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 of the largest cargo ports in the United States.
The port is located on Dodge, Lummus and Sam's Islands, which is the combination of three historic islands (Dodge, Lummus and Sam's Islands) that have since been combined into one. It is connected to Downtown Miami by Port Boulevard—a causeway over the Intracoastal Waterway—and to the neighboring Watson Island via the PortMiami Tunnel. It is named in honor of 19-term Florida Congressman Dante Fascell.
As of 2018, PortMiami accounts for approximately 334,500 jobs and has an annual economic impact of $43 billion to the state of Florida.
History
In the early 1900s, Government Cut was dredged along with a new channel to what now is known as Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami. This new access to the mainland created the Main Channel which greatly improved the shipping access to the new port. From these original dredging spoils which were disposed on the south side of the new Main Channel, new islands were inadvertently created which later became Dodge, Lummus and Sam's Island along with several other smaller islands.
PortMiami's improved shipping access and growth of the South Florida community led to an expansion of the port. On April 5, 1960, Resolution No. 4830, "Joint Resolution Providing for Construction of Modern Seaport Facilities at Dodge Island Site" was approved by the Dade County Board of Commissioners. On April 6, 1960, the City of Miami approved City Resolution No. 31837 to construct the new port. The new port on Dodge Island required expansion of the island by joining it together with the surrounding islands. After the seawalls, administrative buildings, and a vehicle and railroad bridge were completed, Port of Miami operations were moved to the new Dodge Island port. Additional fill material enlarged the connected Lummus and Sam's islands as well as the North, South and NOAO slips, creating a completely man made island for PortMiami.
In 1993, the first dredge of PortMiami occurred, deepening it to . In 2006, a $40 million project to expand the South Harbor finished. In 2011, a project to reconnect PortMiami to the mainland via railroad began. In 2013, a dredging project began to deepen the harbors around PortMiami from . In April 2019, the Miami-Dade Tourism and Ports Committee approved a deal for Royal Caribbean Cruises to build a new office and parking garage on Dodge Island.
Today
Cruise ship operations
PortMiami is the busiest cruise/passenger port in the world. It accommodates major cruise lines such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Disney, and MSC, among others, and also serves as the homeport of one of the largest cruise ships in the world by gross tonnage, Symphony of the Seas. Over 5.5 million cruise passengers pass through the port each year (FY2018/2019).
As of July 2020, there are seven operating passenger terminal facilities at PortMiami: A, C, D, E, F, G, and J. Of the seven, there is one facility that is purpose-built for a specific company, while other companies share the other terminals. Five more company-specific facilities are in their planning or construction stages.
Current passenger terminals
Future terminals and projects
On March 7, 2018, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced plans for a new facility to redevelop their "Terminal B" at PortMiami that will be fully capable of serving Norwegian's largest ships, the Breakaway Plus-class ships. Norwegian originally intended to open the terminal, dubbed the "Pearl of Miami," by fall 2019, but budgeting issues initially postponed its opening date until spring of 2020. In July 2020, PortMiami director Juan Kuryla said the terminal would be completed by the end of the month, two months behind schedule.