South Carolina ports and the Carnival Cruise line have concluded that they will not extend Carnival’s contract to use Charleston as a homeport after 2024. This makes room for new non-maritime development projects in a part of the city’s waterfront. The port still plans to host ships as a port of call moving into the future.
Jim Newsome, President, and CEO of Carolina ports authority, said that this decision has been in the works for a long time. After Carnival made a homeport in Charleston in 2010, real estate values have soared, and it is an opportune moment for the redevelopment of the area. Newsome also stated that they would move forward with the redevelopment as soon as the contract with Carnival expired. However, denizens of the local economy that had developed around the arrival of tourists are concerned and uncertain regarding the future.
Carnival also released a statement that they were amazed to see the local economy flourish, and they are proud to have been a part of it since 2010. They expressed their regret that Charleston would no longer be a homeport. Still, at the same time, they looked forward to dealing with the South Carolina port authority to explore possible opportunities in the future.
