Galveston Port's new $156M Cruise Terminal 16, set to open in November, is nearly finished. The terminal at Pier 16 will house MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line ships, with amenities like a 160,000-sq-ft terminal, a $55M parking garage, and passenger boarding bridges. Anticipated to boost local jobs and revenue, the project's completion marks a milestone in Galveston's 25-year cruise home port history.
Port of Galveston photo
An aerial view of the cruise terminal under construction at the Port of Galveston
The Port of Galveston is investing $156 million to construct its fourth cruise terminal/complex at Pier 16, with Hensel Phelps Construction as the general contractor and Orion Marine Services tackling the marine work.
The project, which began in July 2024, is expected to be completed in September. The terminal, which will open in November, will house ships from the MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings fleets.
Two existing cargo warehouses are being converted into the cruise terminal, which includes a 160,000-sq.-ft. terminal and a $55 million parking garage. The terminal will have a two-story vertical core, with elevators, escalators, stairs and a passenger ramp to seamlessly connect the structures.
Passengers will access cruise ships via a new concourse leading to two passenger boarding bridges (PBBs) custom-built by ADELTE.
The seven-story, precast concrete parking garage with more than 1,600 parking spots will have a dedicated ground transportation area to accommodate buses, shuttles, rideshare vehicles and taxis.
The complex occupies 25.5 acres, complete with 733 surface parking spots, a public plaza, roadway upgrades and landscaping.
Orion is upgrading the marine infrastructure to support a 5,500-passenger cruise vessel, including new mooring foundations, bollards and fenders.
Construction is proceeding on schedule.
"Cruise Terminal 16 is on track to open on schedule this fall thanks to great work by our port engineering staff and experienced port partners, including architects Bermello Ajamil and contractors Hensel Phelps and Orion Marine Services," said Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves' port director and CEO. "We'll celebrate the opening of the port's fourth cruise terminal in November as we welcome MSC Cruises' MSC Seascape for the first sailing from its new Galveston home."
Regarding the terminal building, crews completed the pouring of the concrete foundation in December 2024, installed the air conditioning units in March, the electrical generators in April and placed the new roofs on both buildings.
Parking garage construction began in December 2024 and will be complete by the end of May.
"Hensel Phelps shaved months off the construction schedule by building the garage with pre-cast concrete," Rees said. "The parking garage was initially designed as a cast-in-place structure. Hensel Phelps worked with the architect and structural engineer to redesign the parking garage as a pre-cast concrete structure, saving money and time.
Major milestones between now and July include placing topping slabs at the garage, bringing permanent power online and completing elevator installations."
Equipment operators are using large cranes, including crawler models; various types of telehandlers; dump trucks; skid steers; excavators; and other heavy pieces of iron to complete the project.
Cranes have played a key role in lifting and placing precast elements for the parking garage and terminal complex, be they steel or concrete.
With plenty of space, equipment can move about freely and construction materials can easily be stored at specific locations. Delivery vehicles have no problems accessing the construction site.
Rees said he appreciates the dedication and efforts of all involved to ensure this project is delivered.
"Our hardworking port engineering staff is coordinating and overseeing this project," he said, "along with five major construction projects to expand our West Port Cargo Complex."
Thus far, Hensel Phelps has employed 825 craft workers and logged 185,000 hours without a lost-time injury.
"At peak, 275 construction workers will be on-site," Rees said.
Galveston Wharves celebrated the start of construction on Aug. 20, 2024, with a groundbreaking ceremony featuring executives from MSC Cruises and the Cruise Lines International Association, elected officials, community leaders and other port partners.
"We have so much to celebrate … with this milestone and what it means to our community, cruise guests and port partners," Rees said. "This beautiful new terminal will generate jobs and economic growth for the region, an exciting new cruise choice for our market and growth opportunities for our port partners. We also want to take this opportunity to give a warm, Texas welcome to MSC Cruises, the world's third-largest cruise line. Having a cruise line of this stature homeporting in Galveston says a great deal about our position in the U.S. and global cruise markets."
Rees expects the port to move more than 3.6 passengers annually beginning in 2025, which would be a new milestone in Galveston's 25 years as a cruise home port.
"The groundbreaking for Cruise Terminal 16 marks a significant milestone in MSC Cruises' ongoing U.S. expansion," said Rick Sasso, MSC Cruises U.S. chairman. "Adding Galveston as our fourth homeport will make it even easier for travelers from the central and western parts of the country to enjoy our distinctive mix of European style and American comfort. This state-of-the-art terminal will set the tone for a memorable cruise experience."
According to the port, "the local impact of the port's 2022 cruise activity included 3,500 jobs, $568 million in local business revenue and $73.5 million in local purchases by passengers and crew. The fourth cruise terminal is forecast to generate an additional 925 jobs and $177 million in local business revenue annually."
The city of Galveston has said will benefit directly from passenger fees and sales tax revenues from cruise parking.
The new facility is being constructed earlier than expected. Rees said that, based on the port's 2019 board-approved 20-Year Strategic Master Plan, the new cruise terminal wasn't anticipated to be needed until 2031.
"We're able to begin this new project now due to cruise market demand and because Del Monte Fresh Produce Co., a long-standing cargo tenant, outgrew its facilities in Galveston," he said. "We are happy to see that Del Monte was able to relocate 30 miles to Freeport. We leveraged this opportunity based on the unprecedented popularity of the cruise industry and our optimal location in the central part of the United States."
Hensel Phelps has worked on other Port of Galveston projects. It provided preconstruction and construction services for the recently constructed Cruise Terminal 10 for Royal Caribbean and major renovations at Terminal 25, home to Carnival Cruise Line. CEG
Irwin Rapoport
A journalist who started his career at a weekly community newspaper, Irwin Rapoport has written about construction and architecture for more than 15 years, as well as a variety of other subjects, such as recycling, environmental issues, business supply chains, property development, pulp and paper, agriculture, solar power and energy, and education. Getting the story right and illustrating the hard work and professionalism that goes into completing road, bridge, and building projects is important to him. A key element of his construction articles is to provide readers with an opportunity to see how general contractors and departments of transportation complete their projects and address challenges so that lessons learned can be shared with a wider audience.
Rapoport has a BA in History and a Minor in Political Science from Concordia University. His hobbies include hiking, birding, cycling, reading, going to concerts and plays, hanging out with friends and family, and architecture. He is keen to one day write an MA thesis on military and economic planning by the Great Powers prior to the start of the First World War.
Read more from Irwin Rapoport here.
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