Hurricane Fiona damages Cockburn Town port's main cruise ship dock (Grand Turk Island)

   September 24, 2022 ,   Accidents

The main cruise ship dock on Grand Turk Island (Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos) suffered damage on Tuesday, September 20, as a strengthening Hurricane Fiona roared across the Caribbean, raising questions about whether/when ship calls can resume.

Pieces of its infrastructure broke off and washed up on the nearby shore.

Hurricane Fiona slammed into Turks and Caicos (British Overseas Territory) as a Category 3 storm, with its eye passing close to Grand Turk Island. The hurricane was packing winds of up to 115 mph / 185 kph

Cruise ships scheduled to visit Grand Turk were canceled until Tuesday, September 27, when CCL-Carnival Cruise Line's 3000-passenger Carnival Sunrise is due to visit as part of a 4-night voyage from PortMiami. The next scheduled vessels include the 5300-passenger Carnival Mardi Gras and the 3000-passenger Carnival Freedom, both due to call on September 29.

Other liners listed in Grand Turk's schedule of the coming weeks include Carnival Legend, Celebrity Infinity, and ms Nieuw Statendam.

~1,1 million cruise ship tourists arrived in Turks and Caicos in 2019, the last normal "cruising year" before the COVID crisis. In a typical year, they account for ~70% of all visitors to the destination.

Port of Grand Turk Island (Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos)

The cruise pier at the Grand Turk Cruise Centre is the only one in Turks and Caicos. Situated at the southern end of Grand Turk, the 13-acre centre is home to a pool, a spa, bars and restaurants, including the largest Margaritaville in the Caribbean. As many as 3 cruise ships can dock at the centre in a day.