A cruise company chartered a ship down to Louisiana State to house workers helping to restore the electric supply after Hurricane Ida passed through the region.
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line entered into a charter agreement with Entergy Corporation (Louisiana power company) to house 1500+ workers on Grand Classica cruise ship. The vessel is currently docked in New Orleans (Port NOLA).
Hurricane relief efforts are not new to the Bahamas Paradise. In 2017 the company deployed Grand Celebration to St Thomas USVI following Hurricane Irma to house the National Guard and first responders.
In 2019 following Hurricane Dorian, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line conducted many humanitarian sailings to Grand Bahama Island, transporting first responders and resources including food and medical supplies.
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line President Kevin Sheehan Jr. said:
“As a family-owned and operated company, we are able to be nimble and pivot when needed, in order to help communities in crisis.
“Hurricane relief and humanitarian charters are something we’ve done several times in the past, and we are proud to be able to move quickly to action now in this way, helping facilitate relief for the thousands of people who remain without power across the region. I am sure our customers will continue to be as supportive of our actions as they have always been in the past, when these situations have required us to step up and step in.”
The company is working to contact and re-book passengers who were scheduled to sail before this date.