OSLO: A Norwegian Cruise Line cruise ship is docked at Pier 66. The cruise line has signed a long-term lease for the terminal.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings will continue operating out of Pier 66 until at least 2030 and split with the Port of Seattle an estimated $30 million in facility upgrades.
The Port of Seattle commissioners Tuesday unanimously voted to sign a long-term lease with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings to continue operating out of Bell Street Cruise Terminal’s Pier 66 and to split an estimated $30 million in facility upgrades.
The Port said a 15-year lease for a cruise terminal is unprecedented on the West Coast. It also said this is the first time the Port has entered into a direct agreement with a cruise line and a cruise line has agreed to invest in terminal improvements.
“This is a historic deal for the Port of Seattle,” Port CEO Ted Fick said in a statement. “Norwegian Cruise Line is showing real vision by investing in the economic growth of this region.”
After operating its Alaska cruises out of Seattle for the last 15 years, Colin Murphy, senior vice president of destination and strategic development for Norwegian, told the commissioners Tuesday the company is “delighted to put a flag in the ground” and say this is where the cruise line will be until at least 2030.
In recent years, Norwegian has expressed concern about the aging, 15-year-old facility. With larger cruise ships coming online, Murphy said, Norwegian needed a facility that can handle ships carrying more passengers.
Together the two can create a terminal capable of accommodating modern ships and “it also, of course, locks in our commitment to bring our ships here,” he said.
