Feature, Freight News, Sea

Port Canaveral Invests $500 Million In Upgrades

[ May 13, 2025   //   Gary Burrows ]

Central Florida’s Port Canaveral said it is investing more than US$500 million in landside and waterside improvements as part of its comprehensive Port Canaveral Advantage plan to expand capacity and capabilities across all aspects of its business operations.

“Port Canaveral has been a driving force for the Central Florida economy for over seven decades and the continued prosperity of our Port community depends on our continued success,” said Capt. John Murray, Port Canaveral CEO.

Port Canaveral Advantage is a port-wide continuous improvement program that 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, modernizing 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 like Jetty Park.

“These port-wide investments are designed to leverage the port’s success to benefit communities from the Space Coast to Central Florida, and throughout the state,” Murray said.

On the commercial cargo side, the port plans to renovate existing pier structures on the southside of the port to create additional multipurpose, multiuser berth space and improve vessel turn times. Renovations to two northside cargo berths – North Cargo Berths 3 and 4 – are nearing completion adding 1,800 linear feet of multipurpose bulkhead space. Ongoing improvements include harbor deepening and berth box dredging to accommodate larger vessels, seawall and uplands facility upgrades, and the addition of a third mobile harbor crane set to arrive later this year.

Roadway improvements are also underway to improve access to and from cargo terminals, ease roadway congestion and reduce truck wait times.

Port Canaveral, which has long supported America’s space program, today has two commercial space companies, SpaceX and Blue Origin, with maritime operations at the port utilizing multiple cargo berths for their vessels dockage and for offloading and transporting recovered launch vehicle components.

Several cruise-related projects are about to get underway at Port Canaveral, with one of the most ambitious 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 percent to accommodate larger vessels. During an estimated 16-month construction period, the cruise terminal would continue to operate without interrupting scheduled ship turns.

The port also plans to expand capacity at Cruise Terminal 10, beginning with a feasibility study to be completed by June. 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 in length.

Exterior upgrades at Cruise Terminal 1 will begin in May in addition to refurbishments to the adjacent cruise parking garage.

The port established a new Cruise Automation Team, led by Steve Shelton, newly hired vice president of facilities optimization. His experience includes premier hotels and resorts in the hospitality industry.

Tags: Blue Origin, Port Canaveral, SpaceX