Port Canaveral cruises ahead with upgrades

The port just finished a renovation project at North Cargo Piers 1 and 2 and has other projects in the works that are expected to be completed in 2019.    Port Canaveral on Florida’s east coast is carrying out multiple projects that will boost cargo and cruise operations.
   Projects currently in the works include a new multipurpose berth, upgrades to roadways and signage, a new cruise terminal and bidding for a new mobile harbor crane, Port Canaveral CEO Captain John Murray told American Shipper Tuesday.
   The port also said Tuesday that it had completed a modernization project to renovate its North Cargo Piers 1 and 2 as part of an overall infrastructure improvement plan to maximize usability of existing bulkhead space at the port.
   Total investment in the project was just over $4 million. The port was awarded a Florida Seaport Transportation Economic Development (FSTED) grant to match 50 percent of the project’s cost.
   GLF Construction Corp. performed work on the project, which began in October.
   The two companies with operations at the piers are Seaport Canaveral and Morton Salt, and lumber and newsprint are delivered there as well because of the close vicinity to storage and distribution warehouses, Murray said.
   Seaport Canaveral is a storage terminal that delivers an independent supply of petroleum products to Florida, offering storage for gasoline, diesel, biofuel and biodiesel, ethanol, jet fuel and fuel oil, according to VTTI, which owns Seaport Canaveral.
   It’s estimated that 40 percent to 50 percent of the fuel distributed in Central Florida comes from Port Canaveral, Murray said.
   “During all phases of construction, two adjoining piers remained fully functional to ensure uninterrupted operations at Seaport Canaveral fuel storage and distribution facilities and Morton Salt,” the port said.

Future growth. A new multipurpose cargo berth, dubbed the North Cargo Berth 8, was given the green light in January at the Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners meeting.
   “We are experiencing the highest demand for bulkhead space in the history of our port,” Murray said in a January press release. “This new multipurpose berth will enhance our ability to manage cargo opportunities being driven by the rapid economic growth in Central Florida.”
   The port said the berth will accommodate a growing portfolio that includes commercial spacecraft components.
   The 900-foot seawall and planned 100-foot pier extension will be able to handle an 850-foot ship. The berth, which will be dredged to a depth of -35 feet (MLLW) — will be constructed with a capacity of 2,000 pounds per square foot, which the port said is a necessary requirement for handling aerospace cargo and other heavy project cargo.
   Orion Marine Group was awarded a $17.9 million contract for construction of the bulkhead and seawall, reliving platform and dredging.
   The project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2019, Murray told American Shipper Tuesday.
   Meanwhile, the port announced in February that it was awarded an $8.245 million grant from the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund for a roadway improvement project to support the port’s growth and expansion in the cruise and cargo business. The state grant is supporting a $12 million port roadway project to improve access to cruise and cargo terminals.
   “Project plans include increasing roadway capacity for the port’s northside cargo roads, new intersection signals for public safety and cargo traffic control, and revisions to the existing north side cruise roadway network to relieve congestion and improve cruise operations,” the port said. “The project also includes new port-wide wayfinding signage to improve safety and adaptability for all population in the area.”
   This road improvements and wayfinding project is expected to be completed next spring, Murray said Tuesday.
   A project also is under way to build a new cruise terminal at the port.
   The Canaveral Port Authority and its cruise partner are investing about $150 million in building and equipping a new two-story 188,000-square-foot terminal and parking building, the port said in April, when demolition for the project began.
   “The new high-tech, fully modernized cruise terminal will enhance our ability to welcome some of the largest and most advanced cruise ships in the world,” Murray said in an April press release.
   Demolition is almost complete and should be ready for the next phase of the project by the end of June, Murray said Tuesday, adding that the project is expected to be completed in late 2019.
   At the port’s latest commission meeting on May 30, approval was granted for the purchase of a new mobile harbor crane, Murray said Tuesday. The crane is expected to cost $6 million and the bidding process is under way.