After more than a year of negotiations, MSC Cruises has finalized an agreement to use a new cruise terminal in Galveston, Texas.
City-owned Galveston Wharves will develop a $100 million cruise terminal, a $42 million parking garage, an internal roadway and other improvements at Pier 16 beginning in early 2024. The port will convert a cargo warehouse into a 165,000-square-foot cruise terminal, which will be the fourth cruise terminal in Galveston.
The project became possible because Del Monte Fresh Produce Co. had outgrown its facilities in Galveston and is relocating to Freeport, about 30 miles south, according to Galveston Wharves.
Galveston Wharves aims to complete the terminal in November 2025, when MSC last month said it would begin sailing seven-night cruises from Galveston on the MSC Seascape, a ship that has been in service for just over a year.
MSC and Galveston Wharves have inked a 20-year deal, with options for four five-year extensions. Under the agreement, MSC will have a set cruise schedule starting in late 2025. The port can negotiate with other cruise lines to use the terminal when it is available.
Galveston is the fourth-busiest cruise port in the U.S., and growing.
Royal Caribbean opened a terminal in Galveston in late 2022 that can accommodate Royal's ships in the Oasis and Icon classes. During the Icon of the Seas' debut in January, Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley hinted that an Icon-class ship was in Galveston's future.
Carnival Cruise Line launched its newest ship, the Jubilee, from Galveston. Carnival's terminal recently received a makeover.