Operator News
US – Genting’s fast and furious to Bimini
By Lewis - 16 September 2013
Genting Group has begun its roundtrip cruises from Miami, Florida to Bimini Bay, Bahamas, ferrying passport-carrying customers on night cruises to the island for a $49-$69 aboard the Resorts World Bimini SuperFast.
As the name suggests, the SuperFast is a speedy ferry that can hold 1,600 passengers, travel up to 28 knots, and go the 48 nautical miles to Bimini in about two and a half hours. The 12-year-old ship was built in Germany. Having failed in its plan to create the world’s largest casino on Florida waterfront property in 2011, Genting is attracting players from Miami to 50 miles east in Bimini — where laws already enable Vegas-style gambling and the drinking age is just 18.
Genting’s plan for Bimini is ambitious, and the SuperFast is just a small piece in a much larger puzzle. North Bimini is just nine square miles with a population of 2,000. Currently, only about 70,000 tourists visit the island each year, many of them sportsfishermen who arrive via small planes and charter boats. Genting is hoping that by guaranteeing a safe and easy voyage, tourists will fill up rooms at the company’s resorts and casinos, though travellers are also welcome to use the ship for transportation and then stay at other properties. Genting served 20,000 passengers in its first month and predicts it will have taken 400,000 by the end of its first year.
