Prime Minister Philip Davis called this a ‘serious expansion with real scale.’ It has been a long time coming.
MSC Cruises inked an agreement with The Bahamas to develop Freeport Harbour in a capital investment estimated at $450m, Prime Minister Philip Davis announced Tuesday.
Berthing, beach club, retail
The project, a long time coming, includes a new cruise berthing complex on Billy Cay with new visitor and commercial infrastructure, a beach club and refurbishment of the existing retail village. It will be a multi-user facility.
A welcome plaza, food and beverage, entertainment areas, transportation staging and supporting amenities are designed to increase visitor flow, expand local business opportunities and strengthen Grand Bahama as a competitive cruise destination.
“This is a serious expansion with real scale,” Davis said.
$400m will go into the Billy Cay infrastructure and $50m to build the beach club and refurbish the retail village.
No timetable was provided.
It has been a long time coming, with discussions going back years and in the past including Royal Caribbean Group and ITM Group.
Seatrade Cruise News reached out to MSC Cruises and will update this story when further information is provided.
Grand Bahama on a roll
Davis called the Freeport Harbour investment “another major step in the relaunch of Grand Bahama’s economy.”
The island is The Bahamas’ fastest growing tourism destination.
Cruise arrivals have expanded dramatically, with more than a 90% increase in 2025 compared to 2024, and double 2019 pre-pandemic arrivals. That has been driven by Carnival Corp. & plc’s Celebration Key, a $600m investment, with the one-millionth cruiser arriving in December, just five months after the destination opened.
Airport expansion with US pre-clearance
Air arrivals are significantly up, too, and the airport is getting a new terminal in a $100m first phase investment designed to handle up to half a million passengers annually with the ability to expand to 1m. The facility will include international and United States pre-clearance.
MSC’s broader investment
In 2025, MSC Cruises took a stake in Grand Bahama Shipyard, joining longtime investors Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Group and Grand Bahama Port Authority as the facility undergoes a $600m transformation.
MSC Group continues to play a broader role in strengthening Grand Bahama as a maritime and logistics hub. The company has made a major investment in upgrades and new equipment at Freeport Container Port, improving efficiency and capacity at a facility that is central to the island’s industrial base.
The prime minister said MSC, together with a partner, is in negotiations to acquire Hutchison Ports operations in multiple countries, including Freeport Container Port. In Freeport, MSC holds a significant interest and is the principal user of the container terminal.
