The Freeport Container Port, lying on the southwest shore of Grand Bahama Island, is a free trade zone about 160 kilometers northeast of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Populated by 156 people in 1956, the town of Freeport grew rapidly after the colonial government authorized the Grand Bahama Port Authority Limited to build and operate a port there. In 2002, over 42 thousand people lived in Freeport, and the city hosted hundreds of thousands of tourists to its casinos, golf courses, beaches, and duty-free shops.

In 1955, the Bahamian government granted Virginia businessman Wallace Groves about 200 square kilometers of swamp and scrubland for development of the Freeport Container Port. As an incentive, the government agreed that businesses there will pay no taxes until 2054. The City of Freeport was established there, and it grew quickly to become the second most populous city in the Bahamas.

Freeport Harbor is open to the largest vessels. It has a busy cruise terminal, the Freeport Container Port, and a ship maintenance facility. The Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) is responsible for managing the free trade zone at the Port of Freeport. Since it was established, the GBPA’s land grant has increased to 138 thousand acres, owing to its great success.

The Freeport Container Port was opened in 1997 by Hutchison Port Holdings. Serving as a major hub for worldwide transshipment of containerized cargo, the Freeport Container Port contains over a thousand meters of berths with 15.5 meters of alongside depth. It contains 49 hectares of stacking area and capacity to handle 1.5 million TEUs per year.

The Freeport Container Port operates a sophisticated computerized 24-hour facility with state-of-the-art security. It offers the world’s biggest container vessels comprehensive support services and leading-edge technology.

In addition to the Freeport Container Terminal, tourism is a major source of income for Freeport and the Bahamas. Over a million tourists arrive each year. Much tourist activity takes place in the seaside suburb of Lucaya, where visitors find most of the hotels and nightlife.

In 2008, TripAdvisor® selected Freeport as a Best Destination Top 25 Latin America / Caribbean in its Travelers’ Choice® Destinations Awards. While Nassau, the traditional tourism center in the Bahamas, is a blend of old and new, Freeport/Lucaya is a modern planned city offering long clean beaches, luxurious hotels, a huge casino, nightlife, and some of the best scuba-diving in the Caribbean.

Travelers wishing to travel by sea to Freeport can visit the Cruise Compete website for a list of cruises through the 2010 season.