News File Photo Passengers from the Great Lakes cruise ship MS Hamburg disembark shuttle boats behind the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in this September 2019 photo.

ALPENA — Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Great Lakes cruise ships scheduled to stop in Alpena this month have been canceled, and, as of now, there are no plans for stops in 2021.

The news is disappointing to area tourism officials who’ve seen Alpena serve as a port of call for Great Lakes cruise ships the last several years and were hoping to expand on that business.

Local officials are hopeful the ships will return, because passengers shopping and dining in Alpena give a small economic boost to local businesses.

The cruise industry as a whole was hit hard by the pandemic, and many of the large cruise lines are just now beginning to take passengers.

Before the pandemic, cruise liners discussed making more stops in Alpena. New Great Lakes cruisers were built by Viking Cruise Line, which owns the MS Hamburg, a 472-foot ship that visited Alpena the last two summers.

When COVID-19 arrived and much of the world went into lockdown, talks cooled, Alpena Harbor Master and Building Official Don Gilmet said.

“They are making some new boats, and there was talk of having as many as 10 stops in Alpena,” Gilmet said. “The boats would be more activity-based and would have things like submersibles that could be used to drive the shipwrecks.”

There were also talks between the state and a coalition of shoreline communities about trying to set up a series of ports for several cruise lines to utilize. Gilmet said that was going to take significant investment, because many of the communities lack the infrastructure to serve as a permanent port.

“We would want them to be able to pull up to shore and not have to dock in the bay and shuttle passengers,” as they do now, Gilmet said. “It would take a public and private partnership to pay for the improvements.”

Gilmet, who is expected to retire before the end of the year, said he hopes bargaining can resume once the pandemic eases.

“I hope we can pick up where we left off, because the plan wasn’t in its infancy, at all,” Gilmet said. “If it can become a reality, it would be great for Alpena and surrounding communities.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.