Carnival Cruise Line and the South Carolina Ports Authority have been in partnership since 2010, but in 2022, both parties agreed to not extend the cruise contract further. That decision will officially go into effect this week as the Carnival Sunshine ship makes its last voyage to and from the city.
The Carnival Sunshine departed from Union Pier for the last time Monday and will return Saturday.
The Director of Corporate Communications for the South Carolina Ports Authority, Liz Crumley, said that this partnership has made a great impact on the maritime industry. However, this decision was made in hopes of freeing up Union Pier Terminal for redevelopment.
“Carnival has been a great customer, and SC Ports is appreciative of the long-term partnership that’s been forged. They offered a great product that was well-liked for those who enjoy cruises. Carnival made an impact on our maritime industry not just for the Port, but also the harbor pilots, [International Longshoremen’s Association] and beyond,” Crumley said.
The area will still have some port-of-calls for the time being, according to Crumley, but a permanent decision has not yet been made. This means that some cruises will still dock in Charleston for a day visit, but no ships will begin or end at Union Pier.
Liza Holian is the communications manager for the Historic Charleston Foundation. She said the Historic Charleston Foundation has been following this journey closely and working in partnership with the ports and the city.
She said that they are excited about this change and hope to use it as an opportunity to make Charleston even more of a destination that would bring in money, economy and sustainability. She said they believe that this change will help free up some of the traffic and overflow of parking that is currently caused by cruise passengers as well as provide several benefits to the area.
“Charleston has been facing rising sea levels and more weather events, so that has caused a higher amount of flooding. We also face a housing shortage. And all of those things, you know, we need different land in a different area, and so having that site be used as just a giant parking lot was really inappropriate. So now, that change is positive for the city. And as we adapt and as we have these new challenges in the future, Charleston has to adapt too,” Holian said.
While it is still unclear what exactly will be replacing Carnival, Ports Authority representatives say that it will ultimately be redeveloped in conjunction with the local buyer, city and community. Holian said that, no matter what, they are excited to see what comes of this change and think it was necessary for the area.
“All of this together just helps move forward to a place that the foundation has advocated for. So, it’s more sustainable for the economy, for the environment with flooding and a better use of land, while also keeping that money here in Charleston and cultivating it in a smarter way, which we ultimately want,” Holian said. “Immediately, Charleston and the peninsula should see a reduction in traffic and cars. We all know too well… just driving past the Union Pier site and just seeing rows and rows of cars which is just an inappropriate use of that waterfront property and so that will be no more… we are really l.ooking forward to that
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