WHILE remaining tightlipped on the state of operations at the Grand Bahama Shipyard, Graham Couser, its business development manager, confirmed to Tribune Business that two Carnival Cruise Line vessels are scheduled to be at its dry dock this year.

"We have got two Carnival ships the rest of this year," Mr Couser confirmed yesterday. He declined to go into details of the arrangement over the telephone, stating: "It's sensitive due to the nature of the business."

The arrival of the Miami-based cruise line's vessels could mean a large number of short-term workers on contract at the shipyard. The Grand Bahama Shipyard usually records an average of 20 dockings each year.

The Grand Bahama Shipyard, the biggest shipyard this side of the Americas, is one of the world's leading shipyards for undertaking dry-docking, repairs and modifications to cruise ships. Carnival and Royal Caribbean each own 40 per cent of the Shipyard, while the Grand Bahama Port Authority has a 20 per cent stake.

The Shipyard has three floating docks, two of which are about 1,000 feet long, while the third is 880 feet.

SOURCE: The Tribune