Bimini is an island 50 miles off the coast of Florida. The only way to get there is with a ferry service taken from Miami. For two days after Genting canceled its services, the only way to make the two-hour trip was with a private yacht. Genting had been operating on that route since 2016.
People from cities such as nearby Hialeah who wish to visit the Bahamian islands will now have to get their services from a company called Balearia. This Spanish company has been running the route from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas since 2011 and recently announced a partnership with Genting. Flyer printing could be used to let people at Fort Lauderdale know about the change in services. When asked about the reasoning behind the change, Kai Knocke who is the CEO of FRS Caribbean, stated:
“In our opinion the relatively small market between Florida and The Bahamas allows at the moment only room for one shipping company for a year-round service.”
Officials from PortMiami found out about Genting’s decision on the day that Genting stopped running the service and refused to make any comments. Passengers that were stuck on Bimini when the service was canceled were advised to make the return trip via Fort Lauderdale and were given free shuttle services from Fort Lauderdale back to Miami.