The San Juan Cruise Port (SJCP) project is a public-private partnership initiative designed to elevate the Port of San Juan to world-class standards and maximize its potential as a leading cruise destination.

Under a 30-year public-private partnership agreement with the Puerto Rico Ports Authority (PRPA), Global Ports Holding Plc (GPH), through its local subsidiary San Juan Cruise Port, will (1) repair, enhance, develop and operate the SJCP infrastructure 2) expand the capacity of the port to accommodate larger ships (3) achieve best-in-class customer satisfaction scores, (4) increase cruise passenger traffic, and (5) create a mutually beneficial partnership with the government of Puerto Rico to secure San Juan’s position as a premier international cruise port.

This agreement was signed after a competitive bidding process managed by the Public-Private Partnerships Authority as provided by Puerto Rico law, where GPH was selected as the preferred bidder.

Under the PPPA, San Juan Cruise Port will manage, operate and make investments in the port during the term of the concession, but the ports will continue to belong to the People of Puerto Rico. The Government of Puerto Rico will continue to retain full ownership of the port.

Global Ports Holding Plc (GPH) is the world’s largest cruise port operator. GPH operates 30 cruise ports in 17 countries and provides services to 20 million passengers a year globally in world-renowned ports including Nassau and Antigua & Barbuda in the Caribbean; Málaga and Barcelona in Spain; several ports in Portugal, Italy, and Malta; and Singapore and Ha Long in Asia. For more information visit www.globalportsholding.com

San Juan Cruise Port is the name of the local subsidiary of Global Ports Holding in Puerto Rico.

Under the agreement with the PRPA, GPH will invest more than $425 million of private capital once a specific set of criteria is met. In the first phase of the project, which is to be completed within 30 months of financial closing, GPH will invest $100M of private capital to repair Pier 4, Pan American Piers I and II, and the walkway connecting Piers 1 through 4. In the second phase of the investment – which will begin based on certain trigger events - GPH will invest an additional $250M for longer-term expansion investment projects including the construction of a new pier and homeport terminal at Piers 11-12. Longer-term projects, which will also be launched based on certain trigger events, call for the eventual development of additional port infrastructure at Pier 13. The agreement with the Ports Authority also includes a $75M upfront concession fee to be paid to the public corporation, plus an ongoing revenue-sharing agreement.

Historically, San Juan has been a leading cruise port destination, but in the last few years, as the Government of Puerto Rico focused its efforts on social and economic rebuilding activities following a series of catastrophic natural disasters, the port has not realized its potential. Puerto Rico has also lost some of its cruise tourism business due to a lack of investment in the infrastructure of the port, which has deteriorated extensively.

The San Juan Cruise Port project incorporates an important capital investment program to repair the existing damage. The San Juan Cruise Port team will also implement international best practices to optimize services, strengthen destination marketing, and improve the experience of cruise lines and passengers.

The people of Puerto Rico, through the Puerto Rico Ports Authority (PRPA), own and will continue to own the San Juan Bary Cruise Port throughout the term of the concession agreement and beyond. During the term of the concession, the port will be managed by GPH under San Juan Cruise Port.

At the end of the 30-year concession, the cruise facility, including all improvements made by GPH, will be handed back to the PRPQA at no cost to the government or the people of Puerto Rico.

Thus, ownership of the San Juan Cruise Port remains in the hands of the people of Puerto Rico 

throughout the entire concession period and beyond. This is also the case in Nassau, Bahamas - one of the top five cruise ports in the world - and Antigua % Barbuda, where GPH teams comprised of local talent manage the ports.

Local economists estimate that the San Juan Cruise Port project will contribute approximately $14 billion of additional economic impact for Puerto Rico over the term of the concession.

Independent cruise traffic experts project that the current cruise passenger volume at San Juan has the potential to grow threefold from 1.8 million in 2019 to over 5 million by the end of the concession, which is consistent with the projected growth of the industry worldwide. GPH has the investment capital and global expertise to partner with Puerto Rican authorities, cruise lines, and industry stakeholders to give the port of San Juan the opportunity to capitalize on this anticipated growth.

Additionally, the San Juan Cruise Port project is expected to generate thousands of direct and indirect construction jobs during the development and construction phase and 215 permanent jobs at peak times during the operational phase.

Through the formation of a “Steering Committee” and relevant stakeholder working groups, the San Juan Cruise Port team will work with stakeholders to integrate the cruise port into the wider metropolitan San Juan area. This level of partnership will certainly benefit community members in many ways but will also ensure that visitors are exposed to an authentic taste of the uniqueness that Puerto Rico has to offer.

The Steering Committee will include representatives of SJCP, PRPA, and other relevant key stakeholders including the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, representatives from San Juan, Cataño and other relevant municipalities, the Luis Muñoz Marín Airport and the Ribas Dominicci (Isla Grande) Airport. Members shall determine if any other participants should be added to the committee. The principal objective of the Steering Committee will be to align objectives amongst the Steering Committee members, develop a common strategy, and set general guidelines for working together.

Our local port team will also be committed to promoting the port and the destination, locally and abroad. We will work with government authorities, cruise lines and tourism operators and put our extensive global experience to work as the cruise industry gears for growth. Engagement, alignment and knowledge sharing will be key to sustainable success.

In 2021, Puerto Rico experienced a strong rebound in tourism activity. Improvements in port infrastructure and key service enhancements will undoubtedly support an even greater boost in tourism numbers. San Juan has many unique, positive attributes, including its proximity to major homeports, having the biggest port and airport in the region, being part of the U.S. and having unique tourist attractions like Old San Juan. San Juan Cruise Port will facilitate the growth of the homeport business by ensuring that San Juan continues to be the premier cruise gateway to the Eastern and Southern Caribbean.

GPH commenced preparations for the post-COVID cruising reality in January 2020 at the first sign of the pandemic. The Emergency Response Plans and the Health and Safety Protocols for all GPH ports were revised to reflect the new reality. Valletta and Singapore – two of the ports we operate - became the first in the world to restart operations. All our ports obtained the Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council based on the enhanced protocols. Puerto Rico will be no exception.

Yes. San Juan Cruise Port will partner with local vendors and tourism industry stakeholders throughout the community to ensure that passengers disembarking in San Juan will be transported around the island safely and efficiently.

The project will be developed in two major phases. Operations at the port will continue throughout the construction period with minimal disruption.

The Initial Investment Projects phase will take place within the 24 months following financial close and will include repairs to Pier 4, as well as Pan American Piers I and II. Longer-term expansion investment projects, which will be scheduled based on certain trigger events primarily related to cruise passenger traffic growth, will include infrastructure repairs and the construction of a new pier and home port terminal at piers 11 and 12. Pier13 is reserved for future development, the timing of which is also subject to certain trigger events.

Demand for cruising is increasing globally, with the major cruise lines reporting strong levels of demand and several new ships ready to be deployed. We continue to receive a steady stream of new reservations coming in across most of our global network and are encouraged by these trends We expect cruise volumes to surpass pre-pandemic levels in the very near future.

The Caribbean is and will remain the most stable and desirable base for cruise operators worldwide. This partnership between GPH and the PRPA will secure and boost Puerto Rico’s leading position in this market. The company’s investment in Puerto Rico now will mean positive returns for generations of Puerto Ricans.

Our local port team will be committed to Puerto Rico as a tourist destination, especially because it will be a team of Puerto Ricans. At GPH, we strongly believe that the port operator, government authorities and tourism industry stakeholders should work closely as the interests of all parties are aligned. We will, therefore, work with the local and municipal government authorities and all Puerto Rico tourism industry stakeholders to support the promotion of the destination and its attractions, set main common objectives, unlock potential bottlenecks and problems, and keep open channels of communication to review the results and find solutions to common challenges.

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At GPH, we believe that one of the values that continues to make us successful is that we have a global, yet local perspective on port Operations. Nowhere is this more evident than in our staff complement at each port. Our teams are comprised of local residents – citizens of the destinations we serve who have a vested interest, by birth, in the success of the port and the destination. All PRPA employees working at the PRPA Maritime Bureau who were interested in working with GPH were given priority for employment under competitive terms.