MSC and Royal Caribbean break ground on a shared Naha terminal for March 2028
Get the story first Add No Fluff Cruising as a preferred source in Google
MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean Group are building a cruise terminal together in Naha, Okinawa. Royal Caribbean Group’s release, dated 5 Oct 2026, targets completion and the start of operations for March 2028.
Two competing cruise companies will run it together. Nothing in the release changes a 2026 or 2027 Naha call.
Who owns it
The builder and operator is Cruise Port Naha G.K. The release calls it a joint venture between CTL Maritime and RCL Cruises Ltd. Those two companies represent MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean Group. The deal behind it is a Cruise Hub Formation Agreement signed with the Naha Port Authority in August 2026.
The release says the terminal will help Naha handle “some of the most advanced cruise ships in the world.” It does not name a ship. It prints no cost, no building size, and no passenger capacity.
When it happened
The release does not give the ceremony date. Ryukyu Shimpo, the Okinawa daily, dates it 2 Oct 2026. It places the new building at Naha Port’s No. 2 cruise berth. Its summary says the ceremony took place aboard MSC Bellissima, which was alongside. The release describes a traditional Japanese ceremony at the future terminal site. Both can be true. Most of the Japanese article is paywalled, so we rely on its headline and summary.
Seatrade Cruise News and Cruise Industry News ran the same facts on 5 Oct.
What the two lines said
Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty: “We do not simply bring guests here, we also invest here.”
Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Group’s cruise division, said the project will “create new opportunities for guests of MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys to enjoy Asia year-round.”
Neither quote names a new sailing or a homeport.
What this means for you
If you hold a Naha call before spring 2028, plan around the current port setup. If you are pricing a 2028 Japan cruise, such as Voyager of the Seas in spring 2028, do not book on the promise of the new building. March 2028 is a target. Check the pier in your final documents.
Facts above follow Royal Caribbean Group’s 5 Oct 2026 release, Ryukyu Shimpo on 2 Oct 2026, and Seatrade and Cruise Industry News on 5 Oct 2026.
Sources
Tier 1 = the cruise line’s own published material · Tier 2 = an established cruise-news outlet- TIER 1Royal Caribbean Group release on PR Newswire, Naha, Okinawa, 5 Oct 2026, 11:14 ET: Naha Port Authority, Cruise Port Naha G.K., Royal Caribbean Group and MSC Cruises celebrated the groundbreaking of a new cruise terminal at Naha Port; Cruise Port Naha G.K. is a joint venture between CTL Maritime and RCL Cruises Ltd., representing the respective interests of MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean Group; under the Cruise Hub Formation Agreement concluded with the Naha Port Authority in August 2026, Cruise Port Naha G.K. will develop and operate the new terminal, with completion and the start of operations targeted for March 2028; the terminal will strengthen the port's ability to accommodate some of the most advanced cruise ships in the world; the project follows Naha Port's 2019 designation by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as an International Cruise Ship Hub Formation Port; the groundbreaking included a traditional Japanese ceremony at the future terminal site with Okinawa Governor Genta Koja and representatives from the Cabinet Office of Japan; Jason Liberty quote includes: We do not simply bring guests here, we also invest here; Pierfrancesco Vago quote includes: create new opportunities for guests of MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys to enjoy Asia year-round. The photo caption names Preston Carnahan of Royal Caribbean Group, Governor Koja, Oliviero Morelli of MSC Group's cruise division, and Javier Rodriguez Sanchez of CTL Maritime. The release prints no construction cost, no terminal size, no passenger capacity, and no ship names or itineraries
Royal Caribbean Group, checked 5 Oct 2026 · Load-bearing source. Quotes are verbatim from this release. The release does not print the calendar date of the ceremony. Hero photo is the release image. - TIER 2Ryukyu Shimpo, byline 當山幸都, published 2 Oct 2026 16:53 JST and updated 18:36 JST: a groundbreaking ceremony for the passenger terminal building planned at Naha Port's No. 2 cruise berth took place on 2 Oct; the article summary says the ceremony was held aboard the cruise ship MSC Bellissima; completion is scheduled for March 2028
Ryukyu Shimpo, checked 2 Oct 2026 · Japanese-language Okinawa daily. Most of the article is behind a paywall. We read the headline, the published summary, and the opening line only, in our own translation. Source for the 2 Oct date, the No. 2 cruise berth, and MSC Bellissima as the ceremony venue. Royal Caribbean Group's release says the ceremony was at the future terminal site. Both may be true. We print both. - TIER 2Seatrade Cruise News, Holly Payne, 5 Oct 2026: MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean Group, Naha Port Authority and Cruise Port Naha celebrated the groundbreaking; the joint venture is between CTL Maritime and RCL Cruises; completion and the start of operations are targeted for March 2028; it repeats the Liberty and Vago quotes. Cruise Industry News, 5 Oct 2026, carries the same facts and cites MSC Cruises' press release for the March 2028 target
Seatrade Cruise News, checked 5 Oct 2026 · Agrees with the release. Cruise Industry News version: https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2026/10/cruise-terminal-groundbreaking-at-naha-marks-cruise-growth-in-japan/
Prices and policies move. This page was last checked on Oct 6, 2026, 12:00 PM ET.