Mike Mierzwa News

The Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves has approved a 5 year agreement with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., that will generate a minimum US$1.86-million in annual operating revenues for the Port of Galveston. The Port explains that the agreement requires making improvements to the Port's Cruise Terminal No. 2 to accommodate larger vessels and more passengers. Initial plans are to increase the size of the terminal, expanding it to 150,000 square feet with the capacity to seat about 1,000. This expansion is estimated to cost approximately $10 million.

The Port of Galveston ranks as the fourth busiest cruise port in the U.S. based upon embarkation according to a recent study prepared by Business Research and Economic Advisors (BREA) for the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). In 2012, the Port of Galveston, Texas’ only major cruise port, welcomed 863,000 passenger and crew, which is 4 percent of all passenger and crew visits at U.S. ports. With over $1.2 billion in direct spending and almost 20,000 jobs paying nearly $1.1 billion in total income, Texas accounted for 6.3 percent of the industry’s overall spending nationwide.

The Port of Galveston ranks as the fourth busiest cruise port in the U.S. based upon embarkation according to a recent study prepared by Business Research and Economic Advisors (BREA) for the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). In 2012, the Port of Galveston, Texas’ only major cruise port, welcomed 863,000 passenger and crew, which is 4 percent of all passenger and crew visits at U.S. ports. With over $1.2 billion in direct spending and almost 20,000 jobs paying nearly $1.1 billion in total income, Texas accounted for 6.3 percent of the industry’s overall spending nationwide.

Port of Galveston say that Royal Caribbean International is to base their Voyager-class ship year-round from Galveston, from November 2013. The Navigator of the Seas, due for an extensive drydock refit in January 2014, will replace Mariner of the Seas to offer Texas vacationers roundtrip seven-night Western Caribbean itineraries throughout the year. “The repositioning of Navigator of the Seas to the Port of Galveston represents Royal Caribbean’s confidence in the Port of Galveston’s efficient cruise  operations and ability to attract passengers on its Voyager class ships…

The Mariner Group has been chosen to supply CommandBridge™ as the cornerstone of its Maritime Command and Control & Situational Awareness project. Galveston will deploy CommandBridge, the industry-leading situation management and response platform, to improve security and operations across its 850 acres of port facilities along one of the busiest shipping channels in the world, the Houston Ship Channel. The project also includes Mariner's PortFolio™ port management software, consolidating Galveston's port operations management processes into an integrated system. "Mariner is extremely proud to have been selected by the Port of Galveston for this important project," said Steve Dryden , Mariner's President & CEO.