Carnival Corp. & plc and Royal Caribbean announced the signing of an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with Saint Lucia's government to form a joint venture to manage the cruise pier and terminal facilities and to design, construct and operate a brand new cruise port on the island.
Carnival Corp., Royal Caribbean, and the Government of St Lucia will establish (as part of the MoU) a long-term concession agreement in order to formalize the responsibilities and terms for the joint venture to operate and manage the current cruise pier and terminal facilities at Port Castries.
Additionally, the joint venture is due to design, finance, build and operate a new cruise port in Vieux Fort (situated on the island's southern part) that will be able to accommodate the most innovative cruise ships in the industry.
Together, both companies (Carnival Corporation and RCCL-Royal Caribbean) account for ~75% of the cruise shipping to St Lucia. Under the new agreement, this joint venture would optimize the travel experience and the developing of infrastructure will support the largest passenger ships.