Three major cruise lines are moving ships from the Port of Miami-Dade to avoid next month's trade summit.
''Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL have pulled out'' of Miami while the Free Trade Area of the Americas delegates meet in mid-November, said Thomas Winkowski, director, field operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Carnival is going to Port Everglades in Broward County. ``It looks like the others will, too.''
This is one of the first concrete signs that businesses are steering clear of downtown Miami and the street closings, traffic tie-ups and protests expected the week of Nov. 16.
The cruise lines move thousands of passengers in and out of the port each week.
''We have significant concerns about the volume of people who are going to be centered downtown,'' Carnival spokeswoman Jennifer De La Cruz said Thursday. ``It will be a better experience for our guests to operate that week from Port Everglades.''
Norwegian Cruise Line is shifting the Norwegian Dawn's Nov. 19 port call from Miami to Fort Lauderdale. Royal Caribbean Cruises would say only it is finalizing its plans for the summit, ``but it would be premature to discuss those plans until they are complete.''
However, Port of Miami spokesman Juan Kuryla said both Carnival and Royal Caribbean ``have advised us that they are planning on moving ships elsewhere.''
Royal Caribbean, which has five ships scheduled in Miami the week of FTAA, also has about 2,000 people working at its headquarters at the port.
Port Everglades has had a number of requests from the major lines to reserve berth space, said spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy.
The port can accommodate 12 ships at any one time. From Nov. 16 to 23, the port would normally log about 60 calls -- including day cruises. The switch from Miami will add 16 calls, Kennedy said.
''We're happy to accommodate our customers when they need additional berth space,'' she said. ``And it gives us the opportunity to show off our port to different ships and passengers.''
Neither she nor Kuryla could estimate the financial impact on their ports.
''The lines are free to move their ships at any time,'' Kuryla said. ``Their concern was access.''
The port will remain open, he said. ``We've been working with law enforcement agencies.''
Customs inspectors will be redirected to Port Everglades to process incoming passengers, Winkowski said.
As far as cargo is concerned, ''we're taking a wait and see approach,'' he said.
Carnival Thursday started notifying travel agents and passengers they had contact information for. ''And we will launch a phone blitz,'' De La Cruz said.
She couldn't think of any similar situations where the world's largest cruise company had to move so many ships. De La Cruz also couldn't say what the changes would cost the Miami-based company.
NCL spokeswoman Susan Robison said the company decided to move the Dawn because 'we don't want to disrupt our guests' port of call experience in South Florida.'' The Miami-based Norwegian is the first major cruise line to make Miami a regular port of call.
''We will be offering almost all of the Miami shore excursions, and we have added a few in Fort Lauderdale,'' she said. Passengers have been notified.
The Norwegian Sun on November 16 and Norwegian Wind on November 22 will sail as regularly scheduled from Miami.
While some Miami companies may have employees relocate to their Broward outposts during the FTAA, signs of additional business moving across county lines aren't apparent.
''I haven't heard anything at all,'' said James ''JT'' P. Tarlton, head of the Broward Alliance, the county's public/private economic development agency.
Herald business writers Ina Paiva Cordle and Patrick Danner contributed to this report.
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