Carnival Cruise Line won approval for plans to greatly
expand Terminal F at PortMiami, which will be first used in 2022 to accommodate
its second Excel-class ship.
Carnival was the last major cruise line operating at
PortMiami that had not unveiled a terminal upgrade in recent years.
Terminal F was itself upgraded in 2016 in a $37.5 million
makeover for MSC Cruises. That line will now move to a new double terminal at
the far eastern end of Miami's cruise ship row.
Plans for both Terminal F and MSC's new terminals AA and AAA
were approved on Sept. 19 by the Miami-Dade County Commission. PortMiami is
owned and operated by Miami-Dade County.
Carnival operates at three terminals at PortMiami. It said
the expanded Terminal F will be its largest in North America.
The line released renderings that show a long, low-slung
structure outlined at night in neon in Carnival's red and blue brand colors.
Carnival’s 5,000-passenger Excel-class ships are designed to
run on liquefied natural gas, and the new berth and terminal will accommodate
that atypical fuel requirement. The
first in the class, the Mardi Gras, will debut next year at Port Canaveral.
Carnival's Terminal F berth agreement with the port is for
20 years, with two 7-year extension options.
Carnival president Christine Duffy praised port and county
officials for expediting approvals so that the expanded terminal can open in
October 2022, in time for Carnival's 50th anniversary celebrations.