Shore power planned at new US cruise terminal

The port hopes to provide the shore power at the new Cruise Terminal 7 provided issues can be resolved with the state’s largest energy utility, Florida Power & Light. The large cruise vessels calling at the port use as much energy as the city itself meaning new substations may be required.

“It is a complex equation for us,” said Port Canaveral chief executive, Captain John Murray. “We are not opposed to it but we want to be smart about how we do it.”

The contract to construct the new terminal has been awarded to Miami firm, BEA Architects, who previously designed five of the port’s six cruise terminals.

If contract negotiations go smoothly, ground-breaking could take place as soon as January. “We’re doing everything to advance the project as quickly as possible,” said Murray.

CT 7 will be a multi-user facility and will be sited on the existing North 8 Berth which shares a basin with CT 5 on the port’s north side. The aim is to have the terminal up and running by late 2025 and to relocate MSC Cruises there.

This spreading of terminals over different areas presents a further challenge for the installation of shore power. Channels for power lines will need to go through existing infrastructure, making electrification more complex than at the Port of Miami where the cruise terminals are in a row.