Court rejects bid to block Bar Harbor cruise ship restrictions
A federal court has denied a move to block upcoming cruise ship restrictions at Bar Harbor, Maine.
The town voted to limit passengers to 1,000 per day in 2022.
While that was welcomed by many residents, some local businesses fought against it, saying the restriction was too draconian.
The limit was so low it would discourage most ships that currently call at the port.
Bar Harbor is a popular port of call on New England and Canada cruises.
A federal court denied the request by local business owners and river pilots to temporarily block the law.
Under the ordnance voted by residents in November 2022, cruise operators could be fined for violating the cruise passenger limit.
The Association to Preserve and Protect Local Livelihoods (APPLL) is a non-profit group made up of local businesses which sought to block the ordnance coming into effect.
“More than 90% of our visitors annually come on ships larger than that. And as you can imagine, if you’re a cruise ship, to have to pick and choose who you would like to come ashore and who would have to stay on board,” said APPLL organizer Eben Salvatore.
“It’s harmful to taxpayers, it’s harmful to the businesses and their employees.”
At an earlier court hearing, the judge noted that only about 20% of the 134 ships scheduled to visit last year had a passenger capacity below 1,000.
The impact for this year will be limited as the Town Council has waived the restrictions for ships which booked Bar Harbor port calls prior to the 2022 vote.
Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line combined have more than 60 Bar Harbor port calls scheduled for this year.
A town with a permanent population of only about 5,000, Bar Harbor welcomed 272,000 cruise passengers in 2022.
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