MORE IS BETTER

Posted on 11/27/2015 | About Halifax, Nova Scotia

The Port of Halifax had a record breaking year in terms of the number of ships docking in 2015. However, there were fewer passengers than there have been in past years. This year there were smaller ships and according to the port authority that meant sharing the wealth.

Port spokesperson Lane Farguson said "We saw more smaller vessels this year than we had in previous years. Smaller vessels have an easier time travelling to ports of all sizes, which helps spread economic benefits around the region Pearl Mist docked in Halifax eight times this year with a 210 passenger capacity; a far cry from the large ships that carry in excess of 2,000 passengers. Last Friday the authority released the statistics for the 2015 season. There were 141 vessel calls (up from 134 last year). There were 222,309 passengers (up from 217,305 last year) and the economic impact was $104 million (compared to $50 million last year).

The economic impact reflects how much is spent to stock the ship with new supplies, the collection of tariffs and berthing fees as well as the amount spent by passengers when they dock. Farguson pointed out that restaurants, shops and small businesses all benefited from the arrivals.