Plans for bringing the dormant Norwegian Sun cruise ship to Eastport are now on hold, and the Riviera may depart at the end of July or early August because of difficulties the cruise industry is experiencing in getting its crews home. Chris Gardner, the executive director of the Eastport Port Authority, says that Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCL), which owns both vessels, and other cruise line companies have been frustrated by delays in the issuance of green certification by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that will allow for crew members to fly commercially to their home countries. "If they can't find a way to get their crews home from the U.S., they may leave us and go to Europe."
     He says the cruise ships in the U.S. are all listed by the CDC as provisionally green, with one exception, in the color-coded certification ranking. The vessels have met the CDC's requirements, including no confirmed cases for COVID-19 for 28 days, but the federal agency has been slow in completing the required paperwork to grant them full green status, according to Gardner. "They've just certified one out of dozens" of vessels, he says. "They'd like to stay in U.S. waters but can't get their people home."
     If the CDC doesn't change its certifications for cruise ships, he said the vessels will be "fleeing to Europe," with European countries allowing them to fly their crews home. Moving the cruise ships to Europe will cost the industry millions of dollars, he points out. He noted the irony of the CDC's coronavirus restrictions on cruise ships, since he said, "The cleanest spot in the State of Maine is at the head of that gangway" onto the Riviera. Cargo vessels have been able to fly crews home commercially, while the cruise line has been restricted by the CDC's requirements.
     The port authority has reached out to federal officials to streamline the process to assist the cruise ship industry, and Gardner says, of the Riviera, "There's a chance then they may extend [their stay] and the Sun may still show up."
     The federal CDC has announced its second extension, into September, of its no-sail order for cruise ships, and Gardner expects it may be extended again to the end of the year. If that happens and the issue of getting crews home is resolved, then the cruise ships could stay in Eastport into October, he says. That would help the port authority, since its revenue from cargo shipping has dropped significantly this year.

Budget adjusted
     At its July 20 meeting, the port authority board accepted the second quarterly budget adjustment, which projects only 113,000 metric tons of wood pulp being shipped for the year, just half of the 225,000 that had been estimated when the budget was adopted last December. So far this year, 56,522 tons have been shipped, while last year 121,117 tons had been loaded.
     "We're getting our teeth kicked in right now," said Gardner, noting that the projected tonnage to move through the port is probably the lowest amount in 30 years.
     Gardner noted several budget adjustments to help offset that loss. Along with a projected dockage payment of $70,000 from the cruise ship Riviera, NCL will be paying the port authority over $50,000 for security for June and July, while the port authority's costs for the 24/7 guard on the breakwater, with an additional guard during any deliveries to the ship, will be $28,800. Other revenue gained includes moving $233,000 from the Coast Guard line to the general fund, since 2020 is the first year the port authority no longer has to make a loan payment for the station. That adjustment will still leave $70,000 in the Coast Guard line for maintenance work.      Gardner noted that the port authority's diversification into other revenue streams has "given us some breathing room," since the agency is moving less tonnage through the port than when he started in his position as port authority director, but more revenue is being gained from that tonnage and the total revenue has increased.
     On the expense side, the port authority is reducing some of its insurance lines and its payroll, while having been approved for six-month deferments on both the breakwater and office loans. Also cut were marketing and the tugboat maintenance reserve accounts, along with reductions in other maintenance lines.

Other business
     Concerning the trial shipment of wood chips using the port authority's shipboard heat-treating phytosanitation equipment, Gardner said it might be best to acquire the wood chips this fall but then wait to load them in the spring, so "we're not in the same position as last year, fighting Mother Nature before it snows." With the wood chip acquisition cost being nearly $200,000, he said that the Maine Technology Institute would be willing to pay half of the cost for the 5,000 to 6,000 tons. The board was in agreement on this approach moving forward.
     With the tugboat Jane McAllister having a waiver for the U.S. Coast Guard Subchapter M inspection requirements, Gardner noted that the vessel currently has more value for potential buyers. He proposed, and the board agreed, to place the tug up for sale for $175,000, which would pay for getting the tug Ahoskie Subchapter M certified and for getting the smaller tug Abaco back into the water.
     The board authorized Gardner to find contractors to repair the roof, paint and replace the steel doors at the Coast Guard station without going out to bid. He said a couple of contractors have expressed interest in the roof and painting jobs.