Royal Caribbean’s expansion in PortMiami nabs unanimous county approval

Royal Caribbean’s new cruise terminal in PortMiami is a go.

Miami-Dade County commissioners on Wednesday unanimously approved the public-private partnership that will allow Royal Caribbean to build a terminal in PortMiami large enough to house the world’s largest cruise ships.

Last week, Miami-Dade and Royal Caribbean announced they signed an agreement that would see the cruise giant build a new 170,000-square-foot terminal on the county-owned port.

Designed by architecture firm Broadway Malayan, renderings show the terminal will have chic, modern style with floor-to-ceiling windows and an art centerpiece of two massive chrome propellers spinning in place.

As part of the deal, Miami-Dade will contribute $15 million for infrastructure to the project and will receive $7.5 million in rent. Royal Caribbean will self-finance the remainder of the $247 million development.

The project will also bring back a major advantage for Miami’s claim as the cruise capital of the world: Oasis-class ships, the largest in Royal Caribbean’s fleet and also the biggest cruise ships currently sailing, will be able to dock at the new terminal.

Those ships currently call Broward County’s Port Everglades home, which was expanded to allow dockage for the Oasis class in 2009.

Royal Caribbean said in last week’s announcement that about 750,000 passengers pass through its current PortMiami terminal every year. With its new facility, the company expects that traffic to grow to 1.8 million passengers annually, or about 30 percent of all passengers moving through PortMiami.

Check out a video of the project below: