TRELAWNY, Jamaica — The historic Falmouth Cruise Port sprang back to life on Tuesday morning as two vessels, the Caribbean Princess and the Norwegian Star, made their much-anticipated return, marking the first cruise arrivals since the passage of Hurricane Melissa just over a month ago.

The resumption of port activity has been widely welcomed, and Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie, during a visit to the town on Saturday, underscored the significance of Tuesday’s arrivals, noting that the return of cruise calls represents a crucial step in restoring the town’s economic engine.

McKenzie highlighted the extensive collaborative effort behind the scenes to ensure the town was ready.

“A joint effort between all stakeholders is underway to prepare Falmouth to accept the vessel. The municipal corporation has been working with the Port Authority, TPDCO (Tourism Product Development Company), and other agencies, and everybody is on the ground doing what is necessary to bring back that level of economic support to the town,” McKenzie said.

“It’s going to take us some time to do everything required to restore Falmouth. But the things we can do now are critical to the survival of the town,” he added.

Falmouth Port is the third to resume cruise operations following Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.

— Horace Hines