The pier will be extended by 412 meters to accommodate up to four cruise ships simultaneously and properly handle the new large vessels.
CHETUMAL, April 14 – The Ecological Gazette of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) published the request for authorization of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project to expand the SSA México International Cruise Pier in Cozumel by 412 meters in length and 24 meters in width, to accommodate up to four cruise ships simultaneously.
The owners of the SSA México Cruise Pier in Cozumel have been seeking authorization for the expansion of their facilities for five years. Today, the General Directorate of Environmental Impact and Risk (Dgira) announced that the process is currently under evaluation.
The required investment is 882,325,996 pesos, of which 5,543,458 pesos correspond to the amount allocated for the implementation of mitigation measures and compensation for the project’s environmental impacts.
Currently, this maritime terminal claims to have a total area of 25,388 square meters, with an open pier with an approximate total berthing length of 460 meters on the outer side. It consists of a 352.60-meter pier and a Duque de Alba dock at its north end, plus an additional Duque de Alba dock on the south side for mooring.
The pier is connected to land via an additional land access pedestrian walkway approximately 120 meters long and has a secondary pier for tours.
It claims to serve more than 40% of the cruise ships visiting Cozumel, which include firms such as Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruises, MSC Cruises, and Royal Caribbean.
However, with the arrival of a new generation of larger cruise ships to the SSA terminal, such as the Icon of the Seas, which has a maximum capacity of 7,500 passengers, as well as the arrival of other large vessels with lengths up to 365 meters, the modernization and expansion of the pier becomes essential.
In this sense, the pier, designed to receive up to three cruise ships simultaneously, two Radiance-class and one Freedom-class, is beginning to see its operational capacity limited to receive larger vessels simultaneously, which could translate into a loss of competitiveness compared to other destinations in the Caribbean and around the world.
Thus, the expansion and modernization of the pier would allow the arrival of larger cruise ships, optimizing the infrastructure to respond to the new demands of the sector and ensuring sustainable tourism growth in the region.
TYT Newsroom
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