The cruise season has officially begun in one of the fastest-growing cruise destinations in the Caribbean: the French Caribbean island of Martinique, one of the fastest-growing cruise destinations in the Caribbean, particularly in the luxury sector.

Seabourn Pursuit was the first cruise ship to visit Fort de France’s Pointe Simon cruise terminal this season, with 231 passengers on board. 

It’s the second “expedition” ship Seabourn has launched this year; Pursuit has two custom-built submarines, 24 zodiacs, kayaks and a 26-person expedition team whose role is to engage guests on each voyage. 

Seabourn’s Quest, Sojourn and Ovation ships are also scheduled to visit Martinique this season. 

Overall, Martinique is expecting 421,000 cruise passengers this season, up from 338,154 last year — an increase of nearly 25 percent year over year. 

That will include 180 cruise calls in Fort de France, along with 60 calls in anchorages like Trois Ilets, Anses-d’Arlet and Saint Pierre, among others. 

Saint Pierre in particular is seeing significant growth, with plans for 32 cruise calls — and a total of 13,000 passengers. 

The news comes as the town’s nearby Mont Pelee volcano was recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.