{"id":83876,"date":"2025-12-15T12:56:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T12:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/83876\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T12:56:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T12:56:09","slug":"port-everglades-blows-away-records-in-cruise-passengers-cargo-and-energy-in-2025-sun-sentinel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/83876\/","title":{"rendered":"Port Everglades blows away records in cruise passengers, cargo and energy in 2025 \u2013 Sun Sentinel"},"content":{"rendered":"

In flash and glitz, 2025 has shaped up as a superlative year for Broward County\u2019s Port Everglades, where U.S. Navy warships visited for \u201cFleet Week,\u201d new cruise ships from Disney, Celebrity and Princess started calling, and nearby, a new 801-room Omni Hotel stood poised to open, with the cruise lines inquiring about how many room blocks they can book.<\/p>\n

Last week, Joseph Morris, the CEO and port director, took a look at the fiscal year\u2019s traffic numbers and for the first time found record volumes for all three of the port\u2019s main lines of business: cruise lines, cargo and energy.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor all three of our big three to have new records is something that has never happened,\u201d he told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The trio contributes up to 83% of the port\u2019s revenues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trifecta of record-breaking accomplishments reflects the strength of our partnerships and the resilience of our business lines,\u201d Morris said.\u00a0 \u201cThe port\u2019s diversified portfolio positions us to adapt, compete and lead as global and regional markets evolve.\u201d<\/p>\n

To describe the port as an \u201cengine\u201d of commerce is an understatement. Spanning three cities including Dania Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood and a portion of unincorporated Broward, the port hosts massive cruise ships that sail past high-rise condominium towers, and is adjacent to the Broward County Convention Center and a U.S. Coast Guard station. The Florida East Coast Railway moves goods in and out of the port via a spur connected to the railroad\u2019s main line.<\/p>\n

During the annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, superyachts pass through \u2014 or are delivered at the port by transport ships \u2014 on their way to be displayed at marinas along the Intracoastal Waterway. Occasionally, the port has found itself in the headlines, when the U.S. Coast Guard, in the presence of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, showed off its latest multi-ton catch of illicit cocaine shipments<\/a> intercepted at sea<\/p>\n

But the port\u2019s focus is on building businesses that help grow and serve the local economy.<\/p>\n

According to Morris, the latest results place Port Everglades at No. 3 in the state and world in cruise passenger traffic, No. 1 statewide in energy, and No. 2 statewide in cargo. \u201cThat\u2019s a pretty unique position for any port,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The port exports more than it imports, Morris added.<\/p>\n

\"CruiseCruise passengers wait for transportation after disembarking from the Celebrity Ascent docked at Port Everglades on Friday. (Amy Beth Bennett \/ South Florida Sun Sentinel)
\nCruising on the rise<\/p>\n

The port said it welcomed \u201ca preliminary count of 4,773,873 cruise guests\u201d for a year-over-year increase of 16%. The figure not only broke the port\u2019s previous cruise record \u201cbut also solidifies its standing as the third-busiest cruise homeport in the world,\u201d the port said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cruise business has continued to see tremendous demand and global growth coming out of the pandemic,\u201d Morris told the Sun Sentinel.<\/p>\n

He said there was a 39% jump in cruise guests from 2023 to 2024, and another annual bump that led to the 4.7 million passenger count for 2025.<\/p>\n

Morris said the chief driver was Disney Cruise Line, which set up shop at the port in late 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn just under two years with us, they\u2019ve done more than 1.1 million guests,\u201d Morris said.<\/p>\n

Three new ships from three operators \u2014 Disney Destiny<\/a>, Celebrity Excel<\/a> and Star Princess \u2014 all became regular visitors this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s great value and great experiences, which is what I think people are looking for in vacations these days,\u201d Morris noted, adding that cruise operators have contributed to the demand by investing in their own private island resorts throughout the Caribbean.<\/p>\n

The port anticipates more growth next year, when it expects to feature 40 cruise ships from nine lines, plus a daily ferry. \u00a0A massive Icon-class ship belonging to Royal Caribbean Cruises is scheduled to start calling in 2026.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Radiance of the Seas, left, and the Liberty of the Seas cruise ships docked at Port Everglades on Friday. (Amy Beth Bennett \/ South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Cruising has been a big upside for a Broward County tourism industry that\u2019s battling competition from other Florida destinations, as well as vacation spots in the Caribbean. Many cruisers arrive in Fort Lauderdale a day or so ahead of their voyages, staying in local hotels and sampling local restaurants and other attractions.<\/p>\n

Citing the marketing intelligence platform Placer.AI, Visit Lauderdale, the county marketing and promotion agency, said local hotel visits from Port Everglades were up more than 10% compared with fiscal year 2024.<\/p>\n

Cargo heavy on exports<\/p>\n

Cargo vessels serving the port and its tenants contributed to another annual best with 1,167,552 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units, the standard measurement of cargo container capacity).<\/p>\n

\u201cThis milestone reflects strengthened global trade relationships, expanded capacity and continued demand across Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond,\u201d the port said in its statement.<\/p>\n

Morris said that more exports than imports transited through the port. Tariffs placed on inbound goods by President Donald Trump were not as much of a factor as it is with other ports.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have 88% of our trade with the Caribbean and Latin America,\u201d Morris said. \u201cAs you look at the countries and commodities being targeted by the tariff announcements, Port Everglades and our customers remained insulated, but not immune.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leading exports included used vehicles to the Caribbean islands and Latin America, followed by yachts and motorboats in keeping with Fort Lauderdale\u2019s status as the yachting capital of the United States. The marine exports were followed in volume by computers, motor vehicle parts and computer accessories, medical instruments, textiles, perfumes and perishables.<\/p>\n

On the import side, gasoline and petroleum are the No. 1 inbound products. Containerized products include clothing such as sweaters and pullovers. Yachts and motorboats were next, followed by T-shirts, tank tops, medical instruments and miscellaneous aluminum structures.<\/p>\n

\"CruiseCruise passengers wait for transportation after disembarking from the Celebrity Ascent at Port Everglades on Friday. (Amy Beth Bennett \/ South Florida Sun Sentinel)
\nEnergy imports fuel five airports<\/p>\n

The port said it \u201caffirmed its status as Florida\u2019s No. 1 petroleum port, moving 131,855,261 barrels of petroleum products.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a \u201ccritical fuel hub\u201d for the state, the port said,\u00a0 \u201csupplying 12 counties and five international airports.\u201d The aviation hubs include Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Palm Beach, Miami, Key West and Southwest Florida International, which serves the Fort Myers area.<\/p>\n

The port, Morris pointed out, is the only seaport in the country that is adjacent to an international airport \u2014 a short car or bus ride from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International.<\/p>\n

Officials estimate it contributes approximately $28.1 billion to the local economy annually.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than 204,300 Florida jobs are impacted by the port,\u201d officials said in their statement,\u00a0 including more than 12,200 people employed by companies that provide \u201cdirect services\u201d there.<\/p>\n

\"AA barge motors around the Celebrity Ascent cruise ship at Port Everglades on Friday. (Amy Beth Bennett \/ South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In flash and glitz, 2025 has shaped up as a superlative year for Broward County\u2019s Port Everglades, where…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":83877,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[506,558,8904,28,249,251,250,686,114,266,115,109,1798],"class_list":["post-83876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-broward-county","tag-business","tag-dania-beach","tag-florida","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news","tag-hollywood","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-social","tag-transportation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}