Port Canaveral locks GT USA into nearly 25 more years — and about 10 more acres — for cargo growth

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Port Canaveral and GT USA have signed a new lease that expands cargo operations at North Cargo Berth 6, adding nearly 10 acres next to the company’s existing terminal and locking in a multi-decade path for more breakbulk warehouse space — without publishing job numbers or how much the tenant will spend to build.

The Canaveral Port Authority announced the agreement on Sept. 24, 2026. The port said the deal was executed, takes effect immediately, runs for up to 25 years, and adds 10 acres beside GT USA’s existing 20-acre site at North Cargo Berth 6 for at least 15 hurricane-resistant warehouses totaling nearly 170,000 square feet. The warehouses are framed for breakbulk and general cargo such as lumber, steel, and project cargo.

Board materials for Item 8.A on Sept. 23 put sharper numbers on the same deal. Parcel C is ±9.95 acres adjacent to the existing 20-acre marine terminal lease and operating agreement dated June 23, 2014, at North Cargo Berth 6. The packet calls for at least 15 membrane warehouses of at least 11,250 square feet each — about 168,750 square feet in total. Those board figures sit behind the port’s rounder “10 acres” and “nearly 170,000 square feet” public phrasing.

How long the clock runs

The port’s news release rounds the commitment to “up to 25 years.” The board’s lease agreement is more precise: an initial term of nine years and six months commencing on the effective date and expiring March 31, 2036, with an automatic 10-year extension and then a further automatic five-year extension, for a maximum term of 24 years and six months. Readers should treat “up to 25 years” as the port’s public rounding of that 24.5-year maximum, not a separate 25-year flat term.

The lease’s construction deadlines require the tenant to submit development and site plans within 210 days of the effective date, start construction within 300 days, and complete construction — backed by a certificate of occupancy — within 570 days, or about 19 months. The port’s capital contribution to the project is listed as none.

Who GT USA is — and what this lease is not

GT USA LLC is a Florida limited liability company based at 9180 Grouper Road in Cape Canaveral. It is the U.S. arm of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates-based Gulftainer, which has operated the Canaveral Cargo Terminal at North Cargo Berth 6 under a marine terminal lease and operating agreement dating to 2014.

This 2026 Parcel C addition should not be conflated with marketing figures from the terminal’s original 2015 launch event — a $100 million infrastructure investment expected to create 2,000 jobs and contribute $630 million to the local economy “when fully developed.” Those figures describe the 2014 lease’s initial buildout, not this new 9.95-acre expansion, and are not part of the verified record for Parcel C.

The board packet’s rent projection — full abatement for the first 21 months, a partial abatement through month 30, then $80,936 a month once the Port Infrastructure Fee is included, rising 3% a year starting in year four — totals $49,444,949 in landlord rent revenue over the maximum 24.5-year term. That is port rent revenue, not the tenant’s construction budget; it is not a warehouse “investment” figure, and this story does not treat it as one. Tenant warehouse capital spending remains unknown.

Why it matters on the cargo side of the port

Port Canaveral’s public identity often tilts toward cruise and waterfront development. This lease is about the other half of the harbor: breakbulk capacity, warehouse storage, and Central Florida supply-chain volume moving through North Cargo Berth 6.

The port’s Sept. 24 release ties GT USA’s footprint to a bi-monthly container service between Mexico and the U.S. Northeast operated with Green Tide Logistics, and cites more than 6 million tons of cargo in fiscal year 2026 with $25 million in earned revenues from operations. Those tonnage and revenue figures are the port’s own performance context for the cargo franchise — not a claim that Parcel C alone produced them.

Capt. John W. Murray, Port Canaveral’s CEO, cast the signing as a gateway and jobs play for the region: “Today’s announcement strengthens our position as a global gateway for commerce to ensure supply chain stability for a range of materials essential to our growing region,” Murray said. “GT USA and Port Canaveral have been partners since 2014. This expanded commitment to our Port builds on our shared responsibility to be an economic engine and job creator that will pay dividends for generations to come.”

Luke Richards, managing director of GT USA, framed the larger yard as room to chase new commodities and customers: “The approval of GT USA’s expansion at Port Canaveral is an important milestone after significant hard work and collaboration. We are grateful for the Canaveral Port Authority’s continued support and excited to bring this project to life,” Richards said. “The larger footprint will give us the capacity to pursue new commodities, attract additional cargo, and better serve customers — driving further growth for GT USA and economic activity through the port.”

What is still unknown

As of this writing, the public record does not disclose tenant warehouse construction cost, job counts tied specifically to Parcel C, exact calendar groundbreaking and completion dates beyond the lease’s 210/300/570-day deadlines, or posted board meeting minutes. A search of Florida Today’s coverage did not turn up a separate story on this lease.

For Brevard readers, the takeaway is narrower than a ribbon-cutting promise: GT USA is locked into a runway that runs at least nine and a half years and could stretch to 24.5, Parcel C adds about 10 acres for a large membrane-warehouse build beside the existing 20-acre site, the port is not putting capital into the build, and the cargo side of Port Canaveral just got a longer lease — not a published payroll.