Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, the parent company for Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, has been recognized for the environmental design of its newest cruise terminal in PortMiami.
The U.S. Green Building Council granted NCLH the honorary recognition as the first LEED Gold New Construction v4.0 cruise ship terminal in Florida, the United States, and the world for its sustainable, environmentally conscious construction.
Pearl of Miami
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings opened its new state-of-the-art cruise terminal in Port Miami in 2021. At the time, Norwegian Gem was the first cruise ship to start operations in the United States for Norwegian Cruise Line.
The 188,000 square foot cruise terminal accommodates cruise ships carrying up to 5,000 passengers and has been constructed with innovative and sustainable ideas at the forefront. Sustainable features include optimized indoor air quality, efficient use of water, utilization of local materials, and even protection for wildlife such as Manatees and protection against pollution.
The U.S. Green Building Council has now recognized the efforts made by the cruise company with a LEED certification for building design and construction. LEED provides a framework for building a holistic green building while addressing design and construction activities.
Company CEO and President Frank Del Rio said the following:
“We are proud to be recognized as a leader in sustainable construction with the LEED Gold Certification of our incredible new PortMiami terminal B, the Pearl of Miami, the first cruise terminal in the world to receive this certification under the new, more stringent LEED construction standards,”
Sail & Sustain
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings unveiled its new redesigned Sail and Sustain program at the end of June 2021. The program focuses on reducing the company’s environmental impact, sailing safely, empowering people, strengthening communities, and operating with integrity and accountability.
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The PortMiami terminal plays an integral part in the program; Frank Del Rio added: “This certification is a great reflection of how we are driving a positive impact on the environment and society through our global sustainability program, Sail & Sustain, while delivering on our vision to be the vacation of choice for everyone around the world. We will continue to invest, design and develop towards this commitment, including further investment at the PortMiami terminal where we are partnering with Miami-Dade County to add shore power capabilities by Fall 2023.”
The new terminal operates a massive 38% more efficiently than the average building, one of the main factors for the Green Building Council to award NCL with the certification as well as using local subcontractors, vendors, and suppliers:
“We are honored to have partnered with PortMiami and Miami-Dade County to construct an iconic terminal to LEED Gold Standards,” said Harry Sommer, president, and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. “The terminal was designed and built in partnership with our local South Florida community. Approximately 90% of all subcontractors, vendors, and suppliers were local to the region, encouraging local economic growth.”
Cruise Industry Focus on The Environment
While cruise lines have traditionally received a lot of criticism on their environmental impact, there is no denying the inroads made to improve that image. Besides Norwegian Cruise Line, several others have been making efforts to improve the environmental impact.
Carnival Corporation has been focused on its transition to LNG-powered vessels. MSC Cruises has transformed an old sand mining island into a natural paradise with its Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, and Royal Caribbean has its Save the Waves program focusing on waste management, sustainable sourcing, innovating energy-saving technologies.
With CLIA committed to a zero-carbon offset goal for 2050, there is still a long way to go; however positive signs are all around for change in the cruise industry towards a better environment.
