The rapidly growing Mexican cruise ship port of Costa Maya, which took a near direct-hit from Category 5 Hurricane Dean on August 21, may be out of action until the middle of 2008, according to local officials.

Carved from the jungle along the Yucatan coast only six years ago, Costa Maya in that short time has become of the most visited ports in the Western Caribbean, with cruise ships carrying a half million passengers calling there last year.

More than two dozen cruise ships had been scheduled to call at Costa Maya during the winter of 2007-2008.

But Cesar Lizarraga, director of sales and marketing for Costa Maya, said about half the port's infrastructure -- including the cruise ship pier, which was able to accommodate three ships -- was damaged by the mammoth storm.

"An early estimate indicates the port will remain closed for six to eight months," Lizarraga said. Others suggested a mid-2008 timeline might be more realistic.

While the faux Mayan shopping and entertainment complex at the foot of the cruise ship pier suffered heavy damage, the adjacent town of Majahual -- where dive and souvenir shops and open-air restaurants lined the picturesque beach -- has largely been destroyed.

Remarkably, given the 165-mile-an-hour winds and huge seas that battered the coast, there have been no reports of deaths or injuries in the Costa Maya area.