Progreso Port to Host Bigger Cruise Ships in 2027

Progreso, Yucatán — The expansion and dredging work on the navigation channel of the Progreso high port, expected to be completed in 2026, will allow for the arrival of larger cruise ships starting in 2027, according to Darío Flota Ocampo, head of the State Government's Ministry of Tourism Development (Sefotur). He specified that the cruise line Carnival has already announced the arrival of two of its ships that are larger than those currently docking in the entity.

"They (Carnival) have already announced for 2027 the operation in Progreso of ships that are currently under construction and that will be able to reach Progreso. Carnival made a couple of announcements: the Spirit and the Horizon will already be announced to arrive in Progreso starting in 2027," he explained.

It should be noted that the largest cruise ship to have called at the Progreso high port is the Carnival Breeze, with 4,700 passengers and 1,350 crew members; it arrived for the first time in July 2021.

Flota Ocampo referred to the recent working tour led by Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena to Miami, Florida, to strengthen relationships with leading cruise lines and bolster Yucatán's presence in the global cruise industry. Regarding this, the official stated yesterday that "the goal of the tour was to present to the cruise lines the details of the expansion work of the Progreso port, both in the depth and width of the navigation channel, and to get their feedback; some adjustments were made to the measurements to meet the needs of the new generation of cruise ships under construction."

In this sense, he explained that for these companies it was important to know that these works have already begun and are projected to be completed in the second half of next year, which is why they have begun to confirm the arrival of larger ships in Progreso starting in 2027.

"They announced to us that some of the new ships currently under construction will arrive in Progreso starting in 2027, since according to plans, the dredging should be ready by the second half of 2026, so by 2027 they will already be able to count on this new depth for larger ships that bring more passengers," the official stated.

This past Saturday, October 11, the State Government announced that from January to August, the arrival of 102 cruise ships and 311,072 passengers was recorded.