Bahamas, the Caribbean, Africa, and now maybe Haines? The world’s largest cruise port operator wants to lease Haines’ Port Chilkoot dock and add it to a portfolio of global holdings.

Haines borough officials said they have been approached by representatives from Global Ports Holding, a Turkey-based company, that reported hosting 17.6 million passengers at its more than 30 global cruise ports last year.

Former Skagway Mayor Andrew Cremata, acting as a paid representative of the company, first broached the possible dock lease last fall, according to multiple borough officials. Cremata did not respond this week to a request for comment.

Borough Manager Alekka Fullerton said she met late last month with Cremata and Colin Murphy, Global Ports Holding’s regional head of business development. Murphy this week did not comment on the potential deal.

Exact lease details were not discussed during that meeting, Fullerton said, but she and the assembly intend to hold a public meeting later this month.

Based on the company’s other dealings, it’s likely the borough could see two major impacts from a lease: more cruise ship passengers and more borough revenue.

The company’s nearest port is in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, where it signed a long-term lease in 2022. That deal followed a failed bid to lease Ketchikan’s municipal cruise dock in 2020.

Under the Ketchikan proposal, the company would have taken over control, management and maintenance of the facility.

The 20- and 30-year leases on the table offered large sums of money to Ketchikan: At least according to the company’s pitch, compensation to the city could have totaled $140 million to $212 million over the length of the lease. Ketchikan’s city council ended up voting down the lease, 4-3, maintaining the dock’s public ownership.

According to Global Ports Holding’s annual report from 2025, passenger volume “underpins, directly or indirectly, most of our revenue” and is the key to successfully delivering growth.

“They can grow the cruise ship industry here, with their connections, in a way I can’t do,” said Haines tourism director Rebecca Hylton.

According to the borough tourism office, Haines could see as many as 70,000 cruise passengers this summer, in line with Wrangell’s numbers — but far short of the 1.6 million possible visitors in Ketchikan and Juneau.

Whether residents want more cruise ship volume is an open-ended question. A 2025 survey found a majority of Haines residents supported cruise ship volume holding steady or increasing slightly. Only 16% of respondents preferred a “much higher” amount of cruise ship business.

There was, however, a spread of opinions, including a higher rate of support for the cruise industry among younger survey respondents.

Haines currently lags well behind its nearest neighbors, Juneau and Skagway, in terms of cruise business. Some see a larger cruise industry as a potential big boost for the economy.

Hylton acknowledged that many residents would likely only support an increase to a certain point, if at all. But broader industry trends may force a change, regardless of local preference.

Cruise visitation is currently trending up in Southeast overall, which has to some extent masked movement away from ports like Haines to the specialty, private ports, such as Hoonah Totem Corp.’s Icy Strait Point, Hylton said. But if the trend continues, she warned, Haines could lose the industry.

This article originally appeared in the Chilkat Valley News.