The Canaveral Port Authority is making some very quick and decisive decisions to expand a north cargo terminal in the West Basin to accommodate more cruise ships and passengers. North Cargo Berth 8, occupied by SpaceX at the moment, will be turned into a cruise terminal complete with a new parking garage that will house 2,500 vehicles. The existing bulkhead is 1,020 feet long and will be extended to 1,344 feet to fit the large cruise ships. The expected completion will be in the summer of 2026 with ‘minimal disruption to current port and tenant operations during construction’. Cruise Terminal 5 will be enhanced by this development.
Allure of the Seas, as an example of parking, created a parking space consumption for 1,500 cars on a Friday alone during a recent Port of Call.
In the meantime, Bluepoints Marina has a reprieve and will possibly develop into an RFP (Request For Proposal) opportunity to combine with Cape Marina, whose lease expires in 2026.
The overall project will be self-funded, but no numbers are available at this time.
The Port drives millions of dollars to the local economy. According to CEO Murray, who began his term at the Port years ago, there were 4 hotels in Cape Canaveral alone, and now there are 11.
In case you were wondering about the status of Space X and Blue Origin, they will operate on North Cargo Berth 6 with Berth’s 3 and 4 becoming available for their use too.
With the completion of NCB 3 & 4, Cemex has agreed to demolish the cement silos.
Murfam Post 