BUCKSPORT – In the wake of the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center on Tuesday, U.S. Coast Guard crews in Maine are inspecting vessels bound for Maine ports before allowing them to enter.

A spokesman for the Coast Guard said Wednesday that under the terms of the Ports and Waterways Safety Act, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta has instructed commandants of the Coast Guard “to take all measures necessary to control the movement of vessels on the navigable waters of the U.S.”

“Each captain of a port may direct and control vessel movement to address security concerns or threats, especially at high-risk facilities or terminals or in cases of high-risk cargoes,” said Petty Officer Andrea Stevenson, at the public relations office at the First Coast Guard District in Boston.

On Wednesday morning, a cruise ship bound for Bar Harbor was delayed while it waited for clearance from the Coast Guard.

“We’re evaluating each port arrival and departure on a case-by-case basis,” Ensign Scott White said Wednesday at the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Field Office in Bucksport.

Each vessel is kept outside a security perimeter until it is cleared for entry, he said.

The Bucksport office is responsible for ports from Eastport south to Owls Head.

The security checks will apply to cruise ships as well as oil tankers, but will not affect normal traffic of fishing vessels, White said.

Although White declined to discuss specific details of the security checks, he said the cruise ships in particular are required to carry a passenger security manual, preapproved by the Coast Guard, that delineates security procedures on board the vessel.

“We verify that each ship is in compliance with that manual,” he said, adding that the Coast Guard inspection involves inspection of documents and a physical inspection of access points on each vessel.

The inspections come at the height of the cruise ship season in Bar Harbor. Two ships were scheduled to arrive in town Wednesday morning. The Cape May Light, a 300-foot vessel carrying an estimated 224 passengers and 78 crew members, opted to remain in St. John, New Brunswick, until it could get clearance to come into the United States.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Sea, a 710-foot-long ship capable of carrying 1,504 passengers and 616 crew members, spent several hours waiting near the pilot station at the end of Frenchman Bay for a scheduled stop in Bar Harbor. Initial reports from local harbor officials indicated the circling vessel was wreaking havoc with fixed fishing gear in the area, although those reports were not confirmed.

The vessel eventually was cleared by a Coast Guard boarding party, and anchored off Bar Harbor at about 1 p.m. Passengers from the vessel began arriving in Bar Harbor at about 3 p.m. The Norwegian Sea was scheduled to leave Bar Harbor by 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Fifteen more cruise ships are scheduled to arrive in Bar Harbor before the end of the month.

White said he anticipated standard traffic for this time of year.

“I expect we’ll see the normal volume of traffic,” he said. “Some scheduled arrivals have been pushed back, especially petroleum tankers, due to delays in getting out of New York and Boston.”

The Bucksport office has five full-time crew members and six part-time reserve staff. So far, White said, they have been able to handle the flow.

Officials at Coast Guard stations in Southwest Harbor and Rockland declined to discuss any specific security measures they have taken at those bases. While not commenting on individual bases, Petty Officer Stevenson said Coast Guard cutters and boats have increased their presence on the water in order to increase security and safety.