TAMPA, Fla. — Port Tampa Bay is preparing for a busy year after a record-setting 2025. Last year, the port saw over 1.6 million cruise passengers, which is a new record for Tampa. It also saw over 262,000 shipping containers.
Those cruise passengers generated over $400-thousand dollars in economic impact per ship call. Port Tampa Bay is growing, and new changes are coming this year as it is working on its “Master Plan Vision 2030.”
Port Tampa Bay’s plan for expansion. (Spectrum News)
They are building warehouses, expanding terminals for containers and ordering new cranes. A new cruise terminal is also in the works, along with new passenger bridges for some current terminals.
Port officials said they will work with stakeholders to make sure these changes are balanced with the growing residential population in downtown.
“For us, it’s playing, maintaining the maritime industry, protecting it, allowing it to grow, prosper and integrating ourselves with our future plans and the growth of the region — the city of Tampa,” said Port Tampa Bay Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Raul Alfonso.
Port Tampa Bay leaders said that one of their most important projects for a successful future is deepening the channel by four feet. It is a $1.2 billion project.
They hope to begin construction on that in 2028.