The facts about cruise ships and LNG transits

Posted on 22 June 2010 Tags: Aquidneck Island Planning Commission &bull Coast Guard &bull cruise ships &bull lng shipping &bull pilots &bull recreational boating &bull tourism

A number of local organizations including the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, the Preservation Society of Newport, and the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission have made unsubstantiated claims that future LNG transits through Narragansett Bay will scare away cruise ships that increasingly call on Newport Harbor. This quote from a Preservation Society of Newport press release is typical of such claims:

“Cruise ship schedules are often set more than a year in advance,” said Board Vice President and Public Policy Committee Chairman David Leys. “Once they’ve arrived here, interruptions in their time-sensitive operations because of Coast Guard security restrictions could disrupt their entire schedules. Ultimately, the uncertainty may lead cruise ship operators to drop Newport from their itineraries altogether.”

Contrary to this dire prediction, the facts show that cruise ships and LNG tankers regularly share the same waterways with no adverse impacts. Indeed, Boston Harbor receives an LNG shipment approximately once every five days, yet according to a recent Boston Globe article, their Black Falcon Cruise Terminal is booming:

“After several years of falling passenger numbers, Boston’s port posted record numbers of cruise passengers over the past three years, with 2010 shaping up to top the nearly 300,000 people who passed through the port last year. At the same time the midsize port has been growing, many other US cities have seen passenger traffic decline or stagnate.”

In 2009, Boston Harbor received 104 cruise ships calls and 61 LNG shipments. On eleven days, cruise ships and LNG tankers transited the harbor on the same day.

Thanks to the expertise of the U.S. Coast Guard and local pilots, waterways such as Boston Harbor and Narragansett Bay can be managed to ensure the coexistence of cruise ships, LNG shipments, and recreational boating.

Put simply, the facts show that future LNG shipments will have no negative impact on Newport’s important cruise ship industry.