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CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Hurricane Irma is still two days away from the territory, but it is already making its presence known financially.
The Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Allure of the Seas and the Celebrity Equinox have each canceled their scheduled visits to St. Thomas this week.
Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA) Acting Executive Director Damian Cartwright said on Sunday that the two cruise ships were supposed to dock at the Austin “Babe” Monsanto Marine Terminal in Crown Bay, St. Thomas on Thursday, September 7.
But each visit was canceled “as a safety precaution” due to approaching inclement weather anticipated from Hurricane Irma, which is expected to affect the Virgin Islands this week, Cartwright said.
Although the visit was cancelled for safety reasons, Cartwright said that he “extended his apologies to the merchants and businesses that will be affected because of the cancellations.”
VIPA said that it will continue to update the public regarding the status of its ports as information is received.
The Authority encouraged the community to monitor the Port Authority’s Facebook page for updates.