MSC Cruises and the Port of Galveston are in negotiations over constructing a $110m cruise terminal in a warehouse occupied by Del Monte Fresh Produce.

The two-storey terminal with two gangways is expected to cost $70m to build, while the remaining $40m would go towards an adjacent 1,500-space car park, spokeswoman Kathy Thomas said.

Both sides have yet to agree on how to pay for the project, which is set to begin when Del Monte’s lease for the warehouse ends in 2024.

“That’s in discussion,” Thomas told TradeWinds.

The port already has two cruise terminals used by Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruise Lines. It has plans to build a fourth cruise terminal by 2040.

“Adding MSC to our family of cruise lines homeporting from Galveston would continue to elevate our status as a top US cruise port and boost the regional economy,” port chief executive Rodger Rees said in a statement.

Building a new terminal in Galveston would be a big step in MSC Cruises’ ongoing North American expansion, MSC Cruises USA chief executive Ruben Rodriguez said.

“We look forward to productive discussions with the Galveston Wharves as we chart MSC’s future in the US market,” he said.

Switzerland-based MSC Cruises, which is controlled by the MSC Group, currently sails from Miami and Port Canaveral, with year-round service from New York City beginning in April.

Carnival Corp and Royal Caribbean group told TradeWinds that neither of them was involved in the project to build a new cruise terminal at the port.