Cruise line and port authority reach 'agreement in principle' for new cruise terminal
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Carnival Cruise Line plans to homeport its first-ever LNG-powered cruise ship at Florida’s Canaveral Port after reaching an ‘agreement in principle’ with the port authority for a new terminal.
Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners is expected to discuss the terms of the agreement in a meeting on 29 August 2018. If the agreement is approved, Carnival will be able to base the 180,000gt ship at the port when she debuts in 2020.
“The Port and Carnival have worked closely for decades building a successful partnership together,” said John Murray, port director and CEO of Canaveral Port Authority. “We are proud of our partners at Carnival and eager to begin this new chapter in our business relationship. Carnival’s commitment to Port Canaveral demonstrates its confidence in our ability to support one of the world’s most successful cruise brands. We’re excited and looking forward to having its largest and newest class of ship homeported here.”
“We are very excited about the prospects of homeporting our largest ship at Port Canaveral, a valued business partner for more than 25 years,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Easily accessible from all over the south east with excellent facilities and friendly staff, Port Canaveral is one of our most popular and fastest-growing homeports. This fantastic new ship, coupled with our future plans for Port Canaveral, will provide guests with an unparalleled seagoing vacation experience from the minute they arrive.”
Carnival already homeports three year-round ships at Port Canaveral, which carry more than 650,000 passengers annually. Hence, the decision to deploy the newbuild from the port reinforces Carnival’s position as the port’s “number one cruise operator”.
Meyer Turku will begin constructing Carnival’s yet-to-be-named newbuild this November at its yard in Finland, building the largest ship in the line’s history. The vessel will also be the first North America-based cruise ship to be powered by LNG and offer several new innovations and industry firsts.