Port to upgrade facilities to cater for 5. 6 million cruise guests by 2033
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Florida’s Port Everglades is to carry out a number of infrastructure improvements to cater for the 5.6 million passenger moves it is expected to handle annually by 2033.
The US cruise port, which is set to cater for four million passenger moves in 2014, is to spend US$1.6 billion in capital investments to upgrade its cargo, cruise and petroleum business facilities as part of its 20-year Master/Vision Plan.
First adopted in 2006, the development plan has been updated over the past year by port staff and maritime consultant AECOM Technical Services. Together the companies have held more than 20 meetings with customers, stakeholders and the general public. The Broward County Board of County Commissioners, which governs the Port as a self-funded enterprise fund, approved the plan on 24 June.
“This is the second update to the original Master/Vision Plan that was adopted in 2006,” said Steve Cernak, chief executive and port director. “At that time, the commission directed staff to update the plan every two to three years to take a hard look at market trends to see how we could maximise existing facilities and ensure that Port Everglades continues to be an economic powerhouse.”
Over the next five years, the port will lengthen Slip 2 to enable larger ships to use Cruise Terminal 4 and improve Cruise Terminal 25 by adding an enclosed corridor to Cruise Terminal 22/24.
Longer-term projects in the 10- and 20-year Vision Plans include improvements to Cruise Terminal 29 and filling in the Tracor Basin to lengthen Berth 29, allowing it to accommodate larger cruise ships. In addition, a new parking garage will be constructed for Cruise Terminals 2 and 4 in Northport, while the port’s navigational channels will be widened and deepened.
The plan also includes conducting traffic and environmental studies for projects in the five-year Master Plan and an affordability analysis for the projects in the ten-year timeframe.