After a city council’s 5-0 vote, cruise ships with greater than 50 passengers are now not allowed to go to a port in Maine. With this tight restriction, it’s not only a ban on massive cruise ships however basically all cruise ships.
The Belfast Metropolis Council acknowledged that cruise ships blocking the channel was a serious concern. Moreover, the tour buses wanted to switch passengers into city was a supply of competition.
With a inhabitants of about 7,000, Belfast, Maine, is an enthralling coastal city recognized for its picturesque downtown and proximity to nice climbing trails and pure magnificence.
In 2024, eight cruise ship visits had been made on the Belfast, Maine port. 5 of those visits had been from the 109-passenger American Eagle with American Cruise Line.
American Cruise Line has been the one main cruise line to make common stops on the port. Since not one of the cruise line’s ocean-faring ships carry fewer than 50 passengers, the ban will hold the cruise line from visiting the port solely.
In actual fact, it is going to hold most cruise traces from visiting Belfast, since not many ocean-going cruise vessels would match below the restrict.
Congestion within the Port
Councilor Brenda Bonneville stated that the ban was essential to take care of security considerations.
“When these specialists, actually, come to us and say, ‘that is how we really feel, these are our suggestions,‘ we pay attention very rigorously and depend on their experience,” Bonneville acknowledged.
Restricted area across the port additionally made it tough for different vessels to maneuver and dock when cruise ships had been on the town.
“A few of these issues had a particular adverse impression on different visiting boaters utilizing the docks, launch ramp use and pedestrian and site visitors security across the Belfast Metropolis Touchdown,” Harbor Grasp Katherine Given stated in a memo.
Given additionally stated that the inflow of passengers brought on issues with different types of transportation with the “sudden arrival of constitution buses to take the ship’s passengers to different areas”.
A $24,000 Loss in Income
Belfast was anticipated to herald about $24,000 from 14 cruise ship visits in 2025, simply from American Cruise Line alone.
However in a memo, Given acknowledged that she expects “to generate a lot of the income if cruise ships don’t return” by means of different means.
Native enterprise house owners and council members acknowledged that cruise passengers don’t have a lot room for souvenirs on the ship and would usually relatively see the world’s websites than purchase from native distributors.
Bar Harbor’s Cruise Cap
This isn’t the primary time a Maine cruise port has restricted cruise site visitors. In November 2024, Bar Harbor’s city council narrowly upheld a 1,000-passenger every day cap that originated in 2022.
This choice was upheld by a federal decide in February 2024, confirming that Bar Harbor may legally implement this cover.
For the 2024 season, ships that had made reservations earlier than the vote in 2022 had been allowed to go to with out these restrictions, however from 2025 onward, almost all cruise ships are anticipated to be topic to this 1,000 passenger per day restrict.
