BANGOR, Maine — Cruise ships are set to return to the Bangor waterfront after they've been absent for more than a decade.
This week, Bangor City Council approved a 20-year lease agreement with American Cruise Lines. The agreement allows the cruise ships to use the waterfront's dock five as a port.
The last time one of American Cruise Line's ships sailed through Bangor was in 2011. Before then, the city and the company would sign lease agreements on a yearly basis.
The small coastal cruise ships and riverboats are able to hold between 100 and 200 passengers.
Tracy Willette, director of Bangor parks and recreation, said the city is looking forward to the business these cruises will bring.
"From what we gather from them, and they were great to work with... [is] that they were getting feedback and requests to come back to Bangor, and the experience they had here was a good one," she said. "They approached us to start the conversation, and it didn't take us long to come up with an agreement. We'll finalize a schedule and look forward to seeing them this summer."
Willette said the waterfront could see cruises arriving as soon as this June.