Charleston’s Union Pier bids bon voyage to its final cruise ship

CHARLESTON — The last cruise ship to call on Union Pier Terminal left downtown Charleston Tuesday evening, but it won’t be the final pleasure ship to visit the peninsula.

The Norwegian Jewel pulled into the Holy City on Tuesday morning for an eight-hour stopover, giving passengers a chance to see attractions like the City Market and area museums and restaurants. Its departure is one step toward redevelopment of the roughly 65-acre waterfront site along the Cooper River.

Ben Navarro, a Charleston developer and philanthropist, agreed in 2024 to buy Union Pier from the S.C. State Ports Authority. The $250 million deal will give the authority money for cargo operations, while Navarro will get land for what is expected to be a mix of shops, residences and public space.

“The end of Union Pier’s cruise ship era coincides with the city taking a new approach to tourism that will better balance the visitor experience with residents’ quality of life,” Navarro’s Beemok group of companies said in a news release.

Mediterranean Shipping’s Vista was supposed to be the last cruise ship to visit Union Pier, on July 4, but its port of call has been moved a little north to Columbus Street Terminal so it won’t interfere with an America 250 celebration to be held at Waterfront Park, which is adjacent to Union Pier.

Charleston Mayor William Cogswell said in a written statement that the end of cruise ships at Union Pier offers “an extraordinary opportunity” to shape the city’s waterfront.

“By working together, the city and Beemok are building the foundation for a waterfront that improves our quality of life and celebrates our city’s character,” Cogswell said.

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Beemok said it has spent two years meeting with community members and researching the area’s transportation, history, stormwater and resilience, public spaces and architecture to create a development that fits Charleston’s character.

“Ben Navarro’s vision for Union Pier is unwavering,” Miller Harper with Beemok said in a news release. “This will be a thoughtful, incremental approach that puts Charleston residents first, evolves over time and serves our city well for generations.”

Union Pier had been a home port for Carnival Cruise Line, which sailed mainly between the Holy City and the Bahamas for 14 years starting in 2010. Carnival Sunshine, the cruise line’s last of three ships to call Union Pier home, departed Charleston for the last time on Jan. 4, 2025, following a five-day excursion to the Bahamas.

While the cruise ships were popular with travelers from throughout the Carolinas and beyond, they weren’t always welcomed by Charleston locals, many of whom complained about traffic, noise and pollution generated by the industry.

Environmentalists and historic preservation groups sued the Ports Authority in 2012 to halt construction of a new cruise ship terminal at Union Pier — something Carnival said was necessary for long-term operations at the site. The long-running legal battle was dismissed in 2022 when the authority decided to sell Union Pier for private development.

The cruise industry’s impact on the local economy has been hard to measure.

A 2010 study by College of Charleston professors, the only official report conducted, showed the pleasure cruises generated about $37 million annually for the local economy. That’s about $95 million in today’s dollars.

The biggest impact was on the dozens of dockworkers who helped load food, beverages and other supplies onto the ship and handled passengers’ baggage for every voyage.

Micah Mallace, the authority’s president and CEO, said the maritime agency has worked with Beemok, the city and local groups to put Union Pier into private hands.

“As Union Pier Terminal transitions from port operations, we greatly appreciate Beemok’s commitment to working with the community and the city of Charleston to redevelop the site for Charleston residents, as we focus on growing our port business for all those who depend on us,” Mallace said in a written statement.

The Norwegian Jewel previously had scheduled stops at Union Pier in July and August, but those were canceled because of planned work at the waterfront terminal, according to a report by the Travel and Tour World website.

Those stops will be replaced by visits to Halifax, Nova Scotia.