Philadelphia (PhilaPort, Pennsylvania)

Philadelphia is a Delaware River cruise port in Pennsylvania USA. The city has population around 1,6 million (metro over 6 million), ranking it Pennsylvania state's largest and USA's 7th largest (as metro area). The city is located in the Delaware Valley region (northeastern USA) and at the confluence of two rivers - Delaware and Schuylkill.

In July 2024, NCL/Norwegian Cruise Line announced its 2026 spring/summer programs (~250 itineraries), including a new homeporting season from PhilaPort. Between April 16th and October 17th (2026) the Norwegian Jewel ship has scheduled 7-9-day cruises to Bermuda from Philadelphia's SouthPort Marine Terminal Complex. The itineraries included overnight stays at King's Wharf/Royal Naval Dockyard (Bermuda). After the summer Bermuda season from Philadelphia, the ship offers 10-11-day Canada and New England cruises, alternating between Philadelphia and Quebec City.

In Philadelphia are headquartered seven of all "Fortune 1000" listed US companies. The city's total metro gross product is Around USD 347 billion (statistics 2010), ranking it the USA's 7th largest metro economy.

The city's main economic sectors are info technologies, biotechnology, manufacturing, oil refining, food processing, health care, finances, insurance and tourism. Of those, finances are the metropolis' largest sector. The city is also among USA's largest health education and research centers.

Here are also based Philadelphia Stock Exchange, Comcast (internet provider), insurance companies (Colonial Penn, CIGNA, Independence Blue Cross), Sunoco (petroleum and petrochemical manufacturer), Aramark Corporation (food service provider), chemical companies (Rohm & Haas, FMC), GlaxoSmithKline (pharmaceutical), Boeing Military Aircraft (US aircraft manufacturer), Pep Boys (auto parts retailer).

The city's largest private employers are University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Philadelphia attracts over 3,5 million (mainly domestic) tourists annually with its Independence National Historical Park. The park includes popular historical sites, such as Liberty Bell, and Independence Hall). The city's largest park (Fairmount Park) includes the Philadelphia Zoo. When combined with the adjacent Wissahickon Valley Park, both parks form one of the USA's largest contiguous urban park zones.

The city is also very popular as food travel destination, featuring traditional German and Italian dishes - like hoagies, scrapple, soft pretzels, water ice, Irish potato candy, Tastykake, cheesesteak. Among the most famous restaurants are Pat's King of Steaks, Geno's Steaks, Iron Chef (by Masaharu Morimoto), Vetri (Italian), Lacroix, McGillin's Olde Ale House (tavern).

Reading Terminal Market is an enclosed food market hosting over 100 local merchants selling here Dutch specialties, gourmet cheese, prime meat, locally grown groceries, ethnic foods.

Philadelphia allows small amounts of marijuana, making the city USA's largest to decriminalize cannabis.

PhilaPort (Philadelphia)

Philadelphia Port (locode USPHL) combines public and privately-owned ports and cargo terminals located along Delaware River (Pennsylvania and New Jersey states). Since May 22, 2017, by PhilaPort is meant the publicly-owned cargo terminals within Philadelphia City (along Delaware River's Philadelphia side). All these terminals are managed, maintained, marketed and promoted by the Regional Port Authority (abbrev PRPA / independent maritime agency of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth).

• Packer Avenue Terminal is PhilaPort's largest facility where are handled TEU containers, bulk cargoes (steel, frozen meat, fruits) and cars. In 2018 were scheduled for completion the new warehouses (at the former "Philadelphia Produce and Seafood Terminal").
• Tioga Terminal (Port Richmond) handles pulp cargoes (imported from Brazil) as well as various breakbulk cargoes. In 2018 started the building of a 9290 m2 (100,000 ft2) warehouse.
• Pier 84 handles exclusively cocoa (beans and products).
• Philadelphia Forest Products Center comprises piers 38, 40, 74, 78, 80 (each with a warehouse). Here are handled forest products (newsprint paper, wood pulp, lumber, coated paper).
• Automobile Terminal (South Philadelphia) serves the American dealerships of Hyundai and Kia cars (arriving weekly at Packer Avenue Terminal). In 2018 started the construction of a vehicle-processing center for new car imports (Hyundai and Kia models) at Navy Yard's Southport terminal.

Recent PhilaPort development projects include:

• "Delaware River Main Channel Deepening" (2010-2017), cost USD 392 million) - dredging the 103-ml long main channel from 40 ft to max draft 45 ft)
• "Port Development Plan" (announced in Nov 2016, cost USD 300 million) - expanding and improving the port's cargo operations throughout its busiest areas. By this plan, Greenwich Terminals purchased 1 large gantry (container) crane and PhilaPort bought 3 such cranes. Warehouses were updated and some were relocated. These projects created around 2000 construction jobs and nearly 7000 jobs for truckers, rail workers, vessel and port suppliers and other port-related businesses.
• Packer Avenue Marine Terminal received USD 188 million and almost doubled its annual cargo capacity (from 456,000 to 900,000 TEUs). Its berths were deepened from 42 to 45 ft. Four post-Panamax cranes (world’s largest) were installed. Old warehouses were demolished to increase acreage and new ones were constructed.
• To Publicker lot were added 40 acres for containers.
• Tioga Marine Terminal received USD 12 million. Its break bulk cargo capacity was increased 21%. A new mobile harbor crane was added and warehouses were improved.

Philadelphia Auto Port received USD 93 million (Navy Yard's Southport) to provide 155 acres of storage for autos. Its annual capacity was increased from 155,000 to 350,000 cars. The former seaplane hangar was converted into auto-processing facility. On December 6, 2019, was officially opened the new Containerized Auto Shipping Facility near Packer Ave Marine Terminal. The new terminal is managed by CFR Rinkens (containerized auto shipping company) and GWSI (Groundwater Site Inventory, US logistics). The terminal serves high-volume car exporters bulk-buying vehicles at US auto auctions. It offers high-security onsite storage (capacity 1200+ vehicles), expert loading, no dock wait times for truckers, 0 congestion, 0 high-season price increases (flat year-round pricing) and most efficient US Customs processing.

In August 2017, PhilaPort handled a total of 667,069 metric tons of cargo handled, which was the port's ever highest monthly cargo volume total. Port Philadelphia also broke its previous monthly records for container ship cargo (moving a total of 54,185 TEUs / containers) and 109,604 metric tons of forest products. PhilaPort's increased tonnage was due to recently upgraded infrastructure and improved cargo handling systems. In 2017, port's container shipping volumes grew by 19%.

In December 2017, PhilaPort purchased two super post-Panamax gantry cranes to handle large container ships. The cranes cost USD 23,5 million and were purchased by the Shanghai China-based manufacturer "Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co Ltd", In 2016, from the same company were purchased another 2 large-capacity gantry cranes, bringing the port's total number of new cranes to four. Both pairs of cranes were scheduled for deliveries in March 2018 and April 2019.

On January 14, 2018, arrived PhilaPort's ever largest cargo vessel - MSC Avni (TEU capacity 11,000 containers).

Philadelphia cruise terminal