MSC Cruises Reveals Details of New Multi-Ship Terminal at Miami Cruise Port

(3:15 p.m. EDT) -- MSC Cruises is constructing a two-ship terminal at PortMiami that will accomodate the line's forthcoming 7,000-passenger World Class ships. The project is scheduled for completion in 2022.

The company's plans were announced at Seatrade Cruise Global, an industry conference in Miami. With the announcement, MSC joins the list of numerous cruise corporations debuting brand-new terminals in South Florida.

Mayor of Miami-Dade County, Carlos Gimenez, spoke at the announcement about the "record-setting collaboration" with MSC, and the jobs and economic growth it would stimulate for the area.

MSC currently sails four ships from Miami: MSC Seaside and MSC Armonia depart year-round, while MSC Divina sails seasonally. MSC Meraviglia will also sail seasonally when it heads to Miami this fall.

As an international company, MSC is looking to expand its presence in North America, and particularly in the Caribbean. The move toward a dedicated PortMiami terminal is a strategic one.

"With another 13 cruise vessels due to join our fleet in the next eight years, our ambition is to have our most innovative ship classes represented at PortMiami, bringing a wealth of choice to our North American as well as international guests," said Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises executive chairman, in a statement.

"In particular, the new terminal, which will be one of the most innovative the industry has seen, will ensure that we can provide our guests an enhanced end-to-end high-quality experience while both embarking and disembarking, thus adding to their ability to fully enjoy every moment of their vacation," Vago said.

The exclusive new PortMiami terminal, designed by global architecture firm Arquitectonica, will be capable of hosting two mega cruise ships at the same time, allowing MSC to disembark/embark two ships at once, accommodating about 28,000 passengers per day.

The terminal will be one of the largest facilities of its kind once complete, measuring 1,600 feet long. A representative for Arquitectonica explained the linear design is intended to invoke feelings of speed and movement with the ship, as passengers complete the boarding and disembarkation processes in a streamlined way.

Construction on Terminals AA and AAA will commence in early 2020. The new cruise facility will enable MSC to bring about one million passengers through PortMiami each year.