Juneau’s city officials are nearly doubling the fees that cruise lines pay to dock their ships at the city-owned facilities.

According to a report by KTOO, the Juneau Assembly unanimously approved the change, which applies only to large cruise ships, on Monday.

The increase will equate to millions of dollars in additional revenue for the city, the local news source said.

Juneau Visitor Industry Director Alix Pierce is quoted as saying that the change is aimed at making the dockage fees more competitive with private docks in Juneau and others in Southeast Alaska.

“We know that our rates are definitely low compared to the private docks here, and other ports in the region are also looking at their fee structure,” she said.

In addition to increasing the fees, the Juneau Assembly also changed the way ships are charged when using the town’s docks.

While current dockage fees are calculated using the vessel’s tonnage and length, the new rates will be based on the ship’s passenger capacities.

With the changes expected to double the amount that cruise ships pay, Juneau is also expected to double the revenue from cruise ship operations starting in 2026.

Last season saw about $2.5 million in dockage fees, KTOO said, with a similar amount expected for the 2025 season.

Pierce told the news source that the increase is not expected to bring much pushback from cruise lines.

“We’ve been talking about it for long enough that they know it’s coming. I think, in the end, they’ve known that it’s coming for a few years,” she said.

The additional revenue will go into Juneau’s Docks and Harbors enterprise fund and, unlike other cruise-related taxes, can be used for various purposes.

The Juneau Assembly also approved the construction of a new privately owned dock in the town’s downtown neighborhood, which will be developed by Huna Totem Corp.