Port Canaveral in Florida is investing upwards of US$500 million in landside and waterside improvements as part of its comprehensive plan to expand capacity and capabilities across all aspects of its business operations.
The port-wide continuous improvement program identifies near- to long-term needs for enhancements and upgrades to port assets and operations.
Within a five-year planning window, the program includes large-scale, high value critical infrastructure projects associated with new cruise ship arrivals, modernising and expanding cargo berths and bulkheads, upgrading facilities maintenance, deploying new technologies across a spectrum of operations and renovations to the port’s recreational facilities.
Several cruise-related projects are about to get underway at Port Canaveral, with one being the expansion of Cruise Terminal 5 (CT-5). The design project, awarded to BEA Architects of Miami, will increase the terminal’s size by 65 per cent to accommodate larger vessels.
During an estimated 16-month construction period, the cruise terminal would continue to operate without interrupting scheduled ship turns.
In addition to expanding CT-5, the port plans to enhance Cruise Terminal 10 to expand its capacity beginning with a feasibility study that is expected to be completed by June 2025. The project’s goals include expanding the terminal’s capacity to accommodate the world’s largest cruise ships up to 5,600 passengers and berthing up to 1,200 feet (370 metres) in length.
On the commercial cargo side, port plans are developing to renovate existing pier structures on the southside of the port to create additional multi-purpose, multi-user berth space and improve vessel turn times, while renovations to two northside cargo berths are nearing completion adding 1,800 linear feet (550 linear metres) of multi-purpose bulkhead space.
Ongoing improvements include harbour deepening and berth box dredging to accommodate larger vessels, seawall and uplands facility upgrades, and the addition of a third mobile harbour crane set to arrive later this year.