Today the fast ferry company, Baleària Caribbean, has announced that they will resume passenger services between Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) and The Bahamas by launching their first sailing on February 11, 2021. At the moment, the vessel is in dry dock receiving maintenance and getting prepared for this grand opening. During the first phase, the company has announced that they will travel once a week (on Thursdays) to Freeport, Grand Bahama Islands. They anticipate that a second sailing on Sundays will be implemented at the end of February. The new passenger sailing will concur with the already established cargo route. Based on demands, the company is hoping to increase the number of sailings per week by March. 

They expressed enthusiasm and optimism, but say they’re approaching this reopening attempt very cautiously.  They will follow very strict safety and sanitation protocols to ensure that their passengers travel safely. The ferry transport has gone above and beyond to ensure the safety of their passengers and staff members. They received certification by the international entity Bureau Veritas. This makes Baleària the first shipping company in operation to have a Global Safe Site Covid-19 certificate. Other notable measures include temperature scanning for each passenger before boarding and easy access to sanitizer dispensers in the terminals, as well as aboard the vessel. It will be mandatory for staff members and passengers to wear a face mask/covering at all times throughout the travel process. Passengers will be required to practice social distancing from people in other parties. The company has reduced the capacity of the vessel by forty percent and added Plexiglass dividers on every seat and common areas. Last but certainly not least, the ship and terminals will undergo a deep and extensive sanitation process before, during, and after each sailing.

Baleària Caribbean will continue to work closely with the United States and Bahamas Government to follow all of the latest travel guidelines. They recommend that all passengers verify all current travel requirements with the corresponding countries involved before making their travel arrangements. For more information you can go to http://travel.gov.bs, https://travel.state.gov and www.baleariacaribbean.com.

It is the company’s ultimate goal to help increase visitor numbers in Grand Bahama Island. They want to help businesses like the Grand Bahama Taxi Union, craft vendors, restaurants, tour operators and all other businesses that have been affected by the pandemic to bring back gainful employment.

Baleària Caribbean would like to thank the citizens of the Bahamas, tourists, and everybody else who has supported them in different ways during this difficult period of time.