Overview
- The permanent PhilaPort Cruise Terminal officially opened Thursday with Norwegian Cruise Line’s inaugural sailing from the new Tinicum facility to Bermuda.
- PhilaPort and local reporting described the redevelopment of the Hog Island Dock site as a roughly $66 million project that completed years of permitting and weather-delayed construction.
- Norwegian and PhilaPort signed a seven-year berthing agreement through March 2033 and announced ship deployments that include the Jewel on Bermuda sailings through Sept. 26, the Pearl beginning in November with 5–14 day itineraries through April 2028, and the Gem on summer 2028 Atlantic Coast cruises.
- Company and port officials project the terminal will support about 2,200 direct and indirect jobs and generate roughly $300 million in annual economic output, a figure that the port and Norwegian described as a forecast rather than an independent estimate.
- At the opening, Norwegian presented community gifts through its Sail & Sustain program, including $20,000 to the Tinicum Township fire department and $30,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs, and officials said the terminal will let Mid‑Atlantic travelers board locally instead of traveling to New York, Boston, or Miami.