After a heated debate on Thursday night, Skagway’s borough assembly scrapped the alternative mooring plan for 2023. The plan was part of an effort to expand dock capacity to allow large cruise ships to moor at the Ore Dock, as questions remain about the viability of the town’s largest dock. 

Skagway’s economy is about 95% tourism based, and most of those visitors come to town via cruise ships. With significant rockslides impacting White Pass and Yukon Route’s Railroad Dock during the 2022 season, the municipality looked to make a move to allow post-Panamax size cruise ships with up to 4,000 passengers to dock at the Ore Dock in 2023. Community leaders feared that losing those large ships would be devastating for local businesses. 

Previously, the assembly moved to purchase materials and request bids for their Alternative Mooring Project. But on Thursday night, the lowest bid submitted by Skagway-based Hamilton Construction was voted down, effectively killing the short-term project. The six-person assembly split the vote down the middle 3-3 as Assembly members Hanson, Hylton, and Henry all voted to award the contract. After a heated debate with Hanson, Mayor Andrew Cremata broke the tie and cast the deciding no vote.

“We had four responsive bids, mayor, that all said they could do this aggressive timeline. Right. That’s four responsive bids,” said Hanson.

“I also have the manager, I have the chair of finance. I have multiple people from the public. I have Norwegian saying they won’t dock on it. I’ve got Royal Caribbean saying they won’t dock on it, (those are) the people who are going to use it. I vote no,” argued Mayor Cremata.

Cremata cited significant progress on the rockslide mitigation project above the railroad dock, and the aggressive timeline of the Ore Dock redesign he said was likely to be delayed due to permitting and weather conditions as reasons for his no vote. 

Both the borough manager and a representative from the contractor overseeing the rockslide mitigation project shared optimism that the mitigation is going so well that it will allow for two ships to dock at the Railroad Dock in 2023, including a post-Panamax-sized ship. Standard-sized cruise ships would then be able to dock at Ore and Broadway docks.

The long-term Ore Dock redevelopment plan is still on track to begin in the fall of 2023.