Miami-Dade County and MSC Cruises have completed the new cruise Terminal F which will be a homeport for the cruise company’s new vessel, MSC Seaside.
The completion of renovations and the expansion of PortMiami’s Terminal F were celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on December 7.
Cruise Terminal F will serve the industry’s new generation of cruise vessels, including MSC Seaside, scheduled to arrive on December 21 for sail year-round from Miami.
Built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, the 154,000 gross ton MSC Seaside was delivered in Trieste last month.
On December 2015, MSC Cruises and Miami-Dade County agreed that the cruise line will homeport its newest vessel in Miami beginning winter 2017. The agreement committed the county to make certain capital improvements to cruise Terminal F to accommodate the 5,170 passenger vessel.
Last year, Royal Caribbean International and Miami-Dade County also signed a deal to construct and operate a new cruise terminal at the port. Scheduled for opening in late 2018, the new 170,000-square-foot terminal will serve as homeport to Royal Caribbean International ships, including a 5,400 passenger Oasis-class ship , the world’s largest cruise ship.
PortMiami surpassed the five million passenger mark in fiscal year 2016-2017 that ended September 30, welcoming more than 5.3 million cruise guests to Miami.