Over the next 2 years MSC Cruises will work hand-in-hand with the Bahamian government and environmentalists to build up the cay and onetime sand extraction station, into a thriving marine reserve that will amicably exist together with the local ecosystem.

It is hoped that this is a project that will change the local economy base from resource exploitation to resource preservation. MSC Cruises is focused on securing that this is one of the most biologically conscious cruise lines on the planet and will put around US$200 million in making a prospering natural shelter from a desert island.

And additionally being the only marine reserve island experience, at 95-acres in size, and with 11,400 feet of pristine beach front across six distinct shorelines, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve will be, by a huge margin, the biggest island development by any cruise company in the Caribbean.

This one of a kind feature additionally implies that guests can move at leisure between ship and island, which will be particularly useful since a key part of their visit will be the island's night life, specifically live music and entertainment at the 2,000-seat amphitheater and numerous restaurants and bars.

In addition, the ship and all on-board services including the casino will stay open while berthed at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. For MSC Yacht Club visitors, the northwest corner of the island has been put aside as an exclusive spa and wellness sanctuary, with private cabins and massage cottages. The Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve venture will offer a lasting MSC Cruises presence in the Bahamas, for which the Company plans to enlist 240 Bahamians in different roles for 2016 and 2017. Furthermore, the company will open a crew training school in Nassau to give local manpower to the growing number of MSC Cruises ships sailing the Caribbean.