The town of Belfast in Maine is considering a ban on cruise ships, Bangor Daily News reported on Wednesday.
According to a report by the newspaper, Belfast councilors authorized the city’s planning staff to draft an amendment that would ban any passenger ships with over 50 guests from visiting.
The initiative comes after local officials and a business group raised concerns about congestion and other headaches, Bangor Daily News said.
Local officials are especially concerned about the new American Eagle, which entered service for American Cruise Lines in 2023.
According to the report, the 109-guest ship made five visits to Belfast in 2024, impacting the town’s port operations and traffic.
“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,” Harbor Master Katherine Given said in a memo to councilors.
“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.
Following a recommendation from the city’s harbor advisory committee, the council was unanimous in approving the changes to the planning board last week.
If approved, the proposed ban would bar any ship carrying 50 passengers or more from embarking or disembarking passengers, including by tender, at any property in Belfast.
The initiative was also supported by the Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce, which stated that the ships “don’t provide a ton of business to local shops and restaurants.”
After receiving eight cruise calls in 2024, Belfast is expecting roughly 14 visits in 2025, Bangor Daily News reported.
Most of the calls are set to be made by the American Eagle, as part of a seven-day itinerary that departs from Bangor and visits destinations in Maine and New Jersey.
Belfast is not the first town in Maine to consider limiting cruise ship visits. In 2022, Bar Harbor approved a petition that limited the number of cruise passengers who can disembark to just 1,000 per day.
