MSC Cruises has announced that Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, its private island in the Bahamas, has been designated a “Hope Spot” by Mission Blue, the non-profit organization founded by oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle to promote the protection of marine ecosystems. Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Foundation board member and executive committee chair, and executive chairman of the Cruise Division of MSC Group, has been selected as the island’s “Hope Spot Champion.”
With this recognition, Ocean Cay joins Mission Blue’s global network of 154 Hope Spots, which are recognized as places critical to ocean health with the goal of achieving the status of “Marine Protected Areas.” Nominations are evaluated by the marine scientists and policy experts on the Hope Spot Council, ensuring the final selection is both rigorous and reflective of global marine conservation needs.
When MSC Cruises took responsibility for Ocean Cay in 2015, the island had suffered from decades of industrial use, including aragonite sand mining. The company embarked on a restoration initiative, collaborating with the Government of the Bahamas, universities, marine scientists and conservationists to restore the island’s ecosystems.
Nearly 5,000 trees and 75,000 indigenous plants, flowers and shrubs have been planted on the island. The health of the surrounding waters is demonstrated by flourishing marine life, including the presence of loggerhead sea turtles.
The “Marine Restoration Program” covers 25 square miles of waters and ecosystems around Ocean Cay. It was expanded in 2019 when the MSC Foundation started its “Super Coral Program” to restore the island’s reefs. This initiative harnesses scientific collaboration and advanced research to identify coral genotypes known as “super corals,” which have evolved to better withstand thermal stress. They are then strategically outplanted to create hardier reefs which are more resilient to the extreme heat events of climate change.
For more information, visit www.mscfoundation.org and www.missionblue.org.
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