High-Speed Ferry Service to the Bahamas Expected

If two emerging companies’ plans progress as their executives expect, Port Everglades and the Port of Palm Beach will have high-speed ferries to Freeport, Bahamas, by November.

In recent years, the Port of Palm Beach and the Port of Miami have tried offering daily, high-speed service to the nation of 700 islands, but the ventures folded.

George Bradley, spokesman for Bahamas Florida Express, said his company, which plans service from Port Everglades to Freeport beginning Nov. 1, is backed by the same people who operate Bahamas Fast Ferries, which has operated ferries within the Bahamas for the past five years.

Antoine Gurrey, president of Party Line Cruise Co., which plans to start service from the Port of Palm Beach to Freeport by mid-September, said his last job was as GM of a Emeraude Lines, offering high-speed ferry service between the United Kingdom and France.

Bahamas Florida Express is incorporated in the Bahamas as a division of Hornblower Marine Services, Bradley said. The company is waiting to sign a lease in Fort Lauderdale and lawyers are working on Florida incorporation papers.

The maximum of 367 passengers six days a week for Party Line and 950 passengers daily for Bahamas Florida Express adds up to 115,076 in three months. In the first quarter, 145,341 passengers flew to the Bahamas from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.