PortMiami: The World Cruise Capital
PortMiami, globally recognized as the “World Cruise Capital,” is the leading cruise port in the world, welcoming millions of passengers each year from all corners of the globe. It serves as the perfect departure point for the Caribbean, Mexico, and beyond.
In 2023, PortMiami welcomed 7,299,294 cruise vacationers, with strong growth prospects for the future due to new state-of-the-art terminals funded by cruise lines. Additionally, the port’s electrification, completed last June, makes PortMiami the first major cruise port on the U.S. East Coast to offer shore power to five cruise terminals. However, due to energy capacity limitations, only three cruise ships can connect at a time.
Port Miami
Port Miami
The Miami-Dade County Shore Power Program is a partnership that began in 2021 between PortMiami and its cruise partners—Carnival Corporation, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Royal Caribbean Group, Virgin Voyages—and Florida Power & Light Company, the local electric utility. They have stated that shore power is isolated from the city, ensuring it will not impact local residents.
When ships are docked, they require electricity for lights, refrigeration, operational equipment, and other onboard functions. Connecting to shore power allows cruise ships to shut down their engines, reducing emissions by up to 98%. The annual emission reduction associated with connecting to shore power at a terminal is equivalent to removing 7,500 cars from the road, according to an analysis by Moffat and Nichol. The Miami Herald also notes that a cruise ship uses energy equivalent to that of about 10,000 families for one day.
The electrification project at PortMiami required the construction of individual substations at each berth. The port is providing 16 MW to each ship, significantly reducing emissions and noise while docked.
Port Miami
Port Miami
Shore power is already available at various U.S. ports, such as Juneau, Alaska, which introduced it 20 years ago; San Diego, California, which first implemented shore power in 2010 and is set to complete its third connection this year; and the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in New York, which has offered shore power since 2017, albeit with just one berth. Furthermore, shore power is expanding in Europe, where requirements for ships to use shore power while in EU ports are pending.
This highlights that, despite the expansion of shore power, ports lag behind ships, as only two percent of cruise ports worldwide have shore power connections. PortMiami stands out in this regard, with a forecast of over 350 port calls next year, involving 21 ships connecting to the shore power system. The port, which currently can handle nine cruise ships in one day, will also open a new large terminal built for MSC Cruises in 2025, capable of accommodating three additional cruise ships.
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