Summerside port looks to expand shipping, attract cruise ships, says new CEO

The port of Summersidehas its newCEO.

Arnold Croken accepted the full-time, paid position as the CEO for Summerside Port Inc. after spending seven years as president a volunteer position with the port.

As the new CEO, he said the plan is to expand the port's ability to house and transport goods and attempt toattractsmaller cruise ships to the city.

• 'Filled to the rafters': Summerside soybean shipment good news for farmers and port
• Cruise ship due for Summerside cancels

"One of the initiatives that we started a year ago, almost to the day, we started to use our facility here for the handling of bulk cargo," he said.

"We have the building filled to the rafters as we speak, with soybean, and they'll be going out of here by vessel."

Croken said he's reaching out to farmers across Prince County to take advantage of the port's ability to ship bulk goods.

Keeping the door open for small cruise ships

Another step for the port, he said,is to attract smallercruise ships to the city.

Although, before smaller cruise vessels can come to Summerside, he added, the port first has to do some dredging of the channel.

"The cruise ship business needs to travel on their schedule so they have to be able to come in and go out on low tide and that's always been an issue and that's where we've had to park ourselves in that market," he said.

"We have to do some maintenance dredging of the channel coming in which has been a concern to the cruise business."

Developing the waterfront further is also on Croken's agenda.

• Summerside aims to bring more people downtown
• Port of Summerside reveals new waterfront vision

He said the Holman's Wharf is "in need of repair" and Spinnakers'Landing is due for an upgrade sothey're looking to partner with developers to rejuvenate those properties.

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS |Kinkora residents making the case for outdoor rink
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS |Students pitch red fox as provincial animal and score big win