Port Canaveral’s plan to expand and build a new cruise terminal on the north side of the port facilities is being challenged by several Florida state officials.
The contention is that the new cruise terminal plan may jeopardize the port’s ability to support the space industry, which is also critically important to the state’s economy.
On Friday, August 2, 2024, Florida Department of Commerce Secretary J. Alex Kelly and Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue jointly sent a letter expressing their concerns about the expansion project.
“Florida’s cruise tourism and commercial space launch sectors are both vitally important,” Kelly and Perdue wrote. “Port Canaveral bears the responsibility of housing and supporting both. … In this case, the port has announced its intention to support one sector to the direct detriment of the other. That decision must, therefore, be reversed.”
It is unclear how Kelly and Perdue feel the expansion of the port’s cruise terminal facilities may impact necessary work and infrastructure for the space industry.
The only comment is that the cruise terminal plans may impact the expansion of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities that support space efforts. There are no details about how or when such expansion may be planned in the future.
Kelly and Purdue have said it may be necessary to shift planned investments to other Florida facilities, removing such funding from Port Canaveral, if earlier plans are not reinstated.
The Department of Commerce will “stringently” review the port’s compliance with an $8.245 million grant, which provided road project funding to support the aerospace industry.
The roads that would lead to the new cruise terminal could have been funded in large part by that grant. Port Canaveral may need to more clearly demonstrate how both industries can be supported as necessary.
Space Florida, the state’s aerospace agency, has indicated that port space must nearly double by 2023 to support the rapidly growing private space industry.
“The port has been an integral part of the commercial space industry’s growth and operations in our state, and our commitment to the enterprise remains strong,” said Port Canaveral spokesperson Steve Linden in the statement. “We look forward to working in partnership with Secretary Perdue and Secretary Kelly towards a positive resolution.”
The Port Canaveral Authority Board of Commissioners’ next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 21.
Some Space Operations Leaving Port Canaveral
It should be noted that the largest private space operator, SpaceX, recently announced that all Dragon spacecraft splashdowns will be shifted to California rather than recovery off the coast of Florida.
This is not related to operations or expansion at Port Canaveral, but rather out of concern for potential debris fallout from returning spacecraft.
SpaceX will now base their Dragon recovery vessel from the Port of Long Beach, where the space company already has operational facilities.
Port Canaveral will continue to provide LNG support for both cruise ships as well as the space industry. Liquefied natural gas is a top fuel for both maritime and aerospace vehicles, and is at the forefront of lower emissions and cleaner environmental initiatives for many cruise lines.
Read Also: LNG Cruise Ship – Top Pros and Cons
With more than 6.9 million passengers visiting Port Canaveral in 2023, the cruise port is the second-busiest passenger terminal in the world, only behind the 7.3 million passengers sailing from PortMiami.
At the same time, Port Canaveral supported 72 orbital rocket launches in 2023, with 55 already having launched so far in 2024 and dozens more scheduled for the rest of the year.
At times, the cruise industry and space industry have come into conflict, such as when Harmony of the Seas inadvertently caused a rocket launch abort by sailing into a restricted area in January 2022.
In other cases, cruise gests have been treated to amazing views of rocket launches when space operations have coincided with ships at the popular Florida homeport.
Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Disney Cruise Line all homeport from Port Canaveral, with Princess Cruises and Celebrity Cruises homeporting their first ships from the port in the coming months.
