Belfast finds larger ships produce congestion and not much business

The City Council of Belfast, ME (population about 7,000) voted this week to have drafted an amendment to existing ordinances that would ban shore excursions from cruise ships carrying 50 or more passengers.

The issues that set this initiative into motion - harbor docking space tied up, congestion in Belfast's narrow streets - came about when the American Cruise Lines 243' catamaran American Eagle (pictured, above) which carries 50 crew and up to 100 passengers - began visiting the city in the summer of 2024.

Because American Cruise Lines sends charter buses to take disembarked passengers on day tours out of Belfast - thus limiting passenger spend in the city - the proposed ordinance amendment has the support of the Belfast Chamber of Commerce.

As of right now, 14 cruise ships are expected to visit Belfast in the summer of 2025.

A ban on large cruise ships (>1,000 passengers) passed by the Town of Bar Harbor in 2022 resulted in a lawsuit against the town. But in March 2024 a federal judge found the Bar Harbor ordinance to be a "lawful exercise of home rule authority" under the Maine and US Constitutions.

Stay tuned for updates on Belfast.