The Port of Nome has released its 2023 cruise and research ship berthing schedule.
The first cruise of the year, the 552-foot Scenic Eclipse, is scheduled to arrive in Nome on May 27.
The research vessel Sikuliaq will spend four days in Nome starting on June 12 — one of the vessel’s four visits. The Oshoro-Maru, a Japanese training ship operated by the Hokkaido University School of Fisheries Sciences, will berth on June 25, and again on July 8.
There should be an increase in arrivals this year over 2022, Nome Harbormaster Lucas Stotts said.
“We’re going to have a total of 13 different cruise vessels visiting Nome, and I believe seven of those will be anchoring out and littering passengers into our floatingdocks, because they’re either too deep-draft to come in to our current facility, or it’s based on maneuverability, which is usually linked to the age of the ship,” Stotts said. “It’s going to be a very busy season.”
Stotts notes there is still a chance some ships may not make it to Nome due to weather or last-minute changes, but otherwise he anticipates more cruise ship passengers than last year. The arrival of the Oshoro-Maru will require 24-hour security while it’s in port. All ships flagged as foreign vessels require such security when in an American port of call.
“Any foreign vessels that visit the United States must be under 24-hour security requirements, while they’re in port — and they’ll meet with Customs and Border Protection and get all their paperwork if visiting Nome and being here legally within the U.S.,” Stotts added. “But during that time, the Department of Homeland Security does require security to be dockside at all the vessels. So, port staff are cross trained to work port security as well.”
More information on this year’s cruise ship schedule can be found on the City of Nome website.
Image at top: A cruise liner sits anchored offshore from Nome, 2017. Photo by Gabe Colombo, KNOM.
