Larger Cruise Ships Banned From Maritime Ports
SAINT JOHN – Canada’s transport minister announced major changes to the cruise ship season Friday in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Marc Garneau said larger cruise ships will not be allowed to dock at Canadian ports from April 2 to July 1.
Garneau says the new restriction applies to any ship carrying more than 500 passengers and crew.
In Saint John, a total of 22 cruise ships were scheduled to make ports of call between the affected dates.
Jim Quinn, CEO of Port Saint John, said 18 cruise ships carrying more than 41,000 passengers will be impacted.
“That’s roughly an 18 percent impact [on the season], which would translate into roughly $18 million of economic impact for the direct and indirect benefits,” said Quinn during a news conference Friday.
Saint John was preparing for a record-breaking cruise season in 2020, with over 90 vessel calls and more than 200,000 passengers expected.
“The banner year that we were anticipating, if things remain static, won’t be the banner year we were hoping for,” said Quinn, “but I do want to underscore that it still means that we’ll have a season in excess of 180,000 passengers. Not that far ago, we’d say that was an exceptionally good year.”
Most of the city’s cruise business — about two-thirds of it — does not arrive until September or October, he noted.
Quinn said he is pleased the federal government is taking somewhat of a staged approach with the restrictions.
“We need to make decisions based on information available and do it in a staged, informed manner, and I think that’s exactly what they’ve done,” he said.
Quinn said the port will continue to work with and follow the directions of government officials and public health agencies.
The Port of Halifax will also be affected. According to a schedule on the Port of Halifax website, there are 48 scheduled cruise ship stops in Halifax between now and July 1.
Most appear like they will be affected by the ban.
Lane Farguson, the manager of media relations and communications at the Port of Halifax, says the safety of the passengers and the general public is a top priority.
“The Halifax Port Authority will communicate with cruise lines, industry partners, tourism partners, and operators following this decision and adjust the cruise schedule accordingly,” said Ferguson. “The health and well-being of our cruise guests and seafarers, our vendors, our staff and the greater public is our priority. We will work closely with partners to be ready to receive vessels once normal operations resume.”
With files from Trevor Nichols, Stephanie Sirois and Brad Perry.