Canada: Cruise Terminal Nanaimo Accepts First Cruise Ship

One of the most innovative and modern cruise ship terminal facilities on the west coast of North America opened in Nanaimo, Vancouver on May 6, and accepted its first cruise ship on May 7.

The facility has a 350-foot floating dock capable of berthing 1,050-foot vessels and a 13,775-square-foot ‘Welcome’ centre. The Canadian Border Service Agency will have an office and provide customs clearance at the Welcome Centre. The Port of Nanaimo’s administration offices will also relocate there in the summer of 2011. Improved access, new roadways, ample parking, and a pick up and drop off for coaches and other ground transportation are also included in the site development.

“This new cruise ship terminal facility is exciting news for Nanaimo. It means more jobs for families, and more services for visitors,” said Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Blair Lekstrom. “Government and industry partners have committed CAD22bn to expand and enhance airport, port, road and rail infrastructure in the Pacific Gateway and this impressive terminal in Nanaimo is more evidence of money well spent.”

Port of Nanaimo CEO, Bernie Dumas added that: “This is the culmination of years of hard work by successive boards of the Port Authority as well as supporters in communities throughout the mid-island. The regional economic impact from expanded tourism is significant and we’re pleased to position Nanaimo on the radar of the international cruise industry as a viable and attractive destination into the future”.

The terminal will provide for enhanced vessel and passenger security and allow for fast disembarkation of passengers and crew, thus eliminating tender usage and the associated operating costs. The facility is completely handicap accessible.

Nanaimo has been a cruise destination since 2002 with large vessels tendering passengers to shore. In total, over 110,000 cruise passengers have visited Nanaimo. This year the cruise industry is considered to be rebounding from the global recession and Nanaimo will welcome four large cruise ships totalling 8,500 passenger visits, worth CAD200,000 per cruise ship arrival to the local economy.

The Port projects visiting ships to grow in number to 25 – 30 per year over the next five years. The Nanaimo Cruise Terminal will handle the largest vessels visiting the west coast and will be the only facility in the Pacific Northwest large enough to handle the ‘super’ cruise ships that can traverse the expanded Panama Canal after 2014. The first visitor to Nanaimo was the “Norwegian Pearl” with a capacity of 2,400 passengers and 1,100 crew on May 6, 2011.

by Mike Godfrey(tax-news)

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Source: tax-news, May 19, 2011; Image: Nanaimo