The state of Florida is planning forward for sea-level rise, greater storms, and flooding, and efforts to guard PortMiami, the Cruise Capital of the World, are a part of its technique. To assist mitigate local weather change challenges, the port was awarded a virtually $20 million grant to enhance its bulkhead system.
The grant, totaling $19,547,316, got here from the Resilient Florida Program, an initiative that resulted from a regulation handed in 2021 that funds the state’s plans for local weather change options.
The cash will fund the development of an elevated bulkhead system at Berth 10, designed to guard uplands from flooding and sea stage rise. The concept is to cease floodwaters from impacting the port’s infrastructure, resembling its cargo roadway, a cargo yard, and {an electrical} substation.
The elevated berth and improved bulkhead are seen as essential protections to allow the port to proceed working at high efficiency in future years, as sea stage rise takes a better toll on Florida’s low-lying areas.
Additionally, with this venture accomplished, the port stands a greater likelihood of avoiding operational issues, and even shutdowns, when the area experiences a hurricane or different main storm surge occasion.
PortMiami is located on greater than 500 acres on Dodge Island, in Biscayne Bay, and has 9 cruise terminals. Two dozen cruise traces use the port, which in a typical yr will see 60-plus ships working turnaround cruises or day calls.
“This funding from the Resilient Florida Program is a testomony to our dedication to safeguarding Miami-Dade County’s future. We’re taking a proactive strategy to make sure that PortMiami stays an important hub for worldwide commerce whereas additionally addressing the challenges posed by local weather change and rising sea ranges, which is essential to the continued perform and development of PortMiami,” stated Daniella Levine Cava, mayor of Miami-Dade County.
A number of the cruise business’s latest and hottest ships are primarily based at PortMiami, together with Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship that entered service in early 2024.
Learn Additionally: Miami Cruise Port Information – Terminals, Transportation and Extra
At 248,663-gross tons, the ship accommodates 5,610 company in double occupancy and seven,600 with all berths occupied. Icon of the Seas operates alternating 7-day Jap and Western Caribbean cruises.
Her present Jap Caribbean crusing calls at St. Kitts, St. Thomas, and Excellent Day at CocoCay. Western Caribbean cruises go to Roatan, Honduras; Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico, and Excellent Day at CocoCay.
World’s Busiest Port Is an Financial Drive
PortMiami is the busiest port on the earth primarily based on cruise arrivals. It ended 2023 with a record-breaking 7,299,294 cruise arrivals, breaking its earlier file of 6,823,816 arrivals in pre-pandemic 2019.
It briefly misplaced its busiest cruise port title when 2022’s whole arrivals quantity put it barely behind Port Canaveral, on Florida’s House Coast. However PortMiami quickly recovered the highest slot.
With this stage of passenger quantity, the port has an monumental financial affect on the town of Miami and the state of Florida. PortMiami accounted for practically 4% of the state’s gross home product in 2023, and greater than $60 billion in whole financial exercise.
Apart from Icon of the Seas, different giant and notable ships calling PortMiami residence embody Royal Caribbean’s 5,484-guest Attract of the Seas and 4,515-guest Independence of the Seas; Carnival Cruise Line’s 3,690-guest Carnival Magic, and 5,374-guest Carnival Celebration; Norwegian Cruise Line’s 2,000-guest Norwegian Sky; MSC Cruises’ 2,550-guest MSC Magnifica; and Virgin Voyages’ 2,770-guest Valiant Girl, amongst others.
