Port Canaveral is a cruise, cargo, and naval
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
in
Brevard County
Brevard County ( ) is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 606,612, making it the 10th-most populated county in Florida. The official county seat is located in ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. It is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world with 4.5 million cruise passengers passing through during 2016. Over 5.4 million tonnes of bulk cargo moves through each year.
Primary cargoes include slag, salt, vehicles, containers, petroleum, heavy equipment, lumber, and aggregate. The port has conveyors and hoppers for loading products directly into trucks and facilities for bulk-cargo containers. The channel is about deep.
The port exports fresh citrus; bulk-frozen citrus juice stored in one of the largest freezer warehouses in the state; cement; and building materials. The port receives lumber, salt for water-softening, automobiles, and steel sheet and plate. It transships items for land, sea, air, and space.
On average, ten ships enter the port each day. This includes ships from cruise lines such as
Carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
,
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
,
Royal Caribbean,
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
, and more.
Governing authority
The Canaveral Port Authority was established in 1953 by the State Legislature and consists of the Board of Commissioners and the Executive Management Team. The Board sets policies such as fiscal, regulatory, and operations, while the executives are responsible for administrative and operational duties. In October 2015 the board voted unanimously to terminate embattled CEO John Walsh. Walsh clashed with residents over a controversial plan to build a cargo railway through a federally managed wildlife refuge. Walsh drew community outrage after calling opponents of his plan "
Luddites
The Luddites were a secret oath-based organisation of English textile workers in the 19th century who formed a radical faction which destroyed textile machinery. The group is believed to have taken its name from Ned Ludd, a legendary weaver s ...
" and "dogs chasing moving cars." Walsh lied about documentation from the United States Air Force, relating to building the Canaveral Rail through the
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida.
Headquartered at the nearby Patrick Space Force Base, the statio ...
.
The five Commissioners of the Board are elected from the surrounding area by popular vote. They must live in specific areas but are elected by voters in all five districts. The races are
partisan.
* District 1 (Kennedy Space Center / Titusville) - Jerry Allender
* District 2 (Area between Titusville and Cocoa and west of the US 1) - Micah Loyd
* District 3 (Cocoa / Rockledge) - Wayne Justice
* District 4 (East of the US 1 and Cape Canaveral) - Bob Harvey
* District 5 (Port Canaveral / Cocoa Beach) - Robyn Hattaway
: Salary is $10,083.72 annually.
The Executive Management Team is headed b
the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
In 2013, there were 233 staff members, 162 full-time, 71 part-time.
In FY 2017, the Canaveral Port Authority had 223 full-time equivalent employees.
History
A columnist grouped the history of the actual port into four eras, roughly paralleling the terms of the several directors: 1) initial construction and operation of the port with no clearcut separation of governance and management 1947–2004, 2) expansion of port facilities. Port becomes second in cruise business worldwide 2004–2013, 3) political friction between governance and management 2013–2016, 4) modern era 2016–present.
Artesia
A post office in the area was built and listed in the
US Post Office
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...
application as Artesia.
and retained this name from 1893–1954; and then went into service for Port Canaveral from
1954–1962.
Dredging a port
The idea of developing a port at this location was first conceived in the 1880s. The port was dredged between 1951 and 1955.
Dedication occurred November 4, 1953, with the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
destroyer escort participating. Florida U.S. Senator
Spessard Holland
Spessard Lindsey Holland (July 10, 1892 – November 6, 1971) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the 28th Governor of Florida from 1941 to 1945, and later as a US senator for Florida from 1946 to 1971. He would be the first pers ...
was the keynote speaker.
Noah Butt, a former
speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
of the
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...
, was the first Chairman of the Canaveral Port Authority. The first port manager, George King, was announced in 1954.
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often ...
had already begun at the port, and in the next year commercial shipping began, with a load of bagged cement delivered by the SS ''MormacSpruce''. In 1955, the
Tropicana Corporation began building a refrigerated warehouse for storing
orange juice
Orange juice is a liquid extract of the orange (fruit), orange tree fruit, produced by squeezing or reaming oranges. It comes in several different varieties, including blood orange, navel oranges, valencia orange, clementine, and tangerine. A ...
, a local agricultural product, prior to shipping.
Port
Cruise traffic appeared at the port in 1964, with the , recently purchased by
Yarmouth Cruise Lines
Yarmouth may refer to:
Places Canada
* Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia
**Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
**Municipality of the District of Yarmouth
**Yarmouth (provincial electoral district)
**Yarmouth (electoral district)
* Yarmouth Township, Ontario
* Ne ...
from the
Chadade Steamship Company. The ship was American owned, with registration from
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
. The ship burned at sea between
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
and
Nassau
Nassau may refer to:
Places Bahamas
*Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence
Canada
*Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792
*Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...
,
Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
in 1965, and cruise traffic was limited until the 1980s.
In 1965, a lock was dedicated at the port, as part of the
Canaveral Barge Canal
The Canaveral Barge Canal is an active canal in Brevard County, Florida, cutting east-west across northern Merritt Island just south of Cape Canaveral. It connects the Atlantic Ocean and Port Canaveral with the Indian River and wider Indian Riv ...
. The Canaveral Lock is still in operation and is maintained by the
. The focus of the port throughout the 1960s and 1970s remained commercial fishing and shipping, with three cargo piers built on the north side of the Port in 1976, and a succession of warehouses built in the port area.
Port Canaveral has played a role in support of
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
projects out of nearby
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 1968 ...
. During the
Apollo program, segments of the
Saturn V
Saturn V is a retired American super heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by NASA under the Apollo program for human exploration of the Moon. The rocket was human-rated, with multistage rocket, three stages, and powered with liquid-propellant r ...
rocket transited through the port and lock. Most recently, the
external fuel tanks of the
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program na ...
were floated into Port Canaveral for each mission, and the
solid rocket boosters
A solid rocket booster (SRB) is a large solid propellant motor used to provide thrust in spacecraft launches from initial launch through the first ascent. Many launch vehicles, including the Atlas V, SLS and space shuttle, have used SRBs to giv ...
towed back through Port Canaveral upon retrieval from the Atlantic Ocean after each launch. NASA contributed $250,000 for improvements in the lock in 1965.
In 1990,
Morton Salt
Morton Salt is an American food company producing salt for food, water conditioning, industrial, agricultural, and road/highway use. Based in Chicago, the business is North America's leading producer and marketer of salt. It is a subsidiary of h ...
began operations at the port. In 2018, it imported salt from
the Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
and produced of pool, water softener, sea salt, and agricultural salts.
Prior to its disestablishment in 2000,
Premier Cruise Line
Premier Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Premier Cruises, was a cruise line that was headquartered in Cape Canaveral, Florida. From 1985 to 1993, it was licensed as the official cruise line of Walt Disney World and used the trademark "The Big Red Boat ...
was headquartered in Cape Canaveral.
In 2008, Sterling Casino Lines ceased doing business at the port. A week later, the Las Vegas Casino Line began operating gambling cruises. On March 25, 2009, the Las Vegas Casino Line filed for bankruptcy, joining the Sterling Casino on the list of failed 'Casino Lines' to operate out of Port Canaveral.
In 2009, a commissioner resigned and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced that it was conducting an investigation into possible corruption at the port.
In 2009, the last cruise company to offer gambling,
SunCruz Casinos
SunCruz Casinos was one of many cruise lines that offered "cruises to nowhere," legally transporting passengers into international waters beyond the reach of federal and state gambling laws.
Four ships operated out of four ports including Jackso ...
, filed for
Chapter 7 bankruptcy
Chapter 7 of Title 11 of the United States Code (Bankruptcy Code) governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States, in contrast to Chapters 11 and 13, which govern the process of ''reorganization'' of a debtor. ...
(
liquidation
Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and many other countries. The assets and property of the company are redistrib ...
). The companies failed due to competition from land-based gambling activities in
Seminole Casino The Seminole Casino Immokalee is a Class III tribal gaming casino and hotel in the town of Immokalee, Florida, Immokalee, Florida, United States, 35 miles from Naples, Florida, Naples. The Seminole Casino is owned and operated by the Seminole Tribe ...
s, and
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing; the latter is now banned in most countries. Tra ...
venues. Gambling liners hit a high on 1.0 million passengers in 2004, before starting to decline. Casino operations generated about $5–$6 million annually for the port.
Mega-cruise ships and were homeported in Port Canaveral in 2009, followed by the in 2011.
In the 2010s,
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...
began using the port for their
autonomous spaceport drone ship
An autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) is an ocean-going vessel derived from a deck barge, outfitted with station-keeping engines and a large landing platform and is autonomously controlled when on station for a landing. Construction of ...
s (ASDS). In April 2016, the ASDS returned the first
Falcon 9
Falcon 9 is a partially reusable medium lift launch vehicle that can carry cargo and crew into Earth orbit, produced by American aerospace company SpaceX.
The rocket has two stages. The first (booster) stage carries the second stage and payl ...
booster recovered at sea to Port Canaveral.
Seaport Canaveral was completed in 2010.
Vitol
Vitol is a Swiss-based multinational energy and commodity trading company that was founded in Rotterdam in 1966 by Henk Viëtor and Jacques Detiger. Though trading, logistics and distribution are at the core of its business, these are complemente ...
SA built a fuel-tank depot with a pipeline to
Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major public airport located 6 miles (10 km) southeast of Downtown Orlando, Florida. In 2021, it handled 19,618,838 passengers, making it the busiest airport in the state and seventh busiest airport i ...
. The , storage depot cost $150 million.
Cruise Terminal 6 opened in mid-2012, for ''Carnival Dream'', ''Carnival Sensation'', and other Carnival ships.
A recent addition to the port is the seven-story Exploration Tower, which offers tourists almost of exhibit space, interactive displays, two observation decks – one inside and one outside – a 72-seat auditorium, event rooms, and a café and gift shop.
Canaveral Pilots
In the year 1968 the Canaveral Pilots Association was founded by pilots Frederick Dezendorf and Frederick Jonassen. The Canaveral Pilots Association is the local association of state licensed
harbor pilots who board all inbound and outbound foreign-flagged ocean-going ships, as well as select U.S. flagged vessels who call on the port. While onboard the ships, the pilot take
conn and direct the movement of the vessels when navigating the channels and basins of Port Canaveral. The association currently owns two single screw, aluminum hull
pilot boats
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
that are used to pick up and drop off pilots from a vessel. As of September 2022, there is currently eight state licensed pilots (Unit K, M, N, O, P, Q, R) at the port with one deputy pilot (Unit S). In Port Canaveral the pilot boarding station for most inbound vessels is at sea-
buoys
A buoy () is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents.
Types
Navigational buoys
* Race course marker buoys are used for buoy racing, the most prevalent form of yac ...
3/4.
Cruise traffic
Carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
,
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
,
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
and
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International (RCI), also formerly known as Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), is a cruise line brand founded in 1968 in Norway and organised as a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since 1997. Based in Miami, Flori ...
are some of the cruise lines which dock at one of the five cruise terminals. The port hosted 109,175 multi-day cruise passengers in October 2008. There was a high of 307,005 passengers in April 2009. This fell to a seasonal low of 221,557 in October. With the loss of daily gambling ship cruises, port authorities do not expect this high to be exceeded for some time. There were 2.8 million passengers in 2010.
In the early 1980s, a new port director, Charles Rowland, shifted the focus towards developing the port to a Cruise port. In 1982, a warehouse on the north side of the port was converted into Cruise Terminal 1. The , a 10,427-ton ship, was the first cruise ship to home-port at Port Canaveral. Early cruises were simple day cruises out into the ocean and back. The Port then purchased two former Bicentennial exhibit halls from NASA in 1983 and they became Terminals 2 and 3 in 1983. The following year the of
Premier Cruise Line
Premier Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Premier Cruises, was a cruise line that was headquartered in Cape Canaveral, Florida. From 1985 to 1993, it was licensed as the official cruise line of Walt Disney World and used the trademark "The Big Red Boat ...
was home-ported at Port Canaveral. The first year-round 3- and 4-day cruises to the
Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
began. A fourth cruise terminal was built in 1986. Expansion into the Western Turning Basin began with the construction of Terminal 5. The started sailing from there at that time becoming the first mega-ship to call the Port home.
In December 2014, Port Canaveral and
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International (RCI), also formerly known as Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), is a cruise line brand founded in 1968 in Norway and organised as a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since 1997. Based in Miami, Flori ...
opened Terminal 1, a new terminal building built to handle the ships. It was announced in March 2015 that Port Canaveral would become the new home port of the world's largest cruise ship, the .
Ships based out of Port Canaveral
The following ships are home-ported at Port Canaveral:
* ''
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...
''
* ''
Carnival Elation
''Carnival Elation'' (formerly ''Elation'') is a operated by Carnival Cruise Line. Built by Kværner Masa-Yards at its Helsinki New Shipyard in Finland, she was floated out on January 4, 1998, and christened as ''Elation'' by Shari Arison Dorsm ...
''
* ''
Carnival Liberty
''Carnival Liberty'' is a operated by Carnival Cruise Line. Built by Fincantieri at its Monfalcone shipyard in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northern Italy, she was christened by actress Mira Sorvino in Civitavecchia, Italy, on July 19, 2005. ''Carn ...
''
* ''
Carnival Magic
''Carnival Magic'' is a which entered service on 1 May 2011. The ship was named and christened in Venice by her godmother Lindsey Wilkerson, a former patient and current researcher at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.
''Carnival Magic'' ...
''
* ''
Disney Fantasy
''Disney Fantasy'' is the fourth cruise ship owned and operated by Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, which entered service in 2012. Her sister ship, ''Disney Dream'', was launched in 2011. ''Disney Fantasy'' is the sec ...
''
* ''
Disney Wish''
* ''
Norwegian Escape
''Norwegian Escape'' is a ''Breakaway'' Plus-class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), a subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. She was the fleet's first ''Breakaway'' Plus-class ship to be delivered and was designed wit ...
''
* ''
Mariner of the Seas
''Mariner of the Seas'' is one of five s of Royal Caribbean International and can accommodate 4,252 passengers.
''Mariner of the Seas'' is a second generation ''Voyager''-class vessel.
The ship's godmother is American paralympic athlete Jean D ...
''
* ''
Independence of the Seas
''Independence of the Seas'' is a operated by Royal Caribbean International. The 15-deck ship was built in the Aker Finnyards Turku Shipyard, Finland. At 154,407 GT, she joined ''Freedom of the Seas'' and ''Liberty of the Seas'' as the larges ...
''
* ''
Harmony of the Seas
''Harmony of the Seas'' is an built by STX France at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, for Royal Caribbean International. With a gross tonnage of 226,963 GT, she is the third largest passenger ship in the ...
''
* ''
MSC Meraviglia
''MSC Meraviglia'' is a cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises, built at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France, by STX France. ''MSC Meraviglia'' is the lead ship of MSC's new "Vista Project" vessels, the MSC Crui ...
''
* ''
Wonder of the Seas
''Wonder of the Seas'' is the flagship of Royal Caribbean International. She was completed in 2022 in the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, the fifth in Royal Caribbean's of cruise ships. At , she is the largest crui ...
''
Ships that visit Port Canaveral
* ''
Adventure of the Seas''
* ''
AIDAvita
''AIDAvita'' was the second ship in AIDA Cruises' fleet. ''AIDAvita'' was built in 2002 by the German shipyard Aker MTW in Wismar
Wismar (; Low German: ''Wismer''), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar (''Hansestadt Wismar'') is, with aroun ...
''
* ''
Anthem of the Seas
''Anthem of the Seas'' is a owned by Royal Caribbean International (RCI) and the second ship of her class. The ''Quantum'' class is the third largest class of cruise ships behind MSC Cruises's ''Meraviglia'' class and Royal Caribbean Internat ...
''
* ''
Carnival Pride
''Carnival Pride'' is a operated by Carnival Cruise Line. Built by Kværner Masa-Yards at its Helsinki New Shipyard in Helsinki, Finland, she was laid down on March 30, 2000, launched on March 29, 2001 and completed and delivered to Carnival o ...
''
* ''
Enchantment of the Seas
''Enchantment of the Seas'' is a Vision-class cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International.
In September 2017, ''Enchantment of the Seas'' evacuated the company’s employees and their families from Miami when they had been endangered ...
''
* ''
Grandeur of the Seas
''Grandeur of the Seas'' is a Vision-class cruise ship owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International. Features include a full-service spa, six whirlpools, an outdoor jogging track and a number of bars and restaurants. It was announced on 1 ...
''
* ''
Mein Schiff 6''
* ''
MSC Divina''
* ''
Norwegian Bliss
''Norwegian Bliss'' is a cruise ship for Norwegian Cruise Line, which entered service on 21 April 2018. The ship was built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany. The ship had a schedule of debuting in Alaska, United States in June 2018, and is ...
''
* ''
Norwegian Breakaway
''Norwegian Breakaway'' is a cruise ship of Norwegian Cruise Line. It, along with , are the first two ships in "Project Breakaway" ordered by Norwegian Cruise Line. They were named through a public contest - a contestant submitted the name ''No ...
''
* ''
Norwegian Gem''*
* ''
Oasis of the Seas''
Future ships based out of Port Canaveral
* ''
Norwegian Prima
''Norwegian Prima'' is a Prima-class cruise ship
Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various port ...
'' (November 2022)
US Navy
The Naval Ordinance Test Unit operates the naval port. They have 100 sailors and 70 subcontractors.
In 2011, the support ship was homeported at the port.
The
Trident
A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm.
The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other marine ...
Turning Basin supports Navy
ballistic missile submarine
A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. The United States Navy's hull classification symbols for ballistic missile submarines are SSB and SSBN – t ...
s.
Statistics
In 2011, about 75 percent of cargo was fuel. Overall tonnage rose 40 percent ahead of 2010.
In fiscal year 2007-2008, there was a 44.5% drop in cargo in October and November compared with the preceding year. Multi-day cruise passengers dropped 14.4%, and gambling passengers dropped 23.7%. Cargo slowdown was attributed to a slowdown in construction in Florida due to the weakened housing market. In 2008, cruise passengers held fairly steady at about 200,000 per month for the year.
In 2007, cement imports, tied to construction, was , a drop of 87.6% for the two-month comparison with the previous year. Petroleum, the ports largest single import, was , a drop of 25% over the same period. The port handled of petroleum, equivalent to of fuel in 2010.
Carnival has 140 employees resident at the port.
The channel leading to the port is wide and long.
SeaFest
The SeaFest seafood festival was first held in 1983. The celebration occurred over three days in early spring, and was co-hosted by the
Cocoa Beach
Cocoa Beach is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,539 at the 2018 United States Census. It is part of the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The first non-native s ...
Area Chamber of Commerce and the Canaveral Port Authority. It featured live music, local artists, and seafood. In 2005, the final year of the festival at the port, of freshly caught fish, including flounder, Florida rock shrimp,
blue crab Blue crab may refer to:
* Blue Crab 11, an American sailboat design
* ''Callinectes sapidus'' – Chesapeake or Atlantic blue crab of the West Atlantic, introduced elsewhere
* '' Cardisoma guanhumi'' – blue land crab of the West Atlantic
* '' Dis ...
claws and of seafood chowder were consumed at the festival. In 2006, because of security concerns and the site being needed for cargo, the festival was forced to move elsewhere and was renamed. In 2008 it tried to move back but was canceled.
Twenty-first century
Two cranes, tall, and weighing , were installed for use with cargo in 2014. These were used, cost $50,000 and required remodeling.
In FY 2017-2018, the port expected to gross $100 million, and net $3 million. About 60% of revenue cams from cruise lines. Cruise-related parking was 18%. About 22% was derived from cargo. Petroleum and related bottled products constituted 43% of cargo.
In 2017, the port planned to replace the small third terminal with a $150 million one, , in 2019.
In 2018, the port announced a planned agreement with Carnival Cruise Line to accommodate Carnival's new ship. This ship would use the now under construction Terminal 3 as its home-port.
Recreation
The Canaveral Port Authority owns and operates Jetty Park. In 2016, 325,000 people visited the park.
Impact
Ocean currents move sand along the coast in a natural process known as
longshore drift
Longshore drift from longshore current is a geological process that consists of the transportation of sediments (clay, silt, pebbles, sand, shingle) along a coast parallel to the shoreline, which is dependent on the angle incoming wave direction ...
. Because Port Canaveral interrupts this movement of sand, each year about of sand builds up on the beaches located north of the port's jetties, and sand erodes from the beaches 10 to 15 miles (16 to 24 km) south of the jetties.
To counteract this effect the Canaveral Harbor Federal Sand Bypass Project transfers sand from the shoreline north of the harbor entrance to areas of shoreline south of the entrance. This plan is implemented through a partnership of Canaveral Port Authority, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Jacksonville District), and the State of Florida and Brevard County.
References
External links
*
*
Canaveral Lock
Port Canaveral Webcam
{{authority control
Geography of Brevard County, Florida
Canaveral, Port
State agencies of Florida
Government of Florida
Transportation buildings and structures in Brevard County, Florida
Tourist attractions in Brevard County, Florida
1953 establishments in Florida