A cruise ship terminal that has been touted as the largest in the world opened this month in Miami in a sleek building that’s designed to look like a cruise ship.
The Miami architecture firm Arquitectonica designed the $450 million terminal for client MSC Cruises. The 493,000-square-foot building services ships from MSC Cruises and MSC’s luxury line, Explora, and can serve up to 36,000 passengers per day with enough space for two ships to dock at one time. Miami-Dade County is also developing space for a third berth at the PortMiami site. MSC World America, the company’s newest ship, will make the Miami terminal its home base.
Cruise demand is soaring with North American cruise-passenger volume rising 18% in 2024 compared to 2023, according to Cruise Lines International Association. Revenue at Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise ship operator, increased 16% in the fiscal year ending Nov. 30, 2024, to a record $25 billion.
The MSC terminal is on the far eastern end of the island where PortMiami is located and “will be the last terminal viewed by every departing cruise ship and the first terminal viewed by every returning ship,” according to Arquitectonica.
“This design takes advantage of the length of the site to project a powerful shape and dimension like no other at PortMiami,” Arquitectonica said.
MSC Cruises’ new terminal is located near cruise ship terminals at PortMiami operated by rivals Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages, as well as freight terminals that service shipping-container vessels.
Prior to the new MSC Cruises terminal opening, the 170,000-square-foot Royal Caribbean terminal at PortMiami was the world’s largest. Royal Caribbean is constructing its new headquarters office at PortMiami at 1050 Caribbean Way.
The MSC Cruises terminal complex includes a four-story building with passenger arrival and departure areas, offices and a six-story parking garage. The terminal’s baggage handling system uses cross-belt technology, a type that’s widely used in airports, according to Fincantieri Infrastructure, the project’s general contractor.
The parent of MSC Cruises, Mediterranean Shipping Group, recently invested about $100 million in downtown Miami to develop its new U.S. headquarters. The company wrapped the building in digital video screens that show off its billion-dollar cruise ships.
MSC operates freight-cargo ships as well as cargo ships.
For the record
Arquitectonica was the design architect, interior designer and landscape architect. Fincantieri Infrastructure was the general contractor.