Major changes in way Charlottetown harbour operates will be seen in just a few months
At a cost of over $14 million, the city will be able to accommodate larger cruise ships and oil tankers will come right up to the wharf
DAVE STEWART
The Guardian
Charlottetown???s new port will be ready to welcome large cruise ships by late August, says the chair of private body which operates the port.
Stan MacPherson of the Charlottetown Harbour Authority said Aug. 22 is the day being marked on calendars when large cruise ships and the Irving Oil tankers can dock right up against the port.
Right now, nothing can dock due to the major improvements currently underway on the $14-million-plus project.
The cruise ships ??? right now Charlottetown gets the Holland America line ??? dock as close as they can and tender their passengers in. Later this year, the city will welcome the Celebrity and Princess lines.
Irving Oil has to park in the middle of the harbour and unload its cargo into a small buoy close to the Hillsborough Bridge.
By the end of August, the oil company will be able dock right up against the wharf. A new pipeline, already built and ready, will move the product into the giant tanks on Riverside Drive.
The Charlottetown Harbour Authority poured $8 million of its own money (it received some federal help) into the wharf renovations.
Those renovations include dredging the seabed to allow for large ships and extending the wharf so that cruise ships can tie up.
The authority announced Tuesday it will introduce a new passenger tariff. Cruise ship passengers visiting Charlottetown will pay a levy of $7 per adult and $3.50 per child.
The tariff is common in ports around the world that host cruise ship passengers. The fee is included in the overall price to go on a cruise. All port fees are usually combined in the cruise price.
???We didn???t charge it before because Transport Canada couldn???t,?????? MacPherson said, referring to the fact the federal government used to own the city port.
Another reason Charlottetown has added the tariff now is because the city port has been under construction.
???And, you have to advise the cruise lines a year or two in advance that this is a tariff sort of thing and they work it into their prices.??????
If the extra charge is a deterrent to docking in Charlottetown, it sure isn???t showing.
MacPherson said cruise ship bookings will double next year. More than 69,000 passengers and 30,000 crew members will visit the Island capital, the vast majority of that business occurring in May, June, September and October.
???There is very little activity in July and August (but) we???ve got all kinds of people in Charlottetown in July and August anyhow.??????
The levy will also help pay some of the marketing costs. MacPherson said Tourism Charlottetown, formerly the Capital Commission, spends $60,000 per year marketing the Island capital to the cruise industry.
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THE HILLS DICUSSION