In Plymouth, what began as a trial run of three cruise ship visits to Plymouth in the summer of 2023 increased the next summer to twenty-four visits, part of a one year agreement and the Town then worked with American Cruise lines to develop a contract. Article 8 will go to Town Meeting to set up a revolving fund related to that…
WATD’s Bobbi Clark has more…
Harbor Master Chad Hunter:
“American Cruise Lines has a ten year contract with the Town of Plymouth moving forward—which allows them up to fifty stays per year—so that’s the maximum allowed each year. Some are overnight and some are day trips, so they’ll arrive early in the morning and leave in the afternoon.”
The number of cruise ship visits will be increasing:
“So for ’25, we have thirty eight visits, and then for ’26 that’s going to go up—right now we’re in the 45 to 50 range. So it is increasing up to that 50—we anticipate that after ’26 there’ll be anywhere from forty-five to fifty visits per year.”
Article 8 is to set up a revolving fund:
“Part of the contract negotiations, American Cruise Lines agreed to pay an infrastructure fee on top of their dockage fee. What Article 8 will do is set up a revolving fund to capture 2/3rds which is half of the dockage and the infrastructure fee, will go into this revolving fund and it will be used to support maintenance costs and improvements to Town Wharf, personnel costs associated with the cruise ships being here, any supplies and materials and the potential for a grant matching funds as well.
Town Meeting is Saturday, April 5th.
In Plymouth, Bobbi Clark, WATD News.
