Port of Cleveland plans new US Customs facility for cruises

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Port Cleveland is planning to develop a more permanent U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility to process cruise passengers disembarking in the Lake Erie city.

The Plain Dealer reports that the Port of Cleveland is planning to spend $600,000 to develop the facility for an increasing number of Great Lakes cruise passengers.

William Friedman, president and CEO of the Port of Cleveland, says Cleveland is positioned as well as any port city in the Great Lakes to be a stopover for "a wave of ships" that are coming into the cruise system.

The port plans to convert the Seamen's Service building into the new facility.

Officials say the planned renovations are awaiting approval from the federal government and should be completed by September or October.

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Information from: The Plain Dealer, http://www.cleveland.com