By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Windstar Cruises is homeporting one of its ships St. Maarten.

Beginning Dec. 1, the cruise line will homeport its Wind Surf cruise ship for seven-day cruises out of St Maarten.

Besides having the Wind Surf homeport on the Island weekly, Port St Maarten Management said they were also looking at accommodating the line’s Star Pride and Star Breeze vessels.

“We welcome this news especially catering to the homeporting segment of the cruise business,” Port St. Maarten Management said in a statement. “The spin off effect for the national economy will be great and we are happy to make this positive news announcement. It is the intention of the vessel to provision certain commodities on Island which is another benefit for attracting this type of business to St. Maarten.”

“Windstar Cruises offers high-end clientele and service along with an intimate experience. This is a niche market for destination St. Maarten,” said St Maarten Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Stuart Johnson.

“Destination St Maarten has homeporting experience,” he said. “We have the return of cruise ships, and now we must move forward in bringing back the homeporting business that we had before.”

“The Port is on the right track as they strategically move to a pre-Irma homeporting status,” he said. “This is another positive development for the country on the economic front and for the business community.”