The Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line on Friday announced it will deploy its flagship vessel to New Orleans to help a community devastated by Hurricane Ida.
In an agreement with the Louisiana power company Entergy Corp., the Grand Classica will immediately deploy to New Orleans and will house 1,500+ workers as they restore power to the region following the impact of Hurricane Ida.
"As a family-owned and operated company, we are able to be nimble and pivot when needed, in order to help communities in crisis," Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line President Kevin Sheehan Jr. said in a statement. "Hurricane relief and humanitarian charters are something we've done several times in the past."
Indeed, hurricane relief efforts and on-the-ground support are not new to Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line. The company deployed the Grand Celebration to St. Thomas in 2017, following Hurricane Irma, in a charter agreement with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The ship housed the National Guard by FEMA, housing the National Guard and first responders.
In 2019 following Hurricane Dorian, the line conducted numerous humanitarian sailings to Grand Bahama Island, transporting first responders and critical resources including food and medical supplies.
"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," Sheehan said. " 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."
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