It's time to set policy for the bigger cruise ships
Can you imagine the
impact of a 6,400-passenger cruise ship with a gross tonnage of 200,000
tons arriving in the port of Key West? At sunset it would cast a shadow
all the way to Big Pine Key. Of course, it's not likely, probably not
even possible, that we'll ever see a ship of such size here, given the
narrow width of our channel and limited turning radius in our harbor.
But Royal Caribbean has already placed an order for just such a ship
and, also, will soon be launching Freedom of the Seas, a 151,000 gross
tonnage ship capable of carrying 4,370 passengers.
This is a wake-up call
for Key West and many ports whose economies rely on tourism, including
cruise ships.
As Becky Iannotta
recently reported in The Citizen, ever larger ships are the new big
thing in the cruise industry and Mayor Morgan McPherson, several city
commissioners and various officials involved in management of the port
have already met with industry representatives to begin exploring the
issues these jumbo ships would pose.
We salute the mayor
and city staff for getting ahead of the curve on this. Now is the time
to think through and establish whatever policies may be necessary. We
also urge the mayor to consult with the citizenry as well as the larger
business community before committing to any new regulations or capital
expenditures to accommodate the cruise industry's future plans. As
things stand now, the Harbor Pilots Association sets the guidelines for
size and draft of vessels that can dock in Key West. But it strikes us
that size and draft are by no means the only issues to be considered.
The fact is, cruise
ships are steadily growing larger and have been for years, and many are
already in the 2,000 capacity range. Our port now welcomes a million
cruise ship visitors a year. The ships that bring them here pay the city
about $6 million in fees. These numbers will presumably grow as larger
ships continue to replace smaller ones.
Nonetheless, the
impact of cruise ships is not all gravy. Our downtown streets in the
lower Duval area are often clogged with visitors and traffic is snarled
when two or more ships are in port. Some businesses benefit greatly, but
others not at all. And, while it's difficult to know precisely how much
cruise ship visitors spend when they come ashore, it's plainly evident
that overnight visitors staying in hotels spend much, much more and pay
more in taxes. The cruise ship visitors take their meals on board, enjoy
the night life that's provided and shop the duty-free boutiques that are
available while at sea. Overnight visitors in hotels and guest houses
not only spend money for lodging but also shell out for meals,
entertainment, shopping and transportation.
In a story headlined
Island Traffic Jam, the Wall Street Journal recently reported on the
frustrations of locals as well as overnight hotel visitors in many
island destinations frequented by cruise ships. This industry is now a
$15 billion a year business and its robust growth is especially evident
on itineraries that feature ports of call in the Caribbean. These are
the routes that bring many ships to Key West. The Journal cites traffic
jams on the road from the harbor to the beach on Grand Cayman and
reports that hotels advise guests not to travel in the early afternoon.
A visitor to Antigua lamented how she researched the cruise ship docking
schedule before deciding on a day trip by car. St. Thomas has the same
problem. According to one source quoted by the Journal, "You definitely
don't want to run any errands on Wednesdays and Thursdays."
Bigger ships also
inevitably strain port facilities and sooner or later require
significant capital outlays. Multimillion-dollar facilities expansions
are now under way in Jamaica, Grenada and the Turks & Caicos and similar
expenditures are under consideration in ports elsewhere. Key West is
fortunate that the U.S. Navy is paying the cost of the dredging that's
now under way here and the city has wisely hired the same contractor to
extend its work to the city owned Mallory Pier, a savings of $700,000.
Nevertheless, there will almost surely be significant added costs if
Key West
decides to accommodate the big new ships now in prospect. (Pier B at the
Hilton is privately owned; the Navy retains ownership of the Outer
Mole.)
This newspaper does
not and never has found reason to object to cruise ships. But many local
residents do, especially people who live in Old Town. But we do
recognize that there is a limit to what this small island can tolerate,
no matter how many millions of dollars in fees are paid. That's what the
mayor and City Commission must face up to. Cruise ship visitors arriving
here already total one million a year, a number that's 400 percent
greater than our resident population. Can this island handle twice that
number by the end of this decade, especially in the busy winter season?
Our advice to the folks who may be willing to push the limits to attract
bigger ships is be careful what you wish for.
— The Citizen |