The San Francisco Port Commission has approved the construction of the Pier 27 James R. Herman International Cruise Terminal and Northeast Wharf Plaza.
“For more than two decades, we have been trying to find the mechanism and the money to construct a new cruise terminal that is befitting of the City’s prominence as a world class destination,” said San Francisco MayorEdwin M. Lee. “Now that the Port Commission has adopted the Project and the San Francisco Planning Department’s certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report, work can truly begin – work whose construction and completion will bring what we need most: jobs, jobs, jobs,” the prt authority said in a statement.
It is estimated that the cruise industry last year generated nearly $40 million in economic benefits to the region. The average economic contribution per home ported vessel call was close to $1.2 million and the average impact of an in-transit call was $800,000. Not only does the cruise industry benefit San Francisco’s leading industry, tourism, it also directly benefits San Francisco’s other maritime industries such as tug and tow operators, Bar Pilots, ship suppliers and longshore workers.
The new James R. Herman International Cruise Terminal will be named in honor of the late James R. Herman: former Port Commissioner and President of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Dean Brown, Executive Vice President of Corporate Services for Princess Cruises stated, “As a longtime partner with the Port of San Francisco, Princess Cruises looks forward to calling at a new cruise terminal at Pier 27. The new terminal will provide our guests with a more efficient and comfortable experience befitting a City like San Francisco.”
As a result of the Port Commission’s landmark approval, in the first quarter of 2012, ground breaking will commence on construction of a new 88,000 square foot cruise terminal and 2½ acre public park, the Northeast Wharf Plaza, at Piers 27-29, a 14.8 acre site located on The Embarcadero at Bay Street. The new cruise terminal on Pier 27 will serve as the primary cruise ship terminal, while the cruise terminal on Pier 35 will be used as a secondary terminal in the event that two cruise ships require berthing on the same date. The terminal will be appointed with modern passenger amenities-, be able to handle the largest classes of cruise ships and will reduce vessel emissions at the Port by providing shorepower.
