New heavy-vessel dock celebrated in Bangor

BANGOR – One of the two cruise lines using Bangor Waterfront as a home port plans to double its capacity next year.

During a celebration Friday of Bangor’s new heavy vessel dock, the head of American Cruise Lines announced plans to use the American Star, a new 100-passenger ship, for its tours of Maine’s coast and harbors.

For the last three boating seasons, the city docks on the Penobscot River have served as a home port for American Cruise Lines, based in Guilford, Conn. Since July, its 49-passenger American Glory has been plying the Penobscot as part of the Maine Coast and Harbors cruise, which runs through September.

“Maine is a hot spot for us,” said Charles Robertson, the cruise line’s president and chief executive officer. He said the line’s cruise up from the Maine coast via the Penobscot River was among the company’s most popular offerings.

“Everybody has opened up their hearts for us and is doing a good job,” Robertson said of his company’s experience here.

To that end, American Cruise Lines will launch American Star. Robertson said the new ship will make its maiden voyage from Bangor Waterfront next summer.

With the pristine, white American Glory looming large in the background and several of its well-heeled passengers looking on, Robertson joined a group of state and local officials at Bangor Waterfront to toast the city’s new heavy vessel dock and its benefits to Bangor’s blossoming tourism industry.

Robertson was guest of honor for the gathering, which drew about 80 people.

American Cruise Lines is the second such company to call Bangor Waterfront home.

Cruise West, headquartered in Seattle, Wash., is using Bangor as a home port for two programs. Its 102-passenger Nantucket Clipper visited as part of its Cruising the Waterways of Coastal Maine cruises in May and June. The same ship will take part in Fall Colors of Maine cruises in October, according to its 2006 schedule.

American Cruise Lines’ continued interest in Bangor was news for the city, said City Councilor Frank Farrington, who stood in for Mayor John Cashwell. Cashwell was out of town Friday representing Bangor at a cruise industry function elsewhere in Maine.

“In choosing Bangor as one of its home ports, American Cruise Lines helps bring widespread attention to our beautiful restored waterfront and business to our downtown,” Farrington said.

“Downtown has been on a decade-long upswing and is determined to keep getting busier and better all the time. American Cruise Lines’ passengers have become part of our downtown economy as customers of our restaurants and stores and museums,” he said.

“Beyond the boost that cruise passengers give our local economy, their visits add a layer of excitement to Bangor,” Farrington said. “We like to see American Cruise Lines passengers exploring our streets on tours and on their own and we are proud to share Bangor with these newfound guests.”

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Gov. John Baldacci, who also spoke, said American Cruise Lines’ decision to use Bangor as a home port “marked a significant event in marketing the waterfront as a hub for transportation, entertainment and development opportunities.

“We’re recognizing growth and opportunity here, and it’s crucial that the Bangor Waterfront is part of that transformation,” Baldacci said.

“We welcome American Cruise Lines’ expansion to Bangor’s port,” he added. “The state, in partnership with the city, the Bangor area state legislative delegation, and the Maine congressional delegation, has made critical investments to revitalize the area, and this growth will have an impact not only on the city of Bangor, but on the entire region.”

Bangor Waterfront is in the midst of an ongoing transformation fueled by a mix of federal, state and local resources.

To date, $9 million has been invested in redeveloping the waterfront, according to Rodney McKay, Bangor community and economic development director.

Of that total, 46 percent has come from various federal grant programs and congressional earmarks, 30 percent has come from the state and 24 percent from the city’s coffers, McKay said.

The new heavy vessel dock, which is handicapped accessible and designed to float up and down with the tide, was funded with federal dollars.

The city last year landed $744,000 in Federal Highway Administration funds, distributed through the state Department of Transportation Ferry Boat Discretionary Program, to apply to the project, expected to cost about $930,000.

More recently, the city landed a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s boating infrastructure grant program, the maximum award amount available.