Carnival and RCCL Help Fund $97.5 Million St. Maarten Cruise Pier

Carnival and Royal Caribbean have pledged a combined $40 million toward a new cruise facility in St. Maarten that will be built next to the existing pier at Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise and Cargo facilities. The new pier is being built to accommodate the new and bigger classes of ships, which the present pier isn't equipped to handle. More than $34 million of the loan will be provided by Carnival, with the remaining sum covered by Royal Caribbean. Carnival also guaranteed annual passenger arrivals in St. Maarten would reach 700,000. Once the new pier is up and operating, six ships will be able to berth alongside the two piers. The expansion work will begin once the funding is in place and the Island Council approves the project.