Balearia Taking Over Florida-Bahamas Fast Ferry Route

Spanish shipping company Baleària will start providing fast ferry service between Port Everglades, Florida, and Bimini, Bahamas, after the previous operator pulled out of the route citing commercial considerations.

As of August 7, Baleària Caribbean will be the official Resorts World Bimini shipping company on the route for both passengers and cargo.

Although the company did not reveal the name of the vessel it would deploy on the Bimini service, Baleària noted that the unit would have a 650-person capacity and a maximum speed of 38 knots, with the journey on the new service taking just under two hours.

With five weekly services programmed to Bimini, the company said the number of connections could increase based on demand.

The previous operator, FRS Caribbean, had the 400-passenger fast ferry San Gwann sailing between Miami and Bimini. The company terminated the route as of August 5.

The change in operators comes months after the former CEO of Balearia Group, Hernan Calvo, was ordered to pay Balearia USD 2.8 million following his actions in helping competitors land the deal for ferry services to Genting’s Resorts World on Bimini. Calvo was convicted of using trade secrets and internal information to benefit a competitor.

The new route to Bimini is the second operated by Baleària Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas. Since 2011, Baleària provides services between this port and Freeport on Grand Bahama.