FL, Miami

Apr 30, 11:24 Miami settles environmental objections to dredging The Journal of Commerce (J...

seagull Apr 30, 11:24
Miami settles environmental objections to dredging

The Journal of Commerce (JOT) reports that Port of Miami will be able to move ahead with its project to deepen its harbour under an agreement with three environmental groups that filed a petition with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in December to block the dredging.

According to JOC, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A Gimenez recently announced that pending approval by the Board of County Commissioners, the county had reached agreement with the Tropical Audubon Society, Biscayne Bay Waterkeepers and a county resident, Dan Kipnis.

JOC said the US Army Corps of Engineers has a permit to widen the entrance to the main channel by some 300 feet and deepen much of the port to 52 feet. The project is necessary for the port to accommodate the much larger ships that will start coming through the Panama Canal after work is completed on new canal locks by 2015.

The agreement was reached after a number of meetings to discuss how the county could best support the goals and objectives of the environmental community.

The county agreed to provide funding to the Biscayne Bay Environmental Enhancement Trust Fund managed by the county’s Department of Permitting, Environment and Regulatory Affairs. The county is also donating funds to the nonprofit groups Tropical Audubon Society and Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper for projects designed to protect and restore Biscayne Bay.

JOC said that because these funds would support environmental projects, the petitioners agreed to withdraw their opposition to the issuance of a Florida Department of Environmental Protection permit to allow the Corps of Engineers to move forward with the construction phase of the dredging project. These funds are in addition to the regulatory and environmental monitoring and mitigation requirements that are part of the state permitting process.

The report said: "The money will be used for county-sponsored projects including: mangrove and wetland restoration at Oleta River State Park in North Miami; restoration of coastal dunes and plants along the north point of Virginia Key; monitoring of relocated coral colonies on the natural reef system; monitoring of small fish populations in the sea grass beds; and the improvement of shoal marker and signage systems in the north part of the Bay including the Bill Sadowski Critical Wildlife Area."

JOC said the agreement will go before the Board of County Commissioners on May 1 for final approval.

sandandgravel.com

Feb 21, 11:41 Miami, Kaohsiung ports forge sisterhood ties A delegation led by visiting Kaohs...

seagull Feb 21, 11:41
Miami, Kaohsiung ports forge sisterhood ties
A delegation led by visiting Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu forged sisterhood ties with the Port of Miami with a view to promoting personnel exchanges, information sharing and technological cooperation between both ports, reported Central News Agency.

Chen and Chang Kuo-ming, chief secretary of the Kaohsiung Harbour Bureau, signed the sisterhood pact with Kevin Lynskey, assistant port director of the Port of Miami.

"We hope to create a win-win situation for both sides through the pact," Chang said. Kaohsiung and Miami are sister cities.

The Port of Miami is the world's largest cruise ship port, while Kaohsiung Harbour is a leading container port, which has recently developed itself into a tourism venue.

The visit of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado to Kaohsiung last May helped bring about the signing of sisterhood tie between the two ports.

en.portnews.ru

Feb 17, 11:07 Miami port container cargo throughput up 7% Container cargo traffic through Por...

seagull Feb 17, 11:07
Miami port container cargo throughput up 7%
Container cargo traffic through Port Miami rose 7 percent in the most recent fiscal year, solidifying its status as the top container port in Florida, The Associated Press reports. Officials said Wednesday that more than 900,000 container units moved through Port Miami during the 12 months that ended September 30. That's 7 percent more than the previous year, when growth was up 5 percent.

Port Director Bill Johnson says cargo traffic should increase significantly once the expanded Panama Canal opens in 2014. Port Miami's depth is scheduled to be increased in time to handle the larger ships that will move through the canal.

Johnson also says more than four million cruise passengers moved through Port Miami, more than any other port in the world. Three new cruise lines are being added to the port this year.

en.portnews.ru

Jan 29, 13:29 Disney Cruise Line to launch sailings out of Miami The Disney Cruise Line today...

seagull Jan 29, 13:29
Disney Cruise Line to launch sailings out of Miami
The Disney Cruise Line today will announce its first voyages out of Miami -- a cruise hub long dominated by locally-based Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line, USAToday reports.

Disney plans to offer more than two dozen winter sailings out of the city starting in December, even as it cuts back on cruises on the West Coast. The trips will take place aboard the 1,754-passenger Disney Wonder, which is re-locating to Miami from Los Angeles and no longer will operate itineraries to the West Coast of Mexico.

"We've been pleased with the itineraries in Mexico, but guests are looking for more," Disney President Karl Holz tells USA TODAY in an exclusive interview. "It was time to explore other options."

Disney's move comes as cruise lines struggle to fill voyages to the West Coast of Mexico -- a fact executives blame on negative perceptions of the region in the wake of recent violence. Many lines, including Disney, have canceled stops in the Western Mexico port of Mazatlan over the past year due to security concerns while continuing to call at Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas.

Miami will become Disney's second home port in Florida, joining longtime hub Port Canaveral, where the line began in 1998. Port Canaveral will remain home to the line's two newest ships, the one-year-old Disney Dream and soon-to-debut Disney Fantasy.

"We're very happy with Port Canaveral," Holz notes.

The Disney Wonder's new sailings out of Miami will kick off on Dec. 23 with one six-night and one seven-night trip to the Caribbean. The ship then will operate two dozen four- and five-night Bahamas and Western Caribbean cruises in early 2012 on three different routes:

-- A five-night itinerary with stops in Cozumel, Mexico and Castaway Cay, Disney's private island in the Bahamas (Departure dates: Jan. 5 and 19; Feb. 2 and 16; March 2, 16 and 30; April 13 and 27).

-- A five-night itinerary with stops in Grand Cayman and Cozumel (Departure dates: Jan. 14 and 28; Feb. 11 and 25; March 11 and 25; April 8 and 22).

-- A four-night itinerary with stops in Key West, Fla.; Nassau, Bahamas; and Castaway Cay (Departure dates: Jan. 10 and 24; Feb. 7 and 21; March 7 and 21; April 4 and 18; and May 2).

Holz says Miami is appealing as a home port for several reasons, including its location near top Caribbean ports.

"The proximity of Miami to a number of destinations gives you a cruise product that has a lot of richness in a four- or five-day itinerary," he says. Compared with Port Canaveral, "it's that much closer to Grand Cayman and Cozumel."

Disney also expects the new Miami sailings to appeal to the local South Florida drive-in market, and to vacationers from Latin America who have easy access to the city by air, says Holz.

"Our goal is certainly to exploit the Latin America market to a more significant level," he says, noting that Brazilians, in particular, already are big fans of Disney's theme parks on land.

In addition to the new Miami sailings, Disney today also will announce plans for more Caribbean cruises out of Galveston, Texas.

Disney will extend the inaugural season of the 1,754-passenger Disney Magic out of Galveston, which begins this fall, through May 2013, with additional six- and eight-night voyages to the Western Caribbean. The six-night cruises will include port calls in Grand Cayman and Cozumel. The eight-night sailings will include calls in Key West, Grand Cayman, Costa Maya and Cozumel.

Disney today also will announce plans to return to Europe in 2013 after skipping the region this year. In other changes, the line also plans to operate its Alaska cruises in 2013 out of Vancouver instead of Seattle.

en.portnews.ru

Dec 16, 13:35 Another group files to stop Port of Miami dredging South Florida Business Journ...

seagull Dec 16, 13:35
Another group files to stop Port of Miami dredging
South Florida Business Journal reports that a Fisher Island condo association is trying to stop Port of Miami dredging, with concerns that it would erode the island’s seawall and interrupt the ferry service, Sandandgravel reports.

Condo Association No 2 filed the request for a formal hearing with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on November 28th.

“This is a substantial impact on the welfare of all persons on the island because the ferry and barge services provided the only method of access to the island,” the filing states.

The injunction also asserts that the dredging “will adversely affect public health, safety, welfare and the property of others, because the [u.s. army] Corps activity will cause destruction of the seawall and the abutting condominium property.”

The Tropical Audobon Society, Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper and a boat captain have also filed a petition to block the dredging.

In March, Governor Rick Scott announced the state would fund a US$77 million shortfall to dredge the port, which would allow it to accommodate the post-Panamax ships that will be able to traverse the Panama Canal after an expansion is finished.

en.portnews.ru

Dec 16, 13:33 Port of Miami plans for new passenger terminals Port of Miami officials are flo...

seagull Dec 16, 13:33
Port of Miami plans for new passenger terminals
Port of Miami officials are floating plans to spend several hundred million dollars on cruise terminal and related upgrades over the next 25 years to accommodate what they project as a 44% increase in cruise passengers at the county-owned seaport, Miami Today news reports.
The conceptual proposals are contained in the new Port of Miami Master Plan, which projects that Miami-Dade's seaport will draw 5.9 million cruise passengers by 2035, up from 4.1 million this year — an annual growth rate of 1.8%. The passenger counts are totals for both boardings and disembarkations.
Forecasting continued growth in the size of cruise ships, with the latest vessels being up to 1,300 feet long and holding up to 5,400 passengers, the master plan calls for port facility improvements to accommodate the super-sized vessels.
Based largely on the popularity of its Caribbean cruises, the Port of Miami has ranked at the top of the world's busiest cruise ports. Currently, the cruise industry generates about $60 million a year in revenue for county coffers.
During a presentation on the master plan last week, Port of Miami Director Bill Johnson emphasized that public-private partnerships will be needed to provide the political support and to help with the financing needed to accomplish the seaport's growth plans.
"The last thing the port needs is to raise its rates for cruise and cargo [companies] to pay for these projects," Mr. Johnson told an audience of more than 200 at the seaport's Cruise Terminal J. "We could put ourselves out of business that way."
Currently, three leading cruise lines — Carnival Corp. (principal Miami brand — Carnival Cruise Line), Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises), and Norwegian Cruise Line — account for the bulk of passenger traffic in Miami.
According to Fort Lauderdale-based Cruise Lines International Association, a wide variety of ship sizes is being turned out by the industry, from Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas (with a 5,400-passenger double-occupancy capacity) to smaller vessels designed for as few as 200 people.
Still, the monster-size ships — offering new-fangled amenities — capture the most public interest. The sheer size of Oasis of the Seas led to it being named the most exciting cruise ship innovation last year, according to the Cruise Holidays Trends Survey.
The second- and third-place innovations, the survey found, were from the same ship's AquaTheater, a water-themed amphitheater with high-diving shows, and its Central Park open-air "neighborhood."
To maintain Miami's leadership position in the North American cruise market into the future, the master plan calls for a shift in the way the county handles its cruise expenditures, suggesting more planning of project finances in advance, based on anticipated needs and trends.
The past method of spending on improvements as the need arose has left the port with cruise facilities built in the mid-1990s, designed for the past generation cruise ships, that are now "out the place," the report concludes.
The plan does not address specific funding methods, but rather was designed as a "visionary" framework as "a baseline for growth and improvement," the report states, with specific development still driven by the ongoing needs of businesses using the port.
For the short term, the plan calls for $241 million in cruise facility upgrades to help accommodate the next, larger generation of cruise ships.
For the entire term of the plan, a "terminal complex" approach — linking or combining various terminals and berths — is noted as a more efficient way to handle increased cruise passenger traffic.
"The next generation terminal complex at the port would provide for the consolidation of services allowing for better management of operations and security where passengers would then move to individual halls from a series of main entryways and corridors for check-in processing," the report states.
In addition, the plan calls for the extension of one of the port's current cruise vessel berths, plus the addition of three 1,200-foot berths.
Also for the long term, the plan calls for a "multi-modal center" with up to seven floors to serve as a transportation hub for the port. The building could include parking, terminal access, hotel, retail and entertainment space.
To help link the terminal system, the plan calls for a new baggage-handling and screening system, with an air-conditioned walkway stretching up to 1,400 feet for passengers.
"The use of a terminal complex, instead of the traditional approach of one berth/one terminal, saves substantial real estate utilization at the port," the plan states, "and lessens the overall impact on cargo operations."

en.portnews.ru