Belfast, Maine, has unanimously voted to prohibit cruise ships carrying more than 50 passengers from docking in the town.
The decision follows a recommendation from Harbor Master Katherine Given, who cited safety and navigation concerns associated with larger vessels.
In 2024, Belfast received eight visits from ships exceeding the 50-passenger limit, including five from the 109-guest American Eagle. Given noted that these visits led to logistical issues, such as unexpected charter bus arrivals transporting passengers elsewhere.
“These problems negatively impacted other visiting boaters, pedestrian and traffic safety, and access to the docks and launch ramps,” she stated earlier this year.
A committee reviewing the issue concluded that restricting vessel size was the only viable solution. “The channel can’t move, dock space is limited, and there’s no bus parking,” Given told MainePublic.org. “We explored options, but it just isn’t feasible.”
A local chamber of commerce official added that, in part due to the buses, cruise passengers no longer provide the same economic benefit to the town.
Belfast expects to offset some of the $20,000 loss in dock fees through alternative uses. Before the ban, the town had anticipated 14 cruise ship visits in 2025, most from American Cruise Lines’ American Eagle, which offers summer coastal cruises in New England.
Belfast is now the second Maine town to impose cruise ship limits, following Bar Harbor’s decision to cap daily arrivals at 1,000 passengers.
