The Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners has awarded Merritt Island-based Ivey’s Construction a $78.98 mill contract for the port’s Cruise Terminal 3 project plus a $29.53 mill contract for the adjacent 1,800-vehicle parking garage.
Ivey’s was the low bidder to build a two-story, 188,000 sq ft terminal as part of the port’s largest single construction project in its 65-year history.
Once built, the terminal will be a $163 mill complex that will become the homeport for Carnival Cruise Line’s largest cruise ship, ‘Mardi Gras’, when opened in May 2020.
“We’re creating a world-class cruise terminal, and with these contract awards, the project is mobilising and moving ahead,” said Port CEO, Capt John Murray. “We are confident that this state-of-the-art facility will be constructed on schedule and on budget.”
Because both bids exceeded the original project estimates, the port is using ‘value engineering’ to analyse design features for cost-saving options.
“The goal of the value engineering process is to partner with the design and contracting teams to provide the most cost-efficient structure while maintaining the original design intent and function of the facility,” said Bill Crowe, Vice President, Engineering, Construction and Facilities for Port Canaveral.
The Port has taken several measures to ensure minimal impact to surrounding recreation areas during the construction period, including the installation of a seismic monitoring system during the pile-driving process.
RUSH Marine of Titusville is the contractor currently working on the waterside construction of the new berth, which began in September.
Construction crews are demolishing the existing pier structures at the site and installing protective barriers to prevent erosion resulting from wake and wave action generated by vessels transiting the port’s main channel.
This $38.6 mill project is expected to be completed in December.
In December, Port commissioners approved issuing up to $117 mill in bonds to finance the cruise terminal project. Miami-based Carnival also will provide $50 mill as part of a long-term agreement between the Port Authority and the cruise line that began in September. In addition, the port will receive $6 mill in grants from the Florida Department of Transportation for project infrastructure work.
Ivey’s Construction built Cruise Terminal 1, Canaveral’s newest operational terminal, and its adjacent parking garage in 2014. It also built the parking garage for Cruise Terminal 5 on the Port’s north side in 2016.
The company is currently improving north side cruise terminal roadways to improve traffic patterns, augment pedestrian safety and expand and improve the capacity of existing roads.
With a futuristic design inspired by nearby Kennedy Space Center, CT-3 will welcome the 180,000 gt ‘XL-class’ ’Mardi Gras’, currently under construction in Finland.
With a maximum capacity of 6,500 pax and about 2,000 crew members,’Mardi Gras’ will be the first North American-based cruise ship powered by LNG when she enters service in the Autumn of next year.
Focusing on innovation in the global cruise industry
