Sound easy? Not exactly. Manageable? You bet! The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and the Cruising the Great Lakes Coalition, headed by the Mariport Group, proved that Great Lakes cruises could be revitalized with the arrival in Toledo of the $69 million luxury cruise ship, M.S. Columbus Fall 1997.

According to Port Authority Trade and Development Manager Kelly Riviera, the effort began almost 10 years ago with the Port Authority's European representative developing contacts with passenger vessel operators including Hapag-Lloyd Cruiseship Management, GmbH, a major German shipping and travel company.

Port officials and Mariport representatives continued talks with operators of seaway size cruise vessels at a 1995 trade mission to Germany.

Riviera said initial discussions with Hapag-Lloyd focused on the feasibility of retrofitting a vessel to meet the requirements of the Seaway locks. “That effort eventually collapsed,” said Riviera. It wasn't until early in 1996 that Hapog-Lloyd announced that construction of the M.S. Columbus, designed to accommodate Great Lakes Cruising.

Cristopher Wright, Mariport Group, and Captain Joe Craig, St. Lawrence Seaway Authority revised cruise itineraries and reviewed the ship building plans. Together with Hapag-Lloyd, they developed a “hydraulically actuated” bridge wing design that would allow extended wings of the vessel to fold flush against the sides of the ship as she sailed through the locks.

The Columbus was ready for sailing in June with 420 passenger capacity and 169 member crew.

Riviera added that there were additional hurdles to clear. “The entire process was subject to coast guard inspections, cabotage law requirements, customs and immigration procedures, pilotage, and docking facility arrangements.”

Hapag-Lloyd's commitment to the Great Lakes was met with success. All three Great Lakes cruises sold out to German travelers in three weeks, positioning the firm as the leader in the revitalization of the Great Lakes cruise market.

The October overnight “positioning cruise” from Port Colborne, Canada to Toledo sponsored by the Mariport Group and the Port Authority allowed 200 North American passengers to participate in the Columbus' inaugural voyage.

Port Authority President James Hartung says, “We'll see more and more great Lakes Cruises marketed in years ahead. Our ultimate goal would be to have Toledo as a Port of Call.”