Puerto Peñasco, Mexico - Work on the cruise ship home port in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico is expected to resume within 30-60 days. Sonora government officials say they are clearing up problems left by the previous administration in preparation for releasing more funds for the completion of the roughly $100 million USD facility.

Construction of the home port, which consists of a one-kilometer jetty, terminal buildings and a pedestrian walkway at Sandy Beach, began in December 2013 and was about 50% completed in 2015, but several obstacles, including accusations of mismanaged funds and federal government reporting requirements not being met, caused delays.

But, at a meeting last week, Puerto Peñasco business owners were given assurances that the new state government, led by Governor Claudia Pavlovich, and the federal government, which has already invested roughly $40 million in the port, are committed to completing the project.

The Mexican government chose to build the home port in the sleepy beach town of Puerto Peñasco, better known as Rocky Point, because of its proximity to the United States and potential as a future international tourism destination.

Rocky Point is about 200 miles southwest of Phoenix and Tucson in Sonora, Mexico, along the Gulf of California. Some have nicknamed the town "Arizona's beach" because it is a three and one-half hour drive from both cities.

In addition, officials hope to attract millions of international visitors annually. "Our main market is and will always be Arizona, but the home port will bring people from other states to come and start their trip on the Sea of Cortez," a Tourism Department official said.

At the 2016 Tianguis Turístico Mexico held in Guadalajara last month, the coordinator of the State's Tourism Development Commission, Antonio Berúmen, said that cruise lines such as Carnival, Holland America, Royal Caribbean and Princess have already expressed interest in calling at the port.

He said that, once completed, the home port project would be "transcendental," bringing cruise ships that would serve the northwest region of Mexico, the state of Sonora and the country as a whole.