Port Tampa Bay wants to build a fourth cruise terminal.
Port Tampa Bay wants to build a fourth cruise terminal
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Jun 18, 2024
Port Tampa Bay, eager to expand its cruise business even further, plans to construct a fourth downtown cruise terminal.
Port commissioners on Tuesday approved a $500,000 contract with HDR Engineering Inc. to perform engineering and design work on the new terminal, which would be located north of Terminal 6 and directly south of Darryl Shaw’s planned multiuse development called Ybor Harbor. A man-made slip would be filled in to allow for the project.
The proposal is the latest development in what some see as a conflict between the cruise business and downtown’s economic development and what others see as a complementary relationship. Matters in question include parking, waterfront access and
Mayor Jane Castor, who previously alluded to the possibility of expanding the Tampa Riverwalk all the way to Ybor Harbor, seconded board member Patrick Allman’s motion to execute the design services contract for the terminal. The vote passed unanimously.
The entire project — if permitted and eventually approved — could amount to an approximately $80 million investment. Funding sources could include everything from grants to private co-investors. Cruise lines have already expressed interest, but port officials declined to identify the specific companies and what the cost-share agreement would look like.
“We’re very confident as a team that this is a building that will come,” President and CEO Paul Anderson said. “We know that we’re going to have tenants. We’re going to work concurrently while engineering this, so this is just one step after another.”
Future Port Tampa Bay terminal imageexpand
Future Port Tampa Bay terminal image
PORT TAMPA BAY
Port Tampa Bay also has long-term plans to demolish Terminal 6 and replace it with a new building after the fourth terminal is completed. Although it was recently refurbished, some cruise lines see Terminal 6 as outdated.
During the port board meeting on Tuesday, Margaritaville at Sea Islander occupied Terminal 6 as it dropped off and accepted passengers on its 2,650-passenger vessel. It first sailed here on June 14 and will call on Tampa year-round. Although the cruise line is more of a low-cost rather than luxury option, it represents yet another sign of approval from companies in Tampa’s cruise infrastructure, which comes with the inherent limitation of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
Six cruise lines now sail from Tampa and are responsible for about 20% of the port’s revenue, according to financials presented to the board on Tuesday. For most of the year, no more than one cruise ship departs from here per day. On the weekends during the winter, however, that number often increases to three.
“There’s a desire for additional ships for additional days that we actually can accommodate [right now],” Chief Operating Officer Brian Giuliani said. “But we’re going to have to turn away business.”
Giuliani said the plans for a new terminal will fit well with Shaw’s development.
Also on Tuesday, Port Tampa Bay commissioners agreed to award a $64.8 million contract to Russell Marine LLC for the construction of Berth 214. The project — expected to grow the port’s container business to accept post-Panamax vessels — was delayed as the port waited for the disbursement of a federal grant. The contractor will now move forward with dredging this fiscal year, and phase two is scheduled to begin in fiscal 2025.
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