Port Canaveral reports cruise and cargo gains; Star of the Seas scheduled to begin sailings

Port Canaveral’s finance and operations update on June 4 showed continued growth in both cruise and cargo activity through April and outlined near-term items the port will bring to future meetings.

Jeff (CFO) reported that for the seven-month fiscal period from October through April the port recorded 632 cruise-ship calls and moved 5.2 million revenue cruise passengers, both figures about 14% higher than the same period in the prior fiscal year. For cargo the port logged about 500 ship calls and moved roughly 3.5 million tons over the same period.

The CFO highlighted several significant offloads: an 8,000-metric-ton wood pulp shipment that will be transported to textile/paper manufacturers inland, and a European-manufactured commercial satellite offloaded at North Cargo Berth 1 and scheduled for a near-term launch. Jetty Park (the port’s recreation area) averaged about 462 vehicles per day in April and maintained roughly 90% campground occupancy, and the port opened a new camp store on May 16.

Port staff briefed commissioners on safety and storm readiness: the port has conducted severe-weather planning meetings with the community and will again issue purchase orders to continuing contractors to provide rapid port-wide emergency response in the event of a hurricane. The engineering team reported coordination with FDOT and the U.S. Coast Guard regarding the State Road 401 maintenance project and navigational notifications.

The CFO noted the approaching…