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SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY STRAINED |
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Cruise congestion concerns Charleston
29 JAN 2010: Charleston is a lovely and charming city that easily
lives up to its reputation in the numerous books of fact and fiction
that praise its virtues and wink at its southern eccentricities (Check
Pat Conroy’s South of Broad). Consequently the South Carolina Coastal
Conservation League is concerned that as the cruise industry expands
bringing more ships, visitors, congestion and pollution and that the
city’s heralded southern charm could quickly fade away.
The environmental group is therefore suggesting officials institute rules to further regulate the industry.
Businesses in the area rely on keeping the uniqueness of Charleston intact. They are apparently concerned that the sheer size of a cruise ship undermines those efforts.
The South Carolina State Ports Authority is working with the city to redevelop its existing cruise terminal and 55-acre tract around the terminal and Union Pier on the Charleston Cooper River waterfront.
But , officials say a modern cruise terminal is required to cope with the burgeoning cruise business.
This spring, Carnival Cruise Lines will base its 2,056-passenger Carnival Fantasy in Charleston.
The Conservation League wants the city to limit cruise ships to one arrival at a time, and cap the number of passengers and the height of the vessels.
Plans for a new cruise terminal include having only one berth for ships so there would only be one there at a time, said Mayor Joseph Riley Jr. Who noted that Charleston anticipates about 70 cruise calls a year — a little more than one a week.
Charleston anticipates 4.2 million visitors in 2010. Cruise passengers will number about 100,000.
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