With the cruise-ship business to Alaska booming, the Vancouver Port Authority is spending $79 million to build a new cruise-ship berth at Canada Place.

Vancouver's cruise facilities expect to handle about a million passengers this year -- three times the number of people they were designed for.

The work was to have been part of the convention centre expansion -- but that's been stalled.

Norman Stark of the Vancouver Port Authority says they couldn't wait any longer -- that if they didn't act now, they would risk losing more business to Seattle.

The $79 million is coming from the Port Authority, with no tax dollars involved.

The 10 cruise lines that call on Vancouver will be paying a 10% increase in user fees once the upgrade is complete in 2003.

The first major construction work will begin in March.