173 NORTH AMERICA: COMMENTARY Making sustainable progress PortMiami is expanding its cruise capacity while making efforts to improve the sustainability of its operations ALFREDO PEREIRA Alfredo Pereira is manager of public affairs at PortMiami in Florida, one of the busiest cruise ports in the world PortMiami is known as the cruise capital of the world and cargo gateway of the Americas. The success of the port is directly linked to the growth of Miami-Dade County as a global tourism destination and an economic powerhouse for trade and commerce. PortMiami operates as a landlord port and partners with 22 cruise line companies, including Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Group, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) and Virgin Voyages, along with 11 cargo lines. Over the past few years, the port has opened three new cruise terminals: Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pearl of Miami, Carnival Cruise Line’s Terminal F and Virgin Voyages’ Palm Grove. In April 2025, MSC Cruises opened Terminal AA. At 490,000 square feet, it is one of the largest cruise terminals in the world and can accommodate up to 36,000 passengers in one day. Next is Royal Caribbean’s new Cruise Terminal G, which is expected to open in late 2027. Last year, PortMiami completed the first phase of installing its shore power facilities. Shore power allows cruise ships to turn off their engines and plug into landside electrical power while docked, resulting in reduced emissions and noise. The project was the result of a partnership between MiamiDade County, Carnival Corporation, MSC Cruises, NCLH, Royal Caribbean Group, Virgin Voyages, and Florida Power & Light Company. When the project is fully complete, PortMiami will be the first major cruise port on the US eastern seaboard to offer shore power capability at five cruise berths. “ The success of the port is directly linked to the growth of Miami-Dade County as a global tourism destination ” Photo: PortMiami PortMiami partners with 22 cruise line companies that sail from the Florida port
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