for the Bahamian industry and create a positive impact for the people of The Bahamas for generations to come.”
Sarah St. George, acting chairman of Grand Bahama Port Authority, added: “We join our partners in celebrating this historic achievement and congratulate Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Group for their commitment to Grand Bahama and Grand Bahama Shipyard. We also thank the Government for their close collaboration on this transformational project. For the past four years, re-establishing Grand Bahama Shipyard as a premier global ship
repair facility has been the single-minded focus of all parties. We’re tremendously excited for this huge expansion.”
Investments in Infrastructure and Workforce Development
The two new floating drydocks are under construction at CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in Qingdao, China, with expected delivery in 2025 and 2026.
Once completed, they will be among the largest floating docks in the Western Hemisphere – including a mega dock that will have the largest lifting capacity in the world – capable of servicing all existing and currently planned cruise ships worldwide, as well as a broad range of other vessels.
In addition to new floating dry docks, the project includes supporting marine works and infrastructure construction in Grand Bahama, which is set to begin in the last quarter of 2023 and complete in 2025.
Additionally, the shipyard is expanding its apprenticeship program, with a goal to have 16-20 new apprentices per year. Designed to develop needed technical skills for the shipyard, the program will also expand access to well-paying, long-term career opportunities at the shipyard and other industrial employers. The four-year apprentice program will be further enhanced through partnerships with technical colleges. Similar programs in the past proved successful in helping to develop and train Bahamians for the marine trade workforce.
PM: Project delivers on promise and invests in youth, sports and national development
GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — Calling it the fulfillment of a major commitment to the island, Prime Minister Philip Davis led the official groundbreaking for the Grand Bahama Aquatic Centre, a facility the government says will transform sports development and create new opportunities for young athletes.
Speaking at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex on February 12, the Prime Minister said the project represents more than bricks and mortar
— it is an investment in people, national pride and long-term economic activity. The planned complex will feature a modern 50-metre competition pool, designed to meet international standards for training and regional and global swim meets. Davis said the facility will give Bahamian swimmers a home capable of producing world-class performance while also providing a space for community recreation, learn-to-swim programmes and water safety training.
He noted that Grand Bahama has long produced outstanding athletes despite limited infrastructure and said the new centre is intended to correct that imbalance, positioning the island as a hub for aquatic sports and sports tourism.
The Prime Minister also linked the development to the broader national recovery and revitalisation of Grand Bahama, describing the project as part of a strategy to expand opportunities for young people, create jobs during construction and stimulate activity for small businesses once operational.
The Aquatic Centre, he said, stands as proof that promises made to Grand Bahama are being delivered.
The project is expected to support athlete development, attract competitions, and provide a safe, modern environment for residents to access swimming and water-based programmes for generations to come.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
The Bahamas, February 15, 2026 – For the better part of three years, Bahamians have been told that major Afreximbank financing would help transform access to capital, rebuild infrastructure and unlock economic growth across the islands. The headline figures are large. The signing ceremonies are high profile. The language is ambitious. What remains far harder to see is the measurable impact in the daily lives of the people those announcements are meant to serve.
The Government’s push to secure up to $100 million from Afreximbank for roughly 200 miles of Family Island roads dates back to 2025. In
its February 11 disclosure, the bank outlined a receivables-discounting facility — a structure that allows a contractor to be paid early once work is completed, certified and invoiced, with the Government settling the bill later. It is not cash placed into the economy upfront. It does not, by itself, build a single mile of road. Every dollar depends on work first being delivered and approved.
The wider framework has been described as support for “climate-resilient and trade-enhancing infrastructure,” a phrase that, in practical terms, should mean projects that lower the cost of doing business, move people and goods faster, and keep the economy functioning. But for communities, that promise becomes real only when the projects are named, the standards are defined and a clear timeline is given for when work will begin — and when it will be finished.
Bahamians have seen this moment before.
In 2023, a $30 million Afreximbank facility for the Bahamas Development Bank was hailed as a breakthrough that would expand access to financing for local enterprise. It worked in one immediate and measurable way: it encouraged businesses to apply. Established, revenue-generating Bahamian companies responded to the call, prepared plans, and entered a process they believed had been capitalised to support growth. The unanswered question is how much of that capital has reached the private sector in a form that allowed those businesses to expand, hire and generate new economic activity.
Because development is not measured in the size of announcements.
It is measured in loans disbursed, projects completed and businesses expanded.
The pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. In June 2024, when Afreximbank held its inaugural Caribbean Annual Meetings in Nassau,
Grand Bahama was presented as the future home of an Afro-Caribbean marketplace said to carry tens of millions of dollars in investment. What was confirmed at that stage was a $1.86 million project-preparation facility — funding for studies and planning to make the development bankable, not construction financing. The larger build-out remains dependent on additional approvals, land acquisition and further capital.
This distinction — between financing announced and financing that produces visible, measurable outcomes — is now at the centre of the national conversation.
Because while the numbers grow larger on paper, entrepreneurs still describe access to capital as out of reach, and communities across the Family Islands are still waiting to see where the work will start.
And in an economy where stalled growth translates into lost opportunity, rising frustration and real social consequences, the gap between promise and delivery is no longer a communications issue.
It is an inability to convert announcements into outcomes.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
A hardline strategy that reduced murders, gunfire, and collateral deaths
The Bahamas, February 8, 2026 – What happens when police stop routinely granting bail to high-risk suspects and aggressively execute outstanding warrants? In The Bahamas, the answer in 2025 was fewer murders, fewer gunshots, and safer communities.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force arrested 4,337 individuals on outstanding warrants last year, ensuring suspects were brought directly before the courts instead of being released back onto the streets. At the same time, police significantly curtailed the use of police bail for high-risk and repeat offenders, particularly those already entangled in violent disputes.
Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles said the shift was informed by hard lessons from previous years. Intelligence reviews showed that
many homicide victims were not random targets, but men already wanted by law enforcement and — critically — by other criminals. When released on bail, those individuals often became targets themselves, triggering retaliatory shootings that spilled into neighbourhoods, roadways and public spaces.
By keeping high-risk suspects in custody pending court appearances, police say they disrupted that cycle — removing both potential offenders and potential victims from the streets.
The impact was stark. Murders declined by 31 percent in 2025, falling from 120 in 2024 to 83, the largest percentage decrease in homicides since national tracking began in 1963 and the lowest murder count in nearly two decades.
Police leaders say the strategy also reduced the collateral damage that had increasingly alarmed communities. Innocent residents had been caught in “sprays of gunfire” as targeted attacks unfolded in residential areas, at traffic stops, and in public settings.
Gun-violence indicators reflected the change. Gunshot reports fell by 35 percent, while incidents detected by ShotSpotter technology declined by 29 percent, confirming that fewer shots were being fired across the country.
“Gunshots ringing out and cutting through our peaceful paradise were down remarkably,” Commissioner Knowles said, attributing the improvement to decisive enforcement, tighter bail practices, and sustained pressure on offenders.
Police also intensified enforcement against breach of bail conditions, charging and detaining more suspects than in any previous reporting period. Officers say the approach removed the opportunity for repeat offending while matters were before the courts.
Police leadership said the results go beyond statistics. By limiting bail for high-risk suspects and executing warrants at scale, the strategy saved lives, protected bystanders, and restored confidence in public safety.
In 2025, fewer people were hunted, fewer bullets were fired, and fewer families were left grieving — a shift police say was no accident, but the result of deliberate, hardline choices.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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