On the November 8th Portland ballot is “An Act to Restrict Cruise Ships in Order to Reduce Congestion and Pollution.” The summary language states the Act, “Limits the number of passengers who may disembark from cruise ships to no more than 1,000 people on a given day, in aggregate, going into effect in 2025.”
As with many things humans do or invent, cruise ships seemed like a good idea at the time. However, as with other activities and inventions, things don’t always work out so well and we’re left with the questions of: “How can we fix this?” and “How can we fix this fairly?”
Nine ports in Maine receive cruise ships. In 2023, ships are scheduled for Bar Harbor (126), Bath (28), Bangor (18), Boothbay Harbor (27), Bucksport (10), Camden (18), Eastport (10), Portland (118), and Rockland (25).
With the exception of Bar Harbor and Portland, the ships are small, 100 to 210 guests. Eastport does have three ships carrying between 530 and 730, while Rockland has two with 2,038 and 2,506. Cruises visiting Portland have up to 4,500 guests. Sixty-four of them will have more than 1,000 guests.
Essentially, this referendum’s purpose is to ban all cruise ships carrying 1,000 or more passengers.
Note the use of the word passengers here. In the full wording of the referendum, “No cruise ship shall be allowed to disembark passengers or crew [without a permit] … No such permit may allow more than 1,000 persons, in the aggregate, to disembark from cruise ships within the City on a single calendar day.”
What ship with more than 1,000 guests is going to dock in Portland if not all their guests are going to have the opportunity to leave the ship— even if their only desire is to walk a few blocks to try a lobster roll, a Holy Donut donut, or some Duck Fat fries? In addition, in the 2023 schedule, there are days when two smaller ships arrive with over 1,000 passengers between them. If all those ships were not to dock in Portland, the 118 scheduled landings would be reduced to 50!
This would have a negative economic impact, especially on those who can least afford it.
Those working in service industries, non-profit attractions, retail, as street vendors, and others would be hit hard.
When it comes to congestion and pollution, presumably the Act is referring to vehicles, not the presence of visitors. This referendum is a ham-handed attempt to impose a hard and fast simple rule that cannot solve a complex problem. It should be rejected.
What we do need to tackle, however, is the pollution caused by the ships themselves idling all day to provide power and the internal combustion engines of buses, cars, minivans, etc. that idle waiting to schlep people around to sightsee and shop. Electrify the port and require transportation providers to transition to electric vehicles by a date certain. While that transition is happening, take stock of how large an infusion of people the Old Port can realistically accommodate for eight hours and adjust the number and capacity of ships accordingly.
Rosanne Graef lives in the West End and is a regular volunteer contributor. Email her at lavidalocalwen@gmail.com.
To Cruise or Not to Cruise?
La Vida Local: Irregular Notes on West End Life
To Cruise or Not to Cruise?
By Rosanne Graef
On the November 8th Portland ballot is “An Act to Restrict Cruise Ships in Order to Reduce Congestion and Pollution.” The summary language states the Act, “Limits the number of passengers who may disembark from cruise ships to no more than 1,000 people on a given day, in aggregate, going into effect in 2025.”
As with many things humans do or invent, cruise ships seemed like a good idea at the time. However, as with other activities and inventions, things don’t always work out so well and we’re left with the questions of: “How can we fix this?” and “How can we fix this fairly?”
Nine ports in Maine receive cruise ships. In 2023, ships are scheduled for Bar Harbor (126), Bath (28), Bangor (18), Boothbay Harbor (27), Bucksport (10), Camden (18), Eastport (10), Portland (118), and Rockland (25).
With the exception of Bar Harbor and Portland, the ships are small, 100 to 210 guests. Eastport does have three ships carrying between 530 and 730, while Rockland has two with 2,038 and 2,506. Cruises visiting Portland have up to 4,500 guests. Sixty-four of them will have more than 1,000 guests.
Essentially, this referendum’s purpose is to ban all cruise ships carrying 1,000 or more passengers.
Note the use of the word passengers here. In the full wording of the referendum, “No cruise ship shall be allowed to disembark passengers or crew [without a permit] … No such permit may allow more than 1,000 persons, in the aggregate, to disembark from cruise ships within the City on a single calendar day.”
What ship with more than 1,000 guests is going to dock in Portland if not all their guests are going to have the opportunity to leave the ship— even if their only desire is to walk a few blocks to try a lobster roll, a Holy Donut donut, or some Duck Fat fries? In addition, in the 2023 schedule, there are days when two smaller ships arrive with over 1,000 passengers between them. If all those ships were not to dock in Portland, the 118 scheduled landings would be reduced to 50!
This would have a negative economic impact, especially on those who can least afford it.
Those working in service industries, non-profit attractions, retail, as street vendors, and others would be hit hard.
When it comes to congestion and pollution, presumably the Act is referring to vehicles, not the presence of visitors. This referendum is a ham-handed attempt to impose a hard and fast simple rule that cannot solve a complex problem. It should be rejected.
What we do need to tackle, however, is the pollution caused by the ships themselves idling all day to provide power and the internal combustion engines of buses, cars, minivans, etc. that idle waiting to schlep people around to sightsee and shop. Electrify the port and require transportation providers to transition to electric vehicles by a date certain. While that transition is happening, take stock of how large an infusion of people the Old Port can realistically accommodate for eight hours and adjust the number and capacity of ships accordingly.
Rosanne Graef lives in the West End and is a regular volunteer contributor. Email her at lavidalocalwen@gmail.com.