Port Canaveral, Florida
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

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 Hamburg, Manch ...
in
Brevard County Brevard County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. It is on the Atlantic coast of eastern Central Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 606,612, making it the 10th-most populated county in Florida. The official county se ...
,
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. In 2022, the port has the busiest cruise terminals in the world with over 4 million passengers passing through it during the fiscal year. Additionally, 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 (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...
,
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, 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 members of a 19th-century movement of English textile workers who opposed the use of certain types of automated machinery due to concerns relating to worker pay and output quality. They often destroyed the machines in organ ...
" 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 sta ...
. 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 Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Ital ...
. * 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 application as Artesia. and retained this name from 1893 to 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 naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
destroyer escort participating. Florida U.S. Senator
Spessard Holland Spessard Lindsey Holland (July 10, 1892 – November 6, 1971) was an American lawyer and politician. A Southern Democrat, he served as the 28th List of Governors of Florida, governor of Florida from 1941 to 1945, and as a US senator, U.S. senato ...
was the keynote speaker. Noah Butt, a former
speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...
of the
Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...
, 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 Commerce, commercial Profit (economics), profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice ...
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. As ...
, a local agricultural product, prior to shipping.


Port

Cruise traffic appeared at the port in 1964, with the , recently purchased by Yarmouth Cruise Lines from the Chadade Steamship Company. The ship was American owned, with registration from
Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
. The ship burned at sea between
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
and Nassau,
Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
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 Rive ...
. The Canaveral Lock is still in operation and is maintained by the
United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...
. 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 agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
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 NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten NASA facilities#List of field c ...
. During the
Apollo program The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the United States human spaceflight program led by NASA, which Moon landing, landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969. Apollo followed Project Mercury that put the first Americans in sp ...
, segments of the
Saturn V The 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, had multistage rocket, three stages, and was powered by liquid-propel ...
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 launch system, 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. ...
were floated into Port Canaveral for each mission, and the
solid rocket boosters A solid rocket booster (SRB) is a 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 give launch ...
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 purification, water conditioning, industrial, agricultural, and road/highway use. Based in Chicago, the business is North America's leading producer and marketer of salt. It i ...
began operations at the port. In 2018, it imported salt from
the Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of ...
and produced of pool, water softener, sea salt, and agricultural salts. Prior to its disestablishment in 2000, Premier Cruise Line 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 U.S. Code is the bankruptcy code that governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. This is in contrast to bankruptcy under Chapter 11 and Chapter 13, which govern the process of ''re ...
(
liquidation Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a Company (law), company is brought to an end. The assets and property of the business are redistributed. When a firm has been liquidated, it is sometimes referred to as :wikt:wind up#Noun, w ...
). The companies failed due to competition from land-based gambling activities in Seminole Casinos, and
Greyhound racing Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around an oval track. The sport originates from Hare coursing, coursing. Track racing uses an artificial lure (usually a form of windsock) that travels ahead of th ...
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., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...
began using the port for their
autonomous spaceport drone ship An autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) is a modified ocean-going barge developed by SpaceX and equipped with propulsion systems to maintain precise position and a large floating landing platform, landing platform. They were developed to re ...
s (ASDS). In April 2016, the ASDS returned the first
Falcon 9 Falcon 9 is a Reusable launch system#Partial reusable launch systems, partially reusable, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX. The first Falcon 9 launch was on June 4, 2010, an ...
booster recovered at sea to Port Canaveral. Seaport Canaveral was completed in 2010.
Vitol Vitol (Pronounced: Vee-Tol) is a Swiss-based Dutch 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 b ...
SA built a fuel-tank depot with a pipeline to
Orlando International Airport Orlando International Airport is the primary international airport located southeast of downtown Orlando, Florida. In 2024, it had 57,211,628 passengers, making it the busiest airport in the state and ninth busiest airport in the United St ...
. 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 and federally 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 on board 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 Bill Preston designed
pilot boat A pilot boat is a type of boat used to transport maritime pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships that they are piloting. Pilot boats were once sailing boats that had to be fast because the first pilot to reach the incoming ship ...
s 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, S) at the port with two deputy pilot (Unit U, T). In Port Canaveral the pilot boarding station for most large foreign flagged inbound vessels is two miles southeast of sea-
buoy A buoy (; ) is a buoyancy, floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. History The ultimate origin of buoys is unknown, but by 1295 a seaman's manual referred to navig ...
s 3/4. Pilot boarding/disembarkation speed is 6-to-8 knots.


Cruise traffic

Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...
,
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
, Norwegian,
MSC Cruises MSC Cruises () is a Swiss-Italian global cruise line based in Geneva, with operations offices in Naples, Genoa and Venice. It was founded in 1988 in Naples, Italy, as part of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). In addition to being the wor ...
and
Royal Caribbean International Royal Caribbean International (RCI), formerly Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), is a cruise line founded in 1968 in Norway and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since 1997. Based in Miami, Florida, it is the l ...
are some of the cruise lines which dock at one of the six cruise terminals.
Princess Cruises Princess Cruises is an American cruise line owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. The company headquarters are in Santa Clarita, California and is incorporated in Bermuda. As of 2025, it is the List of cruise lines#List of cruise lines by size, s ...
will begin to homeport a ship at Port Canaveral in 2024, along with
Celebrity Cruises Celebrity Cruises is a cruise line headquartered in Miami, Florida, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group. Celebrity Cruises was founded in 1988 by the Greece-based Chandris Group, and merged with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in ...
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 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 archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
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), formerly Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), is a cruise line founded in 1968 in Norway and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since 1997. Based in Miami, Florida, it is the l ...
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 (, ; also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the final day of Carnival (also known as Shrovetide or Fastelavn); it thus falls on the day before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. is French for "Fat Tuesday", referring to it being ...
'' * '' Carnival Freedom'' * ''
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. ''Car ...
'' * '' Carnival Magic'' * ''
Disney Fantasy ''Disney Fantasy'' is a cruise ship owned and operated by Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Entering service in 2012, she is the second ship of the Dream-class, and the line's fourth vessel overall; the other five shi ...
'' * ''
Disney Wish ''Disney Wish'' is the fifth cruise ship owned and operated by Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. She is the largest ship in the fleet and the first of the ''Wish''-class. She entered service in June 2022 and was foll ...
'' * '' Norwegian Escape'' * '' Mariner of the Seas'' * ''
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 Perno shipyard, Turku Shipyard, Finland. At 154,407 GT, she joined ''Freedom of the Seas'' and ''Liberty of the Seas'' ...
'' * '' Jewel of the Seas'' * '' MSC Meraviglia'' * '' Wonder of the Seas'' * '' Marella Discovery'' * '' Carnival Vista'' * '' MSC Seashore''


Ships that visit Port Canaveral

* '' Adventure of the Seas'' * '' AIDAvita'' * '' Anthem of the Seas'' * '' Carnival Pride'' * ''
Enchantment of the Seas ''Enchantment of the Seas'' is a Vision-class cruise ship, 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 ...
'' * '' Grandeur of the Seas'' * '' Mein Schiff 6'' * '' MSC Divina'' * '' Norwegian Bliss'' * '' Norwegian Breakaway'' * ''
Norwegian Gem ''Norwegian Gem'' is a of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). She is the final cruise ship of the ''Jewel'' class and was built by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft. History ''Norwegian Gem'' was the newest cruise ship in Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet u ...
''* * ''
Oasis of the Seas ''Oasis of the Seas'' is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She is the first of her class, the ''Oasis'' class, whose ships were the largest passenger ships in the world, until surpassed in 2023 by the ''Icon'' class. Her ...
''


Future ships based out of Port Canaveral

* ''
Carnival Glory ''Carnival Glory'' is a operated by Carnival Cruise Line. She is the second of five ''Conquest''-class cruise ships. As of March 2023, she operates out of Port Canaveral. Carnival Glory, constructed by Fincantieri at their Monfalcone shipyard ...
'' (May 2024) * ''
Utopia of the Seas ''Utopia of the Seas'' is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She is the sixth ship in the Oasis-class cruise ship, ''Oasis'' class and entered service on 19 July 2024 out of Port Canaveral. By gross tonnage, she is currently ...
'' (Summer 2024) * '' Carnival Venezia'' (December 2024) * ''
Caribbean Princess MS ''Caribbean Princess'' is a modified owned and operated by Princess Cruises, with a capacity of over 3,600 passengers, the largest carrying capacity in the Princess fleet until June 2013 when the new , another Princess ship superseded its rec ...
'' (November 2024) * '' Celebrity Equinox'' (December 2024) * ''
Disney Treasure ''Disney Treasure'' is the sixth cruise ship owned and operated by Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Her sister ship, , was launched in 2022. ''Disney Treasure'' is the second ship of the ''Wish''-class (Triton class) ...
'' (December 2024) * ''
Norwegian Aqua 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 *Norwegian language, including the two ...
'' (April 2025) * ''
Star of the Seas ''Star of the Seas'' is a cruise ship being built for Royal Caribbean International and will be the second ''Icon''-class cruise ship built, the first being ''Icon of the Seas''. She is expected to enter service on August 31, 2025, and will be h ...
'' (Summer 2025) * '' Sky Princess'' (November 2025) * ''
MSC Grandiosa ''MSC Grandiosa'' is a ''Meraviglia'' Plus-class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises. Built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, she is the first of three ''Meraviglia'' Plus-class ships set to operate for the cruise ...
'' (December 2025)


US Navy

The Naval Ordnance 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. As compared to an ordinary spear, the three tines increase the chance that a fish will be struck and decrease the chance that a fish will b ...
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. These submarines became a major weapon system in the Cold War because of their nuclear deterrence capabi ...
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. The maximum allowable draft for vessels calling at Port Canaveral is 40″ 00″. Any vessel with a draft that does not exceed 38′ 00″ may transit the channels and basins at any time and stage of the tide. Vessels that draft more than 38″ 00″ are considered “tide jobs” and generally are scheduled to transit inbound two hours prior to high tide.


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 11,354 at the 2020 United States census, up from 11,231 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Stati ...
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 ''Callinectes sapidus'' (from the Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek ,"beautiful" + , "swimmer", and Latin , "savory"), the blue crab, Atlantic blue ...
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 came 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, shells) along a coast parallel to the shoreline, which is dependent on the angle of incoming w ...
. 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.


See also

*
PortMiami The Port of Miami, styled as PortMiami and formally known as the Dante B. Fascell Port of Miami, is a major seaport located in Biscayne Bay at the mouth of the Miami River in Miami, Florida. It is the largest passenger port in the world and one ...
and
Port Everglades Port Everglades is a seaport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, located in Broward County. Port Everglades is one of South Florida's foremost economic engines, as it is the gateway for both international trade and cruise vacations. In 2022, Port Eve ...
, South Florida ports competing for most cruise passengers


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 Cruise seaports