Port of Camas-Washougal, cruise lines address concerns

Port of Camas-Washougal leaders said this week that they are confident the port and American Cruise Lines have satisfactorily addressed Parker’s Landing marina users’ concerns about noise and emissions coming from cruise ships docked next to the Washougal marina. Derek Jaeger, the port’s director of business and real estate, said American Cruise Lines was “very responsive” to the marina users’ complaints. “They want to be a good community partner and a positive influence in the community,” Jaeger said of the company. “They’re very proactive in trying to figure out what things to do to help accommodate or meet any concerns that might come up.” Port commissioners questioned American Cruise Lines’ sustainability efforts last year after fielding complaints from a few marina tenants. “The tenants that I have talked to are not happy with it,” Camas resident and marina tenant Dan Liehr told port commissioners in June. “The diesel generators that run on those (ships), the exhaust, is horrible. … When they’re sitting there idling or just docked and running the generator, the exhaust coming off of it is (bad).” Port Commissioner John Spencer called Liehr’s comments “quite concerning.” “We really have to look at that,” Port Commissioner Cassi Marshall added. “That’s a big concern. It’s a health concern.” Jaeger said the port installed air quality monitors at the marina and talked to tenants to gather more information. “We identified that (the worst of the fumes) were isolated incidents, when the air was pretty stagnant or a hot day,” he said, adding that emissions also worsened when the cruise ships were getting ready to push off. “ACL said that they’re looking at ways to reduce the idle time,” Jaeger said, adding that American Cruise Lines also is removing older vessels from its fleet as part of a plan to cut industry greenhouse gas emissions on the Columbia and Snake rivers by 50 percent from 2023 levels. According to an American Cruise Lines environmental impact analysis, “each new American Cruise Lines’ riverboat complies with the latest standards and regulations set by the United States Coast Guard and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including EPA Tier 4 Final, which sets stringent standards for nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulate matter.” The analysis reports that “these standards make (American Cruise Lines) among the most environmentally friendly overnight passenger vessels globally.” Port commissioners approved a docking agreement with American Cruise Lines in July that allows the company access to the port’s dock on the Washougal waterfront in 2025 and 2026. The Connecticut-based cruise line company also stopped at the Washougal dock during the summer of 2024. Five American Cruise Lines ships are scheduled to make 87 stops at the marina’s Waterfront Park dock between April 2 and Nov. 15. The ships stay at the dock between 15 and 75 hours depending on the type of riverboat cruise. “(The cruise ships) definitely bring visibility to the port,” said Trang Lam, the port’s chief executive officer. “ACL is one of the first vessels to dock here, so we will see how the community is benefiting from this over time. … I know they want to benefit local communities, and so we’re continuing to talk to them.” Lam said that nearby construction work on the Hyas Point waterfront development should not impact ship visitors in any significant way. Doug Flanagan: doug.flanagan@columbian.com; 360-735-4669

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