MIAMI, Nov. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/
-- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;
NYSE: CUK) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with The
Bahamas to fund and support flood
damage repairs and basic restoration efforts at Rand Memorial
Hospital, the primary hospital in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, which sustained
significant damage in September from Hurricane Dorian.
The MOU agreement formalizes a collaborative partnership between
The Bahamas and Carnival
Corporation designed to provide hurricane relief funds for the
joint mission of rapidly restoring Rand Memorial Hospital, with a
collective goal of returning the facility to a safe and healthy
environment for patients and medical professionals by the end of
March 2020.
The Rand Memorial Hospital project comprises two critical
restoration initiatives: remediation and basic repairs for the
facility, and replacing damaged medical equipment.
Additionally, the hospital's existing kitchen suffered damage,
so the restoration project is expected to include the completion of
a new kitchen that was partially constructed prior to the storm,
which will be able to provide meals for patients and staff once the
hospital officially reopens.
Working with a project coordinator that will have day-to-day
oversight of all elements of the project, Carnival Corporation and
the Government of The Bahamas will
coordinate with collaborative partners in support of the
restoration efforts, including Direct Relief, an international
relief organization that provides critical medications and supplies
during emergencies; World Central Kitchen, a food relief
organization that serves meals to local communities following a
crisis; the Grand Bahama Shipyard based in Freeport and the University of Miami, among others.
Also, during the restoration process, Carnival Corporation will
support World Central Kitchen's continued provisioning of daily
meals for patients and staff as part of an ongoing partnership
following the storm.
"We are extremely pleased to immediately begin remediation
efforts at Rand Memorial, which serves as Grand Bahama Island's
primary medical facility and represents a critical step in our
ability to recover and once again serve our community," said
Sharon Williams, administrator for
Grand Bahama Health Services, the local healthcare system that
includes Rand Memorial Hospital. "We are grateful to the Bahamian
emergency response team from Carnival Corporation, Direct Relief,
Grand Bahama Shipyard, University of
Miami and its partners for working together to restore our
facility as quickly as possible to a safe, secure and healthy
environment for medical care."
"In support of overall recovery efforts in The Bahamas, we have worked with government and
community leaders to determine meaningful ways we can help that
will deliver a lasting impact, and our shared mission to support
the restoration of Rand Memorial Hospital exemplifies that
commitment," said Marie McKenzie,
vice president of global ports and Caribbean government relations for Carnival
Corporation. "This restoration project is crucial for the health
needs of residents, while also supporting the longer-term vitality
of the community and is indicative of the rebuilding progress on
the island. Along with our partners, we look forward to supporting
the government's efforts to reopen Rand Memorial Hospital as an
important step in the overall recovery of Grand Bahama Island."
The Rand Memorial Hospital restoration efforts outlined in
today's MOU are part of a significant donation from Carnival
Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Carnival Corporation, the
company's cruise line brands and its guests, and the Micky and
Madeleine Arison Family Foundation to provide funding and in-kind
support to help overall hurricane recovery efforts in The
Bahamas.
Since Hurricane Dorian hit in September, Carnival Corporation
and its brands have worked with local and international
organizations, including Grand Bahama Shipyard, Direct Relief,
Tropical Shipping and World Central Kitchen, to partner with
businesses across The Bahamas on
projects providing both immediate relief and long-term impacts
wherever possible.
The company's partnership with Tropical Shipping collected and
delivered an estimated 10 million pounds of supplies in over 250
shipping containers to the country – made possible by generous
donations from countless individuals and organizations
throughout South Florida and North America. In
addition, two ships from the company's Carnival Cruise Line brand –
Carnival Liberty and Carnival Pride – made stops in Freeport to deliver relief supplies to assist
residents, including water, generators, chain saws, prepared meals
and medical supplies.
With support from Carnival Corporation, Carnival Foundation, and
the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation, Direct Relief has
delivered more than $2.9 million in
life-saving medical aid to health facilities across the
Bahamas, including Rand
Hospital.
Carnival Corporation and Carnival Foundation are among the
organizations that provided support to World Central Kitchen, which
served more than 25,000 meals per day to people in Abaco
and Grand Bahama following the storm. In total, Chef Jose
Andres's World Central Kitchen has provided over one million
meals throughout The Bahamas.
Carnival Corporation brands also conducted donation drives to
support The Bahamas through Direct Relief and World
Central Kitchen. Overall, Carnival Cruise Line guests and employees
have donated more than $500,000 to organizations
supporting Bahamas relief efforts.
In addition to these broad relief efforts, three of Carnival
Corporation's brands – Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line
and Princess Cruises – are continuing regular sailings to The
Bahamas with an expected 250 total
calls to the country throughout the remainder of 2019, helping to
support the country's tourism industry and its vital economic
impact on businesses and residents. Carnival Cruise Line officially
returned to Grand Bahama in
mid-October when multiple ships docked in Freeport for the first time since the storm,
marking the return of regular cruise calls to Grand Bahama
Island.
About Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival
Corporation & plc is the world's largest leisure travel
company and among the most profitable and financially strong in the
cruise and vacation industries, with a portfolio of nine of the
world's leading cruise lines. With operations in North
America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise
Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn,
P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises,
P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard.
Together, the corporation's cruise lines
operate 104 ships with 249,000 lower berths
visiting over 700 ports around the world, with 17 new ships
scheduled to be delivered through 2025. Carnival Corporation
& plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours,
the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon.
Traded on both the New York and London Stock
Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only
group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the
FTSE 100 indices.
With a long history of innovation and providing guests with
extraordinary vacation experiences, Carnival Corporation has
received thousands of industry awards – including recognition by
the Consumer Technology Association™ as a CES® 2019 Innovation
Awards Honoree for the OceanMedallion™. A revolutionary wearable
device that contains a proprietary blend of communication
technologies, the OceanMedallion enables the world's first
interactive guest experience platform transforming vacation travel
on a large scale into a highly personalized level of customized
service. The prestigious CES Innovation Awards honor outstanding
design and engineering in consumer technology products.
Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com,
www.princess.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.seabourn.com,
www.pocruises.com.au, www.costacruise.com, www.aida.de,
www.pocruises.com and www.cunard.com.
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SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc