The Port of Galveston has announced that the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) will hold an event in support of a return to passenger cruise operations and discuss the economic impact of the cruise industry’s 14-month operational pause on the economy in Galveston and the region.

The Galveston Wharves at the Port of Galveston is the fourth most popular cruise homeport in North America and only cruise port in Texas. According to the port, Galveston’s cruise business generates $1.6 billion in expenditures annually and 27,000 jobs statewide.

FMC Commissioners Louis E. Sola and Carl W. Bentzel, Galveston Mayor Dr. Craig Brown, Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees Chairman Albert Shannon and Director and CEO Rodger Rees, Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy, and International Longshoremen’s Association President Alan Robb will participate, along with representatives of local businesses and the Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Galveston Island Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The event is scheduled for Monday, May 3, 2 p.m. CST.