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Mexico ferry to sail again?
By STEVE HUETTEL, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- A cruise company from Maine wants to run a ferry that would carry passengers, vehicles and cargo between the Port of Tampa and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. But Tampa's port and three federal agencies first must work out a deal on the inspection facilities the port has to build for the ferry's six-month test run. Scotia Prince Cruises has proposed sailing the M/V Scotia Prince twice a week from Tampa to Mexico and back starting in November. If the ship attracted enough business, the company would find another ferry and run the route year-round, said chairman Matthew Hudson. "It's still in the investigation stage, but it's a serious investigation," he said. "We think there's very interesting potential." The ferry would sail from the Holland cruise terminal on Hooker's Point. But the port would need to build offices and inspection areas for the U.S. Customs Service, Immigration and Naturalization Service and U.S. Department of Agriculture at the terminal. The estimated price tag for a permanent facility is about $1-million, said Lori Rafter, port spokeswoman. But the port doesn't want to spend that much money until Scotia Prince commits to sticking with the service, she said. Port director George Williamson has offered to build about $200,000 in temporary facilities for the initial six months of service and construct the entire complex if the ferry stays in Tampa. Hudson said time is running short. If the deal can't be worked out in a week or so, he said, the company will need to scrap the plans because there won't be enough time to market the service. Officials with the cruise line, the port and federal inspection agencies plan to meet Tuesday to work out a deal. "We support the idea of a ferry," said Gary McClelland, acting port director of the Customs Service. "We're not trying to stop it." Port officials have struggled for a decade to attract a Tampa-Mexico cruise ferry. Gambling boat operator Empress Cruise Lines announced plans to renovate an old car ferry for the route in 1996. But the work was never finished because the company filed for bankruptcy court protection. American Viking Lines of Tampa chartered the M/V Scotia Prince from its previous owner and began sailing to the Yucatan in November 1998. But the business started slow, with one early cruise arriving in Tampa with just 13 passengers. The numbers picked up toward the end, but American Viking ran out of money and stopped sailing after seven weeks. Hudson's family bought the cruise company and the ship in 2000. The ferry sails daily between Portland, Me., and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, from late April through October but sits idle during the winter, Hudson said. The vessel can carry 1,200 passengers and 210 vehicles. It has 314 cabins, a casino, dining room and clubs. - Steve Huettel can be reached at huettel@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3384.
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From the Times Business report
From the AP
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