Work Begins on New Cruise Terminal on Roatan, Honduras

Ground broke Tuesday on the Honduran island of Roatan for what is slated to be the Central American country’s largest cruise port facility when it opens in summer 2009.

This project, in the increasingly popular cruise destination in the Bay Islands, is a joint venture between Carnival Corp. and a local partner in Roatan, developer Jerry Hynds.

When built, two post-Panamax ships could be accommodated at the two-berth cruise terminal, which would be able to handle 7,000 passengers and 2,000 crewmembers. The facility will be located in Dixon Cove, on the southwest coast of the island.

The ceremony was headed by the president of Honduras, Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales, and the president of Congress in Honduras, Roberto Micheletti Bain.

The 20-acre area will be developed into a welcome center for tourists, and will feature a shopping area and a transportation hub.