Port of Miami

Miami, Florida: One of the busiest ports in the world, the Port of Miami is home to both passenger and cargo ships. Over 4 million cruise passengers and 7.5 million tons of cargo pass through the port each year.

Mother Nature helped to create the port in the early 1900’s. A hurricane hit south Florida and separated the southern end of Miami leading to what is today the port. The newly created channel now known as the Government Cut was then dredged and the leftover soil became Dodge, Lummus and Sam’s Island which is now the site of the present day Port of Miami.

As the business at the port began to pick up, the port needed to be expanded. The city government passed legislation to expand the port by land filling the three islands into one and increasing the overall size of the island.

Today the port contains eight passenger terminals as well as an extensive collection of cargo equipment. It is also the headquarters for some of the cruise lines including Royal Caribbean. Future renovations and expansions are in progress or scheduled to ensure that the port stays ahead of the need of the industry.

The port is a major economic provider to the state of Florida. The port employs over 110,000 employees to service the over 2,400 vessels that come to port each year. This equates to over $94 million dollars of revenue each year.

With the large amount of people and goods that pass through the Port of Miami it is known throughout the world as the Cruise Capitol of the World and the Cargo Gateway of America. The current renovations and the increase it cruising popularity, the Port of Miami will keep these titles for the years to come.