Tag Archives: Port of Miami

Record Year for PortMiami

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MSC Ship in Miami

PortMiami has announced a record cruise and cargo year.

The port experienced an increase of 5.8 per cent in containerized cargo movements for its 2018 Fiscal Year with a total of 1,084,000 (twenty-foot equivalent units) and an increase of 4.7 per cent in cruise visitors with a total of 5,592,000 passengers during the 12 month period ending September 30, 2018, according to a press release.

On the cruise side, PortMiami officials attribute the growth to expanded business opportunities, according to a statement. n 2018, Royal Caribbean International added sailings to the Empress of the Seas and welcomed the newly renovated Mariner of the Seas.  Oceania Cruises and Disney Cruise Line extended their winter seasons.

The port also welcomed three new cruise lines: Viking Ocean Cruises, Victory Cruise Lines, and Seabourn. Additionally, it welcomed Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Magic and the new Carnival Horizon.  MSC also introduced its new-build, the MSC Seaside, to the port’s line-up.

“I am proud to say that today PortMiami is a full-service global hub handling some of the largest vessels in the industry,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “We’re starting to see the results of more than $1 billion of completed infrastructure and a port team that gets the job done. I would like to thank the entire PortMiami team for their hard work and dedication. The Port’s continued growth would not be possible without them.”

“I want to thank all of PortMiami’s dedicated partners including the cruise and cargo lines, the International Longshoremen’s Associations’ Locals 1416 and 1922, Miami-Dade Police and Fire Departments, the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Miami, U.S. Coast Guard, the Biscayne Bay Pilots among so many others,” said Chairwoman of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee Rebeca Sosa. “New facilities, berths and terminals are in the works to accommodate the industry’s new generation of vessels.  The future is only getting brighter at our seaport.”

Norwegian Encore Will Debut in 2019 in Miami, not China

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Norwegian Encore Steel Cutting

Norwegian Cruise Line marked today the start of construction for its newest ship with a steel cutting ceremony.

Named Norwegian Encore, the latest addition to its fleet will sail the Caribbean from Miami seasonally beginning fall 2019.

No mention was made of the previous announcement that the ship would be designed for the Chinese market.

Norwegian confirmed the ship will begin sailings from Miami in fall 2019 in a prepared statement.

“Norwegian Encore will be the ultimate Breakaway Plus Class vessel and we are thrilled to celebrate the start of construction for this incredible new ship,” said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer for Norwegian Cruise Line. “Over 50 years ago the Norwegian brand began creating unforgettable vacation moments with the first inter-island cruise in the Caribbean from Miami. We continue building on our legacy of innovation with this brand-new state-of-the-art vessel perfect for exploring the natural beauty of some of the most remarkable islands in the world.”

At approximately 167,800 gross tons and accommodating 4,000 guests, Norwegian Encore will sail weekly seven-day Caribbean cruises each Sunday from PortMiami.

“We are excited to start production for Norwegian Encore and to create another floating destination for Norwegian Cruise Line,” said Stephan Schmees, Executive Board Member Project Management Ships, Meyer Werft.

The Norwegian Encore will be the seventeenth ship in the Norwegian fleet and the line’s fourth and final ship in the Breakaway Plus Class, described as the most successful class in the brand’s history.

In addition, Norwegian recently made changes to its China management team.

PortMiami Set to Continue Record-Shattering Growth Pace

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Discussions are underway for another terminal for Norwegian Cruise Line.
Norwegian Getaway turning in Miami port.

“We do have space. I want that to be very clear, that we have space for growth here at PortMiami,” said Juan Kuryla, port director. “We are growing and need to continue investing.”

Miami is coming off a record year, with 5.3 million cruise passengers, and a similar, slightly better year is expected in 2017-2018. After that, Kuryla is forecasting a continued pattern of record-breaking cruise traffic.

Going from 4.9 million to 5.3 million passengers in a year, the most ever recorded anywhere; Kuryla is juggling multiple projects for a 20 percent bump up in 2019, and even more growth behind that.

“We will likely be at 6.4 million passengers,” he added.

Multiple Projects

The biggest bump up in numbers last year came from Royal Caribbean, with 350,000 more passengers. That figure will grow exponentially when the company opens Terminal A for its Oasis-class ships come 2018.

Talking to Cruise Industry News on a November Monday, there were a staggering seven cruise vessels docked and Kuryla was weeks away from the grand opening of Terminal F, a new facility developed for MSC Cruises and the MSC Seaside.

That terminal is only the beginning, as MSC has bigger plans, including the deployment of the Meraviglia in the Caribbean, sailing from Miami alongside the Seaside in summer 2019.

Discussions are ongoing with Virgin and Norwegian for new terminals.

“Both would be additional to the terminals we have,” Kuryla said. “We are taking some land on the north side from the cargo operations to create a footprint for additional terminals.”

Not to be overlooked, Carnival Cruise Line has been the port’s largest customer dating back to the 1970s and accounted for more than 2 million passenger movements last year. This year the new Carnival Horizon will homeport in Miami after a brief summer in New York.

“We are also in discussions with them on how to work together to accommodate further growth,” explained Kuryla.

‘Total Commitment’

He attributed the growth to a total commitment to the cruise industry not only by the port but by the willingness of elected officials to accept the port’s and cruise line’s recommendations on investments.

New terminal projects must consider not only the space for the terminal, but land infrastructure ranging from parking to utilities, apron needs, traffic patterns and more, Kuryla said.

“The speed at which we need to grow to accommodate new ships is unprecedented,” he continued, “and we are moving quickly.”

Various studies have been conducted on LNG, and the port is moving toward a solution regarding whether bunkering would be a land or water-side operation. Kuryla said he expects Miami to receive its first LNG-powered ship in 2022.