The Port of Seattle Commission recently approved a 10-year preferential berthing agreement with Carnival Corporation. The agreement includes Carnival brands Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and Cunard, which are continuing to home port in Seattle for the Alaska cruise season.
The agreement sets a 10-year term (2024 – 2033), with a mutually agreeable option to extend for five more years (2034 – 2038). This agreement builds on prior agreements between the Port of Seattle and Carnival Corporation.
Key elements of the long-term agreement in support of economic investment and sustainability include the following:
Bringing in an anticipated US$186 million in revenue over 10 years and a minimum 550,000 revenue passengers annually
Advancing the Port’s 2027 shore power goals
Piloting the use of biofuel in cruise ship operation – The Port of Seattle and Carnival Corporation will collaborate on a non-fossil fuel demonstration project and study to identify the end-to-end challenges and opportunities for using sustainable maritime fuels at scale in Seattle. The learnings will support other work in the sector to transition to alternative fuels.
As a part of the agreement, Carnival Corporation will provide data that will feed into the port’s cruise dashboard to track passenger, environmental, and economic impact metrics. The data will be added to the current 2023 information as it becomes available.