Cruise and Ferry Review - Summer/Spring 2020

2 6 0 NORTH AMERICA: INTERV IEW A Royal port in the making The Port of Galveston is riding the high of its recent successes with plans for future self-improvement. Rodger Rees shares the details with Elly Yates-Roberts F ollowing Port of Galveston’s success in 2019, welcoming its 10 millionth passenger and surpassing one million cruise guests in one year for the first time, the Texan island port has set its sights high for 2020. “Last year provided us with some huge milestones,” says Rodger Rees, the port director. “This year we hope to improve on it though.” The port will be celebrating 20 years of cruising in 2020, and it will do so in style. The momentous occasion will also be marked with the construction of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s new US$110 million cruise terminal, which will begin in April. Upon completion of the new facility in October 2021, Royal Caribbean’s 6780-passenger Allure of the Seas will begin homeporting from Galveston after a US$165 million renovation. Rees believes that the contract, which was finalised in December 2019, will have a big impact on the local economy. “This is the biggest third-party investment in the port’s history and is probably one of the largest transactions ever done in the city,” he explains. “We expect the move to double the number of Royal Caribbean customers using the port to around 800,000, and it is already encouraging commercial development around the port. Local businesses are upgrading their appearances – everyone wants to be ready for the new terminal.” According to Rees, Galveston could start receiving over two million cruise passengers per year soon. “While we are the fourth-busiest cruise port in North America, in 2019 we went from being the 12th busiest in the world to the 11th. We are growing.” Despite the growth expected from Royal Caribbean’s investments in the Port of Galveston, the influx of new business will also create some challenges. Ships like Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas have supported the port’s growth in recent years