Hurricane Resiliency Considerations and Wave Modeling of Four Berths for LNG-Powered Cruise Vessels

The south coast of Grand Bahama Island, located approximately 50 mi from Florida, is being developed into a cruise ship destination by Carnival Corporation. This location in the Bahamas requires deepwater port infrastructure to accommodate cruise ship calls due to the lack of a protected harbor. The area is subject to significant coastal storms, including the historic 2019 Category 5 Hurricane Dorian. Therefore, the development of marine infrastructure in the region poses design and constructability challenges. This paper describes the hurricane resiliency considerations implemented in the design of the new port capable of serving 4 XL class LNG-powered vessels and accommodating up to 4 million cruise guests yearly at full buildout.