NORFOLK, Va. — Nauticus is gearing up for thousands of cruise ship passengers arriving and departing Norfolk on Easter weekend following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Tuesday morning.
Amid clean-up and recovery efforts around the bridge, Carnival Cruise Lines announced Tuesday night it will temporarily move its Baltimore-based operations of the Legend vessel to Norfolk. Officials with the Port of Baltimore said incoming and outgoing vessel traffic is suspended until further notice.
Nauticus Executive Director Stephen Kirkland expects 2,600 passengers to disembark in Norfolk starting around 7 a.m. Sunday. Seventy buses will line Downtown Norfolk to get them back to Baltimore, he told 13News Now in an interview.
Then 2,600 passengers will embark from Norfolk later that afternoon.
"We had to pull the community together: Customs and Border Protection, the stevedore team that'll be working the bags, our Nauticus staff members that'll be here, others in the community that'll be here welcoming these guests," Kirkland explained.
Kirkland said with the Easter brunch crowd in Downtown Norfolk on Sunday morning, Nauticus will work to move the passengers on and off the cruise ship as efficiently as possible.
He also explained that Nauticus has a window to help Carnival as they are preparing to begin construction to offer year-round cruises. Projects include enclosing its outdoor terrace and adding 600 seats for passengers waiting to board. The construction is set to begin in May so Nauticus can begin its first year-round cruising season in February 2025.