Cruise Ships

A federal judge is expected to weigh in on the merits of a controversial Bar Harbor ordinance that would limit the number of cruise ship passengers allowed visit the town.

The plaintiffs, which include retail stores, restaurants and tender operators, believe the town's ordinance violates federal maritime laws and several clauses of the US Constitution. They're seeking injunctive relief from an ordinance that Bar Harbor voters adopted this fall.

A similar initiative failed to win approval from Portland voters. Bar Harbor officials say they anticipate legal challenges to the new cruise ship policy, and the town will need to hire more staff to enforce it.

As Mount Desert Island's tourist economy has grown in recent years, cruise ships have become a flashpoint in a years-long debate over how much is too much. The town of Bar Harbor is openly divided over what to do next.

Bar Harbor will limit the number of cruise ships and passengers under a new agreement reached with the industry, but residents will have a chance to vote on a more restrictive proposal in November.

One option is a citizens petition on the November ballot. The second option, born from negotiations between the town and cruise ship industry, would cap the number of daily cruise ship passengers at fewer than 4,000 people each month.

The petition would limit the number of cruise ship passengers entering Bar Harbor to 1,000 people a day.

A group of Bar Harbor residents is launching a citizens petition to limit the number of cruise ship passengers who can enter town.

The Bar Harbor Town Council decided it will form a new group to negotiate potential changes with the cruise ship industry for 2023 and beyond.

After more than half of the respondents to a survey in Bar Harbor said the cruise ship industry is hurting the town, local officials on Tuesday said they will pursue more restrictions on the amount of cruise ship traffic the popular tourist town gets each year.