NEW ENGLAND CITY SET TO BAN CRUISE SHIPS BECAUSE OF CHAOS THEY BRING

A gorgeous seaside town in Maine is threatening to ban cruise ships from its port to cut down on congestion.

The city council of Belfast voted on Tuesday to direct the city's planning department to draft an amendment that would ban cruise liners from visiting, Bangor Daily News reported.

Belfast hasn't received the same level of cruise ship traffic as other coastline cities in Maine such as Bar Harbor or Portland. 

The city of just over 7,000 residents welcomed eight visits last summer and is expected to have 14 ships dock this year.

This comes as Bar Harbor, which has about 2,000 less people than Belfast, began enforcing its own restrictions on cruise ships. 

Bar Harbor voters approved limiting ships in 2022 and once again affirmed their decision last November.

Nearby coastal towns of Eastport and Rockland saw the move as an opportunity to accept more cruise ships and spend-happy tourists to their streets.

Lawmakers in Belfast are thinking of locking down access after the American Eagle, a new larger ship run by American Cruise Lines, made five stops in their town last summer.

The cruise line reportedly assure city officials that the ship would be able to dock without any issues.

But Harbor Master Katherine Given wrote a memo to city council members that maintained there were issues.

'Unfortunately, many problems did arise, including some that were not discussed, such as the unexpected arrival of charter buses to take the ship's passengers to other locations,' Given wrote.

'Some of these problems had a definite negative impact on other visiting boaters using the docks, launch ramp use, and pedestrian and traffic safety around the Belfast City Landing,' she added.

Five council members unanimously voted to send the proposed ban to the planning board after the harbor advisory committee recommended the change last week.

Specifically, the ban would prohibit any ship that can carry 50 or more passengers from allowing those on board to embark or disembark at Belfast landing or other city locations.

Support surprisingly came from the Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce.

In a memo to the city council, Dorothy Harvey, the chamber's executive director, argued that cruise ship passengers often don't provide much business to local shops because of their limited time in the city.

These passengers often rely on a tour service to take them somewhere else entirely during the ship's docking, she said.

'While we appreciate the potential for tourism revenue, the detrimental effects of cruise ships on our safety, environment, local businesses, and community character cannot be overlooked,' Havey said. 

'It is vital that we prioritize the long-term health and well-being of our town over short-term economic gains.'

Cruise liners paid the city $16,142 in docking fees last year, and if the ban doesn't go through, the city could generate nearly $24,000 in fees from the ships scheduled to visit.

Any decision to ban cruise ships would need additional approval. 

Given said Belfast will likely be able to make up much of that loss with smaller recreational boats operated by private individuals.

'Having this dock space open will also allow us to better accommodate other users of the facilities,' Given said. 'The more the committee discussed it, the more we realized we didn't have options.'

Juneau, the capital city of Alaska, tried to ban cruise ships from docking on Saturdays back in October. The referendum was meant to give locals some peace on the few warm months of summer.

The ship-free Saturdays initiative failed, with 6,575 people voting against it and 4,196 voting in favor.

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2025-01-23T00:28:54Z