SOUTH FLORIDA – South Florida based ferry company, Baleària Caribbean, has announced that it will take the first step towards resuming their passenger services between Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) and the Bahamas by launching their first sailing on November 5th, 2020.
Under phase one, the company has announced it will operate passenger sailings once a week to Freeport (on Thursdays), Grand Bahama Island. The new passenger sailing will coincide with the already established cargo route.
The company is aware that the future addition of sailings to Freeport, Grand Bahama, and the reopening of their Bimini route depend primarily on this first step’s success which is why they have expressed not only excitement and optimism, but that they are approaching this second reopen attempt with extreme caution.
The historic movement towards the restoration of the sea-based international travel market includes a new temporary itinerary.
The new itinerary will have the Jaume II sail out of Port Everglades at 8 A.M. and out of Freeport, Grand Bahama, at 4 P.M; additional details can be found on the company’s website.
Baleària Caribbean would also like to reassure passengers that they will continue to follow strict safety and sanitation protocols to ensure that their passengers have a safe transit. The company has been certified by the international entity Bureau Veritas with the Global Safe Site COVID-19 certificate.
Baleària Group is the first shipping company in operation to hold such a high level of safety certification. The use of face masks/coverings will be mandatory during the duration of the travel process for both passengers and staff members. Plexiglass dividers on every seat and common areas have added additional layers of safety.
Other measures implemented by the transportation company include temperature scanning for each passenger before boarding and easy access to sanitizer dispensers in the terminals and aboard the vessel.
To facilitate social distancing, the shipping company has vowed to reduce passenger capacity by 40% temporarily. 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 would like to remind its future passengers that they 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.
