MSC Cruises is Developing a Private Island In the Bahamas
An Aerial View of Ocean Cay Today
A Rendering of the Island upon Completion
Private islands are very popular with avid cruise passengers and MSC has broken ground on the latest Cruise line owned tropical paradise! Unlike many private islands that require passengers to board small boats for the trip to their island retreat, Ocean Cay will feature a berth and pier allowing passengers direct access to the island and the ship during their stopover. Large ships have called on Ocean Cay for years to transport the precious fine sand that is mined near the island. Sand that was ultimately used for such things as aggregate, agriculture, glass, power plant desulfurization, plastics, food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. A deep water channel was dredged many years ago allowing these deep draft vessels to approach safely. This same channel will be useful to MSC as they develop the island and as several of their ships will ultimately include Ocean Cay as a Port of Call.
TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale has been peripherally involved in the early stages of the development by assisting with transport needs. On two occasions in early 2017, M/V Richard L. Becker, the company’s 96’ OSV was chartered to deliver supplies to the island. Her large deck and 38 long ton cargo capacity were useful for transporting bulky loads. Her home port in Ft. Lauderdale was also a money saver, reducing the overall duration of each charter as the one way trip is a mere 63 miles. TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale and the crew of the Richard L. Becker are proud to be a small part of the development of this little piece of paradise that will be enjoyed by thousands over the coming decades!
