Carnival Corporation celebrated two major sustainability developments on both sides of the United States in June.
On the East Coast, PortMiami launched shore power on June 17th, and Carnival Conquest was the first cruise ship to plug into land-side electrical power during the inaugural event.
Through an industry partnership between Miami-Dade County, Florida Power & Light Company and several cruise lines including Carnival Corporation, PortMiami – known as the cruise capital of the world — is now the first major cruise port on the U.S. eastern seaboard offering shore power connections at five cruise berths.
Carnival Conquest’s selection for the inaugural connection at PortMiami comes on the heels of Carnival Corporation surpassing its 2030 shore power goal in 2023, seven years ahead of schedule. The company now leads the industry with 67% of its fleet shore power-capable, meaning it has twice as many ships able to “plug in” than there are ports equipped to provide shore power.
“Using shoreside electricity to power our ships in port is an integral part of our global strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and minimize our environmental footprint,” said Josh Weinstein, chief executive officer of Carnival Corporation & plc. “It’s been over 20 years since our company first pioneered shore power for the cruise industry, yet adoption remains limited to just 2% of cruise ports worldwide. We applaud PortMiami for having the vision to recognize shore power as vital to the future of our industry and the planet, and for being at the forefront of their peer group in delivering this capability to cruise ships.”
Seattle agreement
On the West Coast of the U.S., the Port of Seattle Commission approved a 10-year berthing agreement with Carnival Corporation on June 25, 2024, that gives the cruise brand preferential privileges at Seattle, Washington’s two dedicated cruise terminals. The deal includes Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and Cunard brands continuing to home port in Seattle for the Alaska cruise season.
The deal will take effect this year, and continue until 2033, with the option to extend the agreement for five additional years.
The long-term agreement supports the Port’s path to work with partners to achieve its zero-emission sustainability goals, along with providing local economic development opportunities and boosting the economic impact of cruise in the region.
In 2006, the Port of Seattle made history as the first cruise port in North America to offer shore power at two separate cruise berths, due in large part to investments from the Carnival Corporation.
Today, 66% of visiting cruise ships are equipped to use the more environmentally-friendly power alternative – with the port setting a mandate for all visiting cruise ships to be able to plug into shore power by 2027.
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Economic & sustainability goals
Over the course of 10 years, the partnership is expected to bring in around US$186 million and serve a minimum of 550,000 passengers annually. Total revenue could grow to approximately $273 million if the deal is extended to 15 years.
As part of the agreement, the cruise line will also promote overnight stays for before and after sailings to further benefit the local tourism and hospitality industries. Further, Carnival Corporation will accelerate its local sourcing efforts to partner with local suppliers.
The partnership will also advance the Port of Seattle’s 2027 shore power goals. Carnival Corporation has been the leader on shore power in Seattle, having installed the equipment almost 20 years ago.
To help the Port realize its ambition to have all ships at all cruise berths plug in by 2027, Carnival Corporation will seek commercial agreements with other cruise companies to plug in their ships to Carnival Corporation’s shore power assets at Terminal 91. The company’s vessels represented 100% of the shore power connections at the Port of Seattle in 2023, with 102 vessel calls.
Carnival will also work with the port to pilot the use of biofuel in cruise ship operation. The Port 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.
The Port continues to work in partnership with cruise ports in Alaska, Victoria, BC, and Vancouver, BC, and the cruise industry to explore the world’s first cruise-focused Green Corridor from Seattle to Alaska, using innovative decarbonization strategies.
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. That data will be added to the current 2023 information as it becomes available.
In 2023 Carnival Corporation brands brought 140 ship calls to Seattle, representing almost half of the Port’s cruise calls. In 2024 Carnival Corporation has six ships committed to the Seattle market, with the number growing to seven ships in 2025, all shore power capable.
