Two-Year-Old Whittier Cruise Dock Declared “Total Loss” after Fire

A two-year-old, $80 million cruise ship terminal in Whittier, Alaska, has been declared a “total loss” by officials with the Alaska State Fire Marshal’s office.

As reported by Anchorage Daily News, a hard-to-fight fire left significant damage, enough to put the terminal out of commission.

The fire, which was first reported around 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, was not fully extinguished until 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

No injuries were reported and Norwegian Jade, which was supposed to operate out of the terminal, was moved to Whittier’s other terminal without incident. A vacant day-cruise high-speed catamaran operated by Phillips Cruises & Tours was damaged.

“The safety and security of our guests, crew and the communities we visit are always a top priority. Due to a fire at the Chugach Glacier Gateway Cruise Terminal in Whittier, Alaska, where one of our ships was scheduled to embark from, the embarkation process was moved to an alternate location, Whittier Alaska Cruise Ship Terminal 1. While there was no damage to the ship, onboard firefighting equipment was used to prevent the fire from spreading further on the pier,” a spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line told TMR.

The Glacier Gateway Terminal is located about 1.5 miles from Whittier’s other cruise ship terminal. It was built in 2024 through a partnership between Norwegian Cruise Line and Huna Totem Corp. The pier was capable of accommodating two vessels. Ship visits to the facility began in September 2024; last year marked its first full season of operations.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

“We are still assessing the full extent of the damage to the dock, and we do not yet have enough information to make determinations about repairs and future operations. However, our goal is to be operational for the 2027 season,” Chris Da Silva, chief marketing and communications officer for Huna Totem Corporation, told TMR.

While the season in Alaska is winding down, Norwegian Jade is scheduled to return to Whittier twice more. Sister cruise brand Regent Seven Seas also has a stop at Whittier scheduled with Seven Seas Explorer on Oct. 5. After that, nothing is scheduled until May 2027.

“We do not anticipate any impact to our remaining two calls to Whittier this season, other than relocating our operations to an alternative pier,” the NCL spokesperson said.