Port Canaveral
Encyclopedia
Port Canaveral is a cruise, cargo and naval port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....

 in Brevard County
Brevard County, Florida
Brevard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the population is 536,521, making it the 10th most populous county in the state. Influenced by the presence of the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Brevard...

, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world with nearly 2.8 million multi-day cruise passengers passing through during 2010. As a deep water cargo port, it has a high volume of traffic. Over 3000000 short tons (2,678,563.3 LT) of bulk cargo moves through each year. Common cargo includes cement, petroleum and aggregate. The port has conveyors and hoppers for loading products directly into trucks, and facilities for bulk cargo containers. The channel is about 44 feet (13.4 m) deep.

There is 750000 square feet (69,677.3 m²) of covered freight storage capacity. It handled 4000000 short tons (3,571,417.7 LT) of cargo in 2004. 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. Port Canaveral's Foreign Trade Zone is among the largest general purpose FTZs in the nation - over 5 square miles (13 km²). The port boosts Brevard's economy by 1/2 billion dollars annually.

In April 2007, shipping was off 25.6% for the previous six months compared to the previous year, down to 295965 short tons (264,253.7 LT) per months. This had risen to 401544 short tons (358,520.3 LT) in August 2010.

Ten ships, average, enter the port each day.

Governing authority

The Canaveral Port Authority commissioners 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 - Raymond P. Sharkey

District 2 - Joe D. Matheny

District 3 - Tom Goodson

District 4 - Robert "Bruce" Deardoff appointed by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to fill vacant seat until elections are held in November 2010. Deardoff sworn in on 3/3/2010.

District 5 - Malcolm "Mac" McLouth


Salary is $10,083.72 annually.


Chief Executive Officer (appointed) - J. Stanley Payne

Concept and early development

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 navy destroyer escort USS McClelland (DE-750)
USS McClelland (DE-750)
USS McClelland was a built for the United States Navy during World War II. She served in the Pacific Ocean and provided escort service against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys...

 participating. Noah Butts, a former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, was the first Chairman of the Canaveral Port Authority. The first port manager, George King, was announced in 1954. Commercial fishing had already begun at the port, and in the next year commercial shipping began, with a load of bagged cement delivered by the SS Morman Spruce. In 1955, the Tropicana Corporation
Tropicana Products
Tropicana Products is an American based company, and was founded in 1947 by Anthony T. Rossi in Bradenton, Florida, U.S.A. Since 1998, it has been owned by PepsiCo, Inc. Tropicana's headquarters are in Chicago, Illinois.-Anthony T. Rossi:...

 began building a refrigerated warehouse for storing orange juice, a local agricultural product, prior to shipping.

Cruise traffic appeared at the port in 1964, with the SS Yarmouth Castle
SS Yarmouth Castle
SS Yarmouth Castle was a steamship whose loss in a disastrous fire in 1965 prompted new laws regarding safety at sea.- Early history :She was built in 1927 by the William Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Building Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was christened Evangeline. The ship was 365...

, recently purchased by Yarmouth Cruise Lines from the Chadade Steamship Company. The ship was American owned, with registration from Panama. The ship burned at sea between Miami and Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...

, Bahamas 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 Lock is still in operation, and is maintained by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...

. The focus of the port throughout the 1960s and 1970s remained commercial fishing and shipping, with three 400 feet (121.9 m) 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
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

 projects out of nearby John F. Kennedy Space Center. Specifically, the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...

's external tanks are floated into Port Canaveral for each mission, and the solid rocket boosters are towed back through Port Canaveral after being fished out of the Atlantic Ocean after each launch.

Prior to its disestablishment in 2000, Premier Cruise Line
Premier Cruise Line
Premier Cruise Line a subsidiary of Premier Cruises, was a cruise line that was headquartered in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was at one time licensed as the official cruise line of Walt Disney World and used the trademark "The Big Red Boat" based on the color scheme of some of its ships...

 was headquartered in Cape Canaveral.

In September 2005, the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...

 (FEMA) diverted one cruise line from Canaveral (under contract) to shelter Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

 evacuees.

In 2008, Sterling Casino Lines ceased doing business at the port. But just 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 company to offfer gambling, SunCruz Casinos
SunCruz Casinos
SunCruz Casinos was one of many cruise lines that offered offshore "cruises to nowhere", legally transporting passengers into international waters beyond the reach of federal and state gambling laws...

, filed for bankruptcy, Chapter 7. The companies failed due to competition from land-based gambling activities in Seminole Casino
Seminole Casino
The Seminole Casino Immokalee is a Class III tribal gaming casino located 35 miles from Naples, Florida in the town of Immokalee. The Seminole Casino is owned and operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida...

s, and Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....

 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.

Cruise traffic

Carnival
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...

, Disney, Norwegian
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line is a company operating cruise ships, headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida. It began operations in 1966 under the name Norwegian Caribbean Line. The company is best known for its Freestyle Cruising concept, which means that there are no set times or...

 and Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 42 ships in service under 5 different brands and one more under construction, it controls a 25.6% share of the world cruise market...

, are some of the cruise lines which dock at one of the six 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 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) warehouse on the north side of the port was converted into Cruise Terminal 1. The SS Scandinavian Sea, 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 SS Royale of Premier Cruise Line
Premier Cruise Line
Premier Cruise Line a subsidiary of Premier Cruises, was a cruise line that was headquartered in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was at one time licensed as the official cruise line of Walt Disney World and used the trademark "The Big Red Boat" based on the color scheme of some of its ships...

 was home-ported at Port Canaveral. The first year-round 3- and 4-day cruises to the Bahamas began. A fourth cruise terminal was Built in 1986. Expansion into the Western Turning Basin began with the construction of Terminal 5. The Carnival Fantasy started sailing from there at that time becoming the first mega-ship to call the Port home.
Ships based out of Port Canaveral

As of January 2011, the following cruise ships home-port at Port Canaveral:

Monarch of the Seas (Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 42 ships in service under 5 different brands and one more under construction, it controls a 25.6% share of the world cruise market...

) sailing Fridays and Mondays

Freedom of the Seas
Freedom of the seas
Freedom of the seas is a principle in the international law and law of the sea. It stresses freedom to navigate the oceans. It also disapproves of war fought in water. The freedom is to be breached only in a necessary international agreement....

(Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 42 ships in service under 5 different brands and one more under construction, it controls a 25.6% share of the world cruise market...

) sailing Sundays

Carnival Sensation
Sensation (ship)
The Sensation is a Fantasy class cruise ship, which began operation with Carnival Cruise Lines in 1993. She was the third ship to be built in the Fantasy class. The Sensation returned to active cruise service on February 12, 2009 after an extensive drydocking and refit. During the refit, 98 private...

  (Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...

) sailing Thursdays and Sundays

Carnival Ecstasy (Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...

) sailing on Mondays and Thursdays, starts service in November 2011

Carnival Dream
Carnival Dream
Carnival Dream is a Dream class cruise ship. At 130,000 tons, she is the biggest the line has ever built. Her sister ship, Carnival Magic is the latest in the Carnival Cruise Lines ships, being delivered on April 27, 2011, while her other sister ship Carnival Breeze is expected out in June...

(Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...

) sailing Saturdays

Norwegian Sun
Norwegian Sun
Norwegian Sun is a Sky class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line. She entered service in 2001 in a dual christening ceremony at the Port of Miami with the Norwegian Star. She was constructed at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany...

(Norwegian Cruise Lines) sailing Saturdays

Disney Dream
Disney Dream
Disney Dream is the third cruise ship operated by Disney Cruise Line, part of The Walt Disney Company, which entered service in 2011. The Disney Dream currently sails 3-, 4-, and 5-day itineraries to The Bahamas. The Captain of Disney Dream is Tom Forberg...

(Disney Cruise Lines) sailing Sundays and Thursdays

Disney Magic
Disney Magic
The Disney Magic is a cruise ship operated by the Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its sister, the Disney Wonder, was launched in 1999....

(Disney Cruise Lines) sailing Saturdays
Ships that visit Port Canaveral

The following ships make or will make regular stops to Port Canaveral:

Carnival Pride
Carnival Pride
Carnival Pride is a Spirit class cruise ship that was built by Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Helsinki. She is owned by Carnival Corporation & PLC and operated by Carnival Cruise Lines. She has 1,062 staterooms; eighty percent of the staterooms have ocean views and eighty percent of those have private...

(Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...

) visits every other Wednesday

Carnival Miracle
Carnival Miracle
Carnival Miracle is a Spirit class cruise ship owned by Carnival Corporation & PLC and operated by Carnival Cruise Lines. She offers Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale, Florida during the winter months with ports of call in Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Costa Maya, Mexico; Belize, and Cozumel, Mexico...

(Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...

) visits every Monday (November - April only beginning in 2012)

Norwegian Gem
Norwegian Gem
Norwegian Gem is a Jewel class cruise ship of Norwegian Cruise Line. She is the last vessel of the Jewel class and was built by the German shipyard, Meyer Werft.-History:...

(Norwegian Cruise Lines) visits every Monday

Explorer of the Seas
Explorer of the Seas
Explorer of the Seas is one of five s from Royal Caribbean International. She can accommodate over 3,100 guests, including scientists making use of a built-in atmospheric and oceanographic laboratory operated by the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric...

(Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 42 ships in service under 5 different brands and one more under construction, it controls a 25.6% share of the world cruise market...

) few visits between 2011, 2012 & 2013 on Saturday or Monday

Enchantment of the Seas
Enchantment of the Seas
MS Enchantment of the Seas is a Vision Class cruise ship owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International. She cruises in the Caribbean year round sailing out of Baltimore.-Propellers:...

(Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 42 ships in service under 5 different brands and one more under construction, it controls a 25.6% share of the world cruise market...

) few visits between 2011, 2012 & 2013 on Monday
Ships Coming Soon

The Disney Fantasy
Disney Fantasy
The Disney Fantasy is an upcoming cruise ship for the Disney Cruise Line, part of The Walt Disney Company. The Disney Fantasy will be the fourth ship in the cruise line when it enters service in 2012.-History:...

 will be home ported in Port Canaveral, replacing the Disney Magic
Disney Magic
The Disney Magic is a cruise ship operated by the Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its sister, the Disney Wonder, was launched in 1999....

 which will be moved to Galveston and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

.

Carnival Cruise Lines made Port Canaveral home-port for its new ship, the 130,000 ton Carnival Dream
Carnival Dream
Carnival Dream is a Dream class cruise ship. At 130,000 tons, she is the biggest the line has ever built. Her sister ship, Carnival Magic is the latest in the Carnival Cruise Lines ships, being delivered on April 27, 2011, while her other sister ship Carnival Breeze is expected out in June...

in December 2009 after several European cruises following its September launch. Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line is a company operating cruise ships, headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida. It began operations in 1966 under the name Norwegian Caribbean Line. The company is best known for its Freestyle Cruising concept, which means that there are no set times or...

 announced that beginning in October 2010, the Norwegian Sun
Norwegian Sun
Norwegian Sun is a Sky class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line. She entered service in 2001 in a dual christening ceremony at the Port of Miami with the Norwegian Star. She was constructed at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany...

 will be home-ported at Port Canaveral, offering winter (October to April) 7-night cruises alternating eastern and western itineraries.. Carnival announced on March 10, 2011 that beginning in November 2011 the Carnival Ecstasy will be based out Port Canaveral sail four and five day cruises.

In 2011, there were seven ships homebased at the port with a total capacity of 21,000 passengers. There are six terminals.

US Navy

In 2011, the support ship USNS Waters (T-AGS-45)
USNS Waters (T-AGS-45)
USNS Waters is a United States Navy vessel tasked with supporting submarine navigation-system testing and providing ballistic missile flight test support services. In 2011, it was homeported in Port Canaveral, Florida.-Features:...

 was homeported at the port.

The Trident
Ohio class submarine
The Ohio class is a class of nuclear-powered submarines used by the United States Navy. The United States has 18 Ohio-class submarines:...

 Turning Basin supports Navy ballistic missile submarine
Ballistic missile submarine
A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine equipped to launch ballistic missiles .-Description:Ballistic missile submarines are larger than any other type of submarine, in order to accommodate SLBMs such as the Russian R-29 or the American Trident...

s.

Statistics

In 2011, about 75% of cargo was fuel. Overall tonnage rose 40% ahead of 2010.

In fiscal year 2007-8, there was a 44.5% drop in cargo in October and November compared with the preceding year. Multiday 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 13917 short tons (12,425.9 LT), a drop of 87.6% for the two month comparison with the previous year. Petroleum, the ports largest single import, was 129256 short tons (115,406.8 LT), a drop of 25% over the same period. The port handled 11.3 Moilbbl of petroleum, equivalent to 473 million USgals (1,790,499.9 m³) of fuel in 2010.

Carnival has 140 employees resident at the port.

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, Florida
Cocoa Beach is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 12,482 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau estimates of 2008, the city had a population of 11,920...

 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, 5000 pounds (2,268 kg) of freshly caught fish, including flounder, Florida rock shrimp, blue crab claws and 100 gallons (378.5 l) 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.

Plans

The Canaveral Port Authority announced in 2006 plans for the future:
  • Seaport Canaveral - Vitol
    Vitol
    The Vitol group is an energy trading company founded in Rotterdam in 1966. Vitol operates worldwide and, along with Glencore and Trafigura, is one of the world's top three crude oil traders. Vitol's headquarters are located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and Geneva, Switzerland...

     SA built a fuel-tank depot with a pipeline to Orlando International Airport
    Orlando International Airport
    Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...

    . This is a 36 acres (14.6 ha), 117 gallons (442.9 l) million storage. It cost $150 million. This was completed in 2010.
  • Attracting a mega-cruise ship (Freedom of the Seas
    MS Freedom of the Seas
    MS Freedom of the Seas is a cruise ship owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International. It is the namesake of Royal Caribbean's Freedom class cruise ships, and can accommodate 3,634 passengers and 1,300 crew on fifteen passenger decks...

     and Carnival Dream
    Carnival Dream
    Carnival Dream is a Dream class cruise ship. At 130,000 tons, she is the biggest the line has ever built. Her sister ship, Carnival Magic is the latest in the Carnival Cruise Lines ships, being delivered on April 27, 2011, while her other sister ship Carnival Breeze is expected out in June...

    in 2009)
  • Widening of the port's channel
  • Enlarging the western turning basin
  • Construction of an additional cruise terminal
  • Expansion of the Disney Cruise line terminal as well as a new parking garage with a direct second level walkway to the terminal.


Impact

Every year about 200000 cubic yards (152,911 m³) of sand builds up from 1 to 2 mi (1.6 to 3.2 ) north of the port's jetties., negatively impacting the beaches 10 to 15 mi (16.1 to 24.1 ) south of the jetties. The federal government (the Corps of Engineers) is responsible for reversing this impact.

External links


The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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