Inaugural celebration for cruise ship canceled

BANGOR – Hold the confetti at the Bangor Waterfront – the 102-passenger Nantucket Clipper cruise ship floated into town Tuesday evening with mechanical problems, forcing the cancellation of a celebration of its inaugural visit scheduled for today.

The ship’s owner, Cruise West of Seattle, did not provide details of the mechanical problems but informed city officials that the trips scheduled for June have been canceled, according to Paul Hilchey-Chandler, Greater Bangor Convention & Visitors Bureau marketing manager.

Efforts made Tuesday to contact Cruise West officials were unsuccessful.

Bangor Mayor John Cashwell and the CEO of Cruise West had been scheduled to attend the celebration.

Passengers are being discharged this morning. The ship will head out later today to Portsmouth, N.H., for repairs.

The 207-foot ship should be seaworthy in time for its October schedule, Hilchey-Chandler said Tuesday. The 2007 season should be unaffected, he said.

Built in 1984 in Jeffersonville, Ind., the Nantucket was operated by Clipper Cruise Line until this January when it was sold to Cruise West. It was announced in January that the ship will begin using Bangor as its homeport.

A heavy-vessel dock, expected to cost about $930,000, is being constructed at the Bangor Waterfront to accommodate the Nantucket and other cruise ships.

To help pay for the project, the city received $744,000 in Federal Highway Administration funds through the state Department of Transportation Ferry Boat Discretionary Program and a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s boating infrastructure grant program.

The dock is expected to be completed by late June.

Earlier this month, a liquor license was authorized for the vessel to allow drinks to be served when it is docked at the Bangor Waterfront.