Seaport terminal on course

Gloucester is embracing a project that officials hope could bring as many as 40 cruise ships to the city's historic seaport each year.

A local firm plans to construct a cruise ship terminal on an approximately 2-acre site at the intersection of Main Street and Rowe Square.

The terminal will occupy the ground floor of a $2.5 million building, which will have a 250-seat restaurant and function hall on the second floor, according to Frank Elliott, manager of Cruise Port Gloucester, which is developing the building and will operate the terminal and restaurant. He also manages Gloucester Marine Terminal, the site's owner.

Today at 11 a.m. a ceremony is planned to mark the start of construction of the 15,000-square-foot building, which is scheduled to be completed by early next fall.

The project would add a new dimension to Gloucester's seaport, positioning it to become a regular stop for small- to medium-sized cruise vessels. Gloucester could eventually attract 30 to 40 of those ships a year, according to Elliott and city officials.

''The cruise ship industry is growing globally," said Gloucester harbor coordinator Greg Ketchen. ''Among the hottest areas has been the New England, Canadian maritime area. . . . And we are tapping into that."

''Having this terminal will make us more attractive to the cruise ship industry as a destination," said Ketchen, a retired Coast Guard captain.

Gloucester's port has struggled in recent years as its historic fishing industry has declined. But Ketchen said the city remains committed to maintaining a working waterfront, and that Elliott's project contributes to that broad goal.

He said the terminal could also accommodate passenger ferry boats, which is another industry the city hopes to promote, as well as excursion boats and even some commercial fishing vessels. Two currently lease space at the wharf and will continue to do so.

The site itself has had a rich mixture of maritime uses. Schooners once tied up at its piers. Later, it was home to a salt fish flaking yard and then, for nearly a half century, the site of a business run by Elliott's family, which loaded and unloaded fish.

The project comes as the state has launched its own initiative to attract a line of smaller cruise ships that would run along the Massachusetts coast, according to Kristen Decas, deputy director of the state Seaport Advisory Council. She said the planned Gloucester terminal would likely be the hub of the line, which is not intended to compete for the large cruise ships that visit Boston.

Cruise Lines International Association, a trade association for 19 major US-based cruise lines, has provided advice to Massachusetts on its initiative.

Bruce Major, a spokesman for the New York-based association, said he was not familiar with the Gloucester project. But he said ''cruise lines always are encouraged by developments that provide more opportunities and more places for passengers to travel."

Over the past decade, Gloucester has had sporadic visits by passenger cruise ships. But, Elliott said, ''what we found was that there were no facilities ashore for those people to go to. . . . There were no real bathroom facilities, no place to get out of the rain."

The terminal is designed to serve as a welcoming station. In addition to public bathrooms, it will provide a lounge and an area for international travelers to meet with US customs and immigration officials. Passengers will also be able to pick up maps, brochures, and other tourist information.

Cruise Port Gloucester has already secured Coast Guard approval for its security plan, a requirement since the terrorist attacks of 2001. With that approval in hand, the site was able to accommodate six cruise ships last year.

Elliott, 55, has firsthand experience with the cruise industry. Since shortly after his family closed its fish-packing business in 1999, he has worked as superintendent of operations for the firm that manages the state-owned Black Falcon Cruise Ship Terminal in Boston. This is separate from his Gloucester ventures.

He got the idea for building a terminal in Gloucester from cruise company agents he met through his job in Boston. A number wondered whether he knew of any other ports they might use.

''There's a rapid increase in the number of cruise ships out there but not an increase in the number of ports passengers can go to," he said. ''And when you add to that the fact that repeat passengers want to see new things, that creates the opportunity for these small ports in Massachusetts."

Elliott said the Gloucester terminal would not draw business away from the Boston terminal where he works.

''This business kind of feeds on itself," he said. ''If the whole industry decides Massachusetts is a great place to come with cruise ships, the more ports the better."

Ketchen said the terminal and restaurant would bring additional jobs to the city, and a boost to its downtown economy.

Michael E. Costello, director of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, said that boost was evident during last year's cruise ship visits, even without the terminal.

''All of a sudden, there are 700 to 800 people coming off a boat, wandering through your downtown, going over to Rockport, to Manchester. . . . Once they are here, they stay awhile. They eat lunch, maybe buy a piece of art or a souvenir," he said.