Prime Minister Says Bahamas Cruise Port in Final Approval Stages

An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is underway for Disney Cruise Line’s Lighthouse Point project, with the project in “final approval stages,” said Dr Hubert Minnis, The Bahamas’ prime minister.

Speaking Wednesday at a political rally in Eleuthera, site of the proposed $400 million dedicated cruise terminal and private island destination, Minnis said developers have completed the EIA and an environmental management plan “is now being reviewed by the Department of Environment Protection and Planning,” according to a local press report. Third-party firm Black & Veatch is carrying out the review, Minnis said.

Disney Cruise Line and the Bahamas’ government will “proceed to a groundbreaking ceremony once the environmental management review process is completed,” said Minnis. He said the agreement with Disney mandates 80 percent of the labor force must be Bahamian.

Minnis added the project is being constructed “on private land that Disney purchased from a private group” and represents “one of the largest investments ever in the history of Eleuthera.”