Cape Canaveral Live Cam

With the consistent growth of cargo tonnage, the port continues to take on a new shape. When the first cargoes were unloaded at Port Canaveral in 1955, only one cargo pier existed to handle dry and liquid cargoes. Today, Port Canaveral has two liquid bulk facilities and eight dry cargo berths with 3,800 feet of berthing space - including two Roll On/Roll Off (Ro/Ro) ramps - available for its customers. Future plans call for the construction of an additional two cargo berths in the port’s West Turning Basin.

Port Canaveral’s South Cargo Piers 1, 2, 3 and 4 provide over 2,100 feet of docks for frozen and perishable food shipments and other general cargo. Mid-Florida Freezer Warehouses boasts the largest privately held, vessel-side freezer/chill facility in the South, with eight million cubic feet. Mid-Florida also operates over 400,000 square feet of dry vessel-side cargo warehouses. All warehouses are covered by Foreign Trade Zone 136.

Covered dry freight storage capacity on port property totals 600,000 square feet. Open storage includes 179 acres and paved storage totals 10 acres. The port’s North Cargo Piers 1 and 2 provide 1,140 feet of continuous dock, all at -39 feet MLW.

Fiscal Year 1997 was a strong year in terms of cargo tonnage with an ending volume of 3.5 million tons. Solid gains were achieved in cement, salt, newsprint and food stuff. Growth and diversification of cargo are expected to continue in FY ’98.

The port is ideally suited for bulk tank farms (vegetable oils, concentrate, POL and other chemicals) as well as dry bulk terminals (citrus pellets, fertilizers, sugar, etc.)

Last year, Port Canaveral began construction of a small container yard on the port’s north side. This new $6 million facility will allow Port Canaveral to serve as a feeder port to the much larger container hub being constructed at Freeport, Grand Bahamas. Phase 1 of the new facility will be configured to accommodate 160 ground slots for forty-foot equivalent (FEU) containers on chassis. The site will also have the ability to be reconfigured to use a three high straddle stacker which will allow the site to accommodate up to 450 FEU’s. Also, 40 ground slots will be equipped with electrical plug connections for refrigerated containers.

The building of a container facility at Port Canaveral is one of the final infrastructure items necessary to fulfill all the transportation needs of Central Florida. Port Canaveral’s new container yard will be fully operational in June 1998.

With the shortest direct entry on the east coast, Port Canaveral offers 45 minute transit time from first seabuoy to anchorage. Combined port costs, tuggage, pilotage, line handling, dockage, wharfage and water are the lowest in the southeast and 30% less than in Tampa Bay.

Both union an non-union stevedoring services are available at Port Canaveral. Numerous stevedoring companies can fit the multi-faceted needs of every type of vessel owner and shipper utilizing Port Canaveral.

Port Canaveral has an ongoing commitment to maintain environmental quality while continuing to grow and foster economic development. Among the programs that the Port's environmental staff implements are those which focus on endangered species protection, creation of artificial reef habitats, public events, and water quality monitoring.

The 1995-96 right whale calving season resulted in a dramatic increase in awareness among the local residents of Brevard County. Right whales come to the coastal waters off Port Canaveral to bear their young during the winter months from December 1 through March 31. Lorraine Guise, the port's assistant director of environmental programs, attributes the increase in awareness to the port's ongoing commitment and the new right whale public awareness program formed by the Marine Resources Council of Central Florida. In the Fall of 1995 the council's executive director approached the Canaveral Port Authority about the possibility of establishing a public sighting network for right whales to enhance the port's existing protection program.

The Port Authority approved a $3,000 grant to the MRC to establish their program. Another $1,000 followed later in the season to ensure MRC's ability to complete their work for the season. As a result of their work, awareness and sightings of right whales increased dramatically along the east coast of Central Florida.

The MRC is the second local group to voluntarily participate in the program. During the 1994-95 calving season, the Cocoa Beach Women's Club became Brevard's first formal (whale watchers) group. These volunteers utilized the excellent vantage points of their oceanfront condominium balconies to spot whales as they move along the coast. Members of the club were trained how to identify and report the whales by the Port Authority and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Because of their hard work, sightings of right whales increased that year.

The Canaveral Port Authority's right whale protection program was conceived and implemented in 1993 after the coastal waters off the port were designated as a critical habitat for the right whales by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The primary focus of the port's ongoing program is to educate shipping interests about the presence of right whales in this area and steps that can be taken to avoid impact with them.

The program's success is a result of the port's continuing efforts to help preserve this endangered species while maintaining the economic viability of the area.

The American Association of Port Authorities awarded Port Canaveral with the 1995 Environmental Improvement Award for Community/Public Involvement for their Sea Oat Distribution Project. Last year, the Canaveral Port Authority was honored with this distinguished award for the success of the Sea Oat Distribution Project. The intent of the sea oat purchase and distribution program was to help strengthen and preserve the dune ecosystem and prevent beach erosion.

Sea oats are stout, graceful plants that have historically been used in coastal areas to stabilize sandy dunes. The stems and leaves of the sea oats cause sand deposition by slowing the onshore winds carrying sand particles. The roots of the plants then bind sand grains and hold them in place on the dune. Sea oats are protected by law and provide valuable habitat for several endangered species in the coastal regions of the Southeastern United States.

Recognizing the importance of dune vegetation in the control of beach erosion, the Canaveral Port Authority agreed to purchase all 65,000 plants. The seedlings, which averaged one and one half feet tall, were delivered one week later and the challenge began to get them planted on the dunes before they perished. An enormous coordination effort was undertaken by the Canaveral Port Authority to find local government agencies and civic groups willing to find suitable planting areas along the county's 72 miles of beach dunes, then get the seedlings planted and properly watered.

The neighboring cities of Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, and Indialantic quickly committed their resources and planted 8,700 sea oats and 2,700 bitter panicum plants adjacent to public access dune crossovers where vegetation had been previously disrupted by human activity. The Brevard County Commission used 3,500 sea oats and 5,000 bitter panicum plants to enhance the dune systems of several beach front public parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service planted 2,800 sea oats and 2,800 bitter panicum on the dunes of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, a world renown turtle nesting area.

With 39,200 plants left to distribute, the Canaveral Port Authority then placed an advertisement in the local newspaper advising local residents that sea oats and bitter panicum were available free of charge. Beachside residents responded in overwhelming numbers and the program was a huge success. Although the "sea oat giveaway" was scheduled for three days, the last of the 39,200 plants was given away within the first two hours. While the Port Authority was optimistic that all the plants could be given away in three days, to have given them away in the first two hours was beyond all expectations.

In addition to organizing the purchase, arrival and distribution of the beach plants, the Port Authority coordinated with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to ensure that the planting of the sea oats and bitter panicum plants would not adversely impact turtle nests on the beach. To that end, the Port Authority agreed to plant the seedlings on the landward side of the dune crest so as not to disturb potential nest sites.

This project provided direct benefits to the environmental quality of the dune ecosystem. Planting native vegetation strengthens the dunes and provides protection from beach erosion. Decreasing the extent of erosion preserves turtle nesting areas and enhances the habitat available for endangered species - particularly the Southeastern Beach Mouse and the Florida Scrub Jay. In addition to providing protection, sea oats and bitter panicum are esthetically appealing plants which are often used for coastal beautification projects. Because of these qualities, sea oats and bitter panicum are highly regarded as beneficial vegetation in coastal communities.

The high level of community involvement in this project was the key to its success. The hundreds of beach front residents who responded to the newpaper advertisement and joined the effort to get the plants in the ground made the program possible.

The primary function of every port is to serve as a nodal point interface between transportation modes for the movement of cargo and people. Port Canaveral is unique in having "quadra-modal" service, that is, connecting four major modes of transportation: sea, land, air and space. The port takes advantage of well-developed highway, rail, air and space transportation systems, making it a major economic and distribution center.

The limited access S.R. 528 (Beeline Expressway), S.R. 520 and S.R. 50 are the port's direct highway links to its markets. These highways intersect with Interstate 4, the Florida Turnpike, U.S. Routes 17-92, 441 and numerous state and local highway systems providing the port with excellent north/south and east/west access to interior markets.

S.R. 528 intersects with the major north/south highways of Interstate 95 and U.S. 1, eight to ten miles west of the port entrance, providing an excellent link with its northern and southern market area.

The port is served by the Florida East Coast Railroad from a piggy-back facility. The facility is located at the Beeline Industrial Park (S.R. 528 and Clear Lake Road) 10 miles west of the port via S.R. 528. Also, the Norfolk-Southern Rail, through its "Triple-Crown Service," handles trailer loads of freight direct from all port piers and warehouses.

The port is served by the Melbourne International Airport, Space Center Executive Airport in Titusville, Orlando International Airport, Daytona Beach International Airport, and the Kennedy Space Center and Spaceport Florida. The airports are linked to the port via S.R. 528, U.S. 1 and Interstate 95. The space ports are adjacent to the seaport.

S.R. 528, via the Bennett Causeway, is the major arterial connecting the port to the mainland. However, alternative accesses by other causeways are available within a short distance if required.

Melbourne International Airport is a modern commercial service airport with an air trade area encompassing over 760,000 residents. Melbourne, Florida, is a major commercial and defense electronic manufacturing center. The Melbourne Airport Authority functions as a financially self-sustaining enterprise without local tax dollars. Tremendous improvements have recently been made in the airport and related facilities. Today, Melbourne International Airport is recognized as one of the outstanding small hub commercial service airports in the United States.

Located in southern Brevard County, the 2,800 acre airport is host to three major airlines (Continental, Delta and USAir). Non-stop flights are available to major hub airports including Atlanta, Charlotte and Newark. The large number of connecting flights at these major hub airports makes Brevard County only one stop away from most destinations in the United States, Europe, the Far East and South America.

A major force in the success of the airport is its convenient location at the center of the south Brevard business and high technology industry districts. Melbourne International Airport is also at the hub of a four-lane primary highway network. Interstate 95 is less than six miles away. The Florida East Coast Railway is located on the airport's east property boundary and is the site of a proposed Amtrak passenger station and container freight facility. The Melbourne International Airport is conveniently located 22 miles south of Port Canaveral.

Sixteen-hundred acres of airport property are dedicated to aviation use and development, and 1,200 acres are dedicated to commercial and industrial development. The airport has a large and growing community of commercial and industrial tenants ranging from small manufacturing firms to blue chip companies such as Northrop-Grumman, Rockwell International and DBA Systems. Harris World Corporate Headquarters is located on an out-parcel of airport property. All airport properties are included in Port Canaveral's Foreign Trade Zone #136.

The Orlando International Airport is located 45 miles from Port Canaveral via a limited access four lane highway.

With a total of nearly 15,000 acres comprising the entire airport property, the airport is the third largest in land area in the United States. Orlando International Airport ranks 16th in the nation and 24th in the world in passenger traffic, serving 27 million passengers annually. The airport includes: an 854-acre site for the Orlando International Airport terminal complex; Orlando Tradeport, a 1,400 acre Air Cargo park, including 205 acres designated for Foreign Trade Zone #42; two international arrival concourses with United States Customs and immigration facilities; 80 gates with 17 gates designated for international operation; and expansive fixed base operator, domestic and charter operations facilities.

The airport system is managed and operated by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) and includes Orlando International Airport and Orlando Executive Airport. The former serves scheduled commercial aircraft, charter and cargo flights; the latter caters exclusively to general aviation.

Orlando International Airport is the primary location for air travel to and from Central Florida and is the airport nearest to Orlando and its major tourist attractions and business destinations. It has more domestic non-stop scheduled service to more U.S. cities than any other Florida airport.

Forty-six scheduled airlines and over 26 charters operate from the Orlando International Airport and provide direct service to more than 100 cities world wide. Scheduled international service is available to the Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, the Caribbean, Chile, Costa Rica, Germany, Iceland, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Additional charter international service is provided from major Canadian, European and South American destinations. GOAA has received approval for $1.2 billion of expansion programs to accommodate the recently experienced and expected future rapid traffic growth.

The Space Coast Regional Airport is a corporate and commercial aviation facility operated by the Titusville-Cocoa (TICO) Airport Authority. The airport is located 15 miles north of the port and encompasses 1,100 acres. It is strategically located so as to be an excellent gateway to Kennedy Space Center and our national space program.

The Space Coast Regional Airport has several common transportation links with the other Foreign Trade Zone #136 areas in Brevard County. The entire airport and adjacent Spaceport Florida properties are within FTZ #136. Space Center Executive Airport is the hub of zone activity in North Brevard County.

The road systems linking Space Coast Regional Airport are very accessible and convenient, allowing access throughout the entire state. State Road 407 and State Road 405 are direct links to Interstate 95 and State Roads 528 (Beeline Expressway), State Road 50 and U.S. 1. All major routes are within five minutes of the airport facility.

The airport is within three to four driving hours of Jacksonville, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. This central location gives Space Center Executive Airport an advantage on moving containerized freight via the road system or rail system. Bulk cargo can easily be moved to Port Canaveral and dispersed via ocean going ships.

Space Coast Regional Airport can accommodate charter flights of large aircraft. In the past, charters have been arranged for international cargo. Here again, their location makes the airport a natural to service Port Canaveral, the Kennedy Space Center and the space industry. The airport is well on its way to becoming the premier jetport for this area of Florida.

Orlando Sanford Airport is located in Sanford, Florida, approximately 20 miles north of Orlando in Seminole County, Florida. The 1,800 acre airport boasts the finest leisure passenger facilities in the United States, along with a 125-acre industrial park and 270 acres available for further development. It has three lighted runways which are 9,600 feet, 6003 feet and 3,578 feet in length. Each runway has a full-length parallel taxiway.

A state-of-the-art facility designed to serve the special, specific needs of leisure travelers, the airport is unmatched in efficiency and fast, friendly service for vacationers.

Orlando Sanford Airport is perfectly located to serve the reowned Orlando resort market, as well as Port Canaveral, Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach and other holiday centers strung along the "Sunshine State's" fabled east coast. Approximately 35 miles south of Sanford, Walt Disney World and the attractions area can be reached by using Interstate 4 South or the new toll road, Highway 417 South (The Central Florida Greeneway). Either route is easily navigable and safe.

Downtown Sanford is known for its quaint shops and turn-of-the-century charm. Seminole County attractions promote the natural Florida with its spring fed lakes and rivers, easily accessed by canoes, airboats and St. Johns River cruises. All are within ten minutes driving time from the Orlando Sanford Airport. Sanford hosts the Central Florida Zoological Park, one of the finest inthe state and is only minutes from the enormous 1.2 million square foot, two story Seminole Towne Center Mall on Interstate 4.

Once the exclusive domain of NASA and the Air Force, our nation's space launch capability has evolved from rocket science into a vital commercial transportation industry, routinely delivering domestic and international satellites into earth orbit and beyond. Using launch pads built during the Cold War, Florida companies are accomplishing the ultimate in defense conversion by conducting for-profit business side-by-side with high security military operations at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

To assist this emerging space transportation industry, federal and state governments are adapting ideas from our nation's airports and seaports. In Washington, Congress assigned the Department of Transportation to regulate and license all commercial launch activities, and has established an Office of Commercial Space Transportation within the FAA. In Tallahassee, Florida, the governor and legislature established the nation's first "spaceport authority" (the Spaceport Florida Authority) and gave it powers similar to airport and seaport authorities.

Like any port authority, the Spaceport Florida Authority is responsible for providing the infrastructure and services needed for a competitive transportation industry. Representing Florida's most unique transportation industry, the spaceport authority works to provide launch pads, support facilities and various services to ensure Florida remains our nation's premier location for accessing space.

Since the first licensed U.S. commercial launch in 1989, the industry has grown into a $500 million enterprise. Companies like Hercules Aerospace, Lockheed Martin Corp., McDonnell Douglas and Orbital Sciences Corp., either actively launch commercial rockets or develop new launch capabilities at Cape Canaveral, in coordination with the spaceport authority and the U.S. Air Force. With NASA's ongoing effort to "privatize" the space shuttle program, the industry will become even more dynamic.

Unlike existing launch facilities for rockets like the Atlas, Delta and Titan - which each use infrastructure designed exclusively for their vehicles - the spaceport authority is applying a distinctive airport-like approach toward bringing new launch vehicles to Cape Canaveral.

Under a dual-use commercialization agreement with the Air Force and Navy, the seaport authority is modifying Launch Complex 46 (LC-46), at he very tip of the cape, to accommodate up to four different types of rockets. When the modified facility is operational in 1997, the spaceport authority will lease the pad to commercial users, eliminating the requirement for each launch company to invest millions to build its own infrastructure. LC-46 will maintain military mission for which it was originally built - supporting the Navy's Trident missile program.

The spaceport authority has requested the transfer of a second launch pad, LC-20, to support suborbital launch operations and to augment the capability at LC-46. In addition to suborbital missions, LC-20 might also accommodate orbital launches of converted Air Force Minutemen missiles.

Also with Air Force support, the authority plans to convert an unused facility at the entrance to Cape Canaveral Air Station into a one-stop-shop for satellite companies using Florida-based launch services. This "Customer Service Center", will provide a temporary base of operations for the launch vehicle and satellite company teams using the spaceport. It will include data monitoring facilities, public affairs support, government support offices and customer officer suites.

As federal budgets shrink, NASA and the Air Force may turn increasingly to the commercial launch industry to deploy their satellites and other payloads. With decades of experience in building and launching rockets for the government, today's launch companies are more than qualified to accommodate the government's launch needs on a commercial basis. Moreover, these services can be provided commercially at costs lower than the government can match.

This situation is not unlike the early days of the aviation industry. After developing the technology and systems necessary for commercial aviation to prosper, the government provided a necessary boost to the industry by agreeing to use commercial carriers to fly air mail cargo. This kind of "anchor tenancy" has received a lot of attention in Washington as a way to ensure the viability and competitiveness of our growing launch vehicle fleet.

In response to recent federal policies allowing China, Russia and Ukraine to launch up to 60 U.S. commercial satellites through 2001, Governor Lawton Chiles and the spaceport authority have proposed Cape Canaveral's unused launch facilities should be reactivated for use by foreign rockets. The spaceport authority is working in Washington to encourage federal support for this concept and is actively marketing the cape to potential international users.

Although U.S. launch programs have provided billions of dollars to the state's economy, Florida need to attract and nurture other non-launch space activities. Florida's primary role as a spaceport makes the state vulnerable to technical and political problems that have halted many launch programs. And with few higher-tech industries involved in space-related manufacturing, Florida must rely on the launch industry and uncertain programs like the space station to drive its aerospace economy.

One of the spaceport authority's goals has been to diversify Florida's space industry. By first supporting commercial launch industry growth, the authority is reducing the Space Coast's economic reliance on government launch programs. Toward attracting non-launch space industry, the legislature established tax incentives for space-related manufacturers when it created the Spaceport Florida Authority in 1989.

The authority has used these incentives and its other governmental powers to attract projects like a $5 million NASA-sponsored satellite technology center (located at Florida Atlantic University in south Florida); a $27 million Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. rocket fuel production facility (located near Pensacola in northwest Florida); a $30 million rocket motor warehouse facility (located near Gainesville in Clay County, Florida); and a $30 million NASA museum facility dedicated to the Apollo program (located at Kennedy Space Center, Florida); and a multi-million dollar expansion of Florida's U.S. Space Camp and Astronaut Hall of Fame. The authority is also working with the state's universities to attract new space research projects that could contribute to making Florida more attractive for non-launch space-related companies.