Celebrity Summit to pick up 1,600 live lobsters in Portland today

Chellie with John Ready, owner of lobster wholesaler Ready Seafood, in 2012

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree said cruise ships are continuing to buy thousands of pounds of live Maine lobster when they visit Maine. Celebrity Cruises has ordered 1,600 11Ž2 pound lobsters for delivery today to the 2,000-passenger Celebrity Summit. That is in addition to 640 lobsters that were purchased last month and another 1,600 more that will be delivered when that ship returns to Portland later this month.

"There is nothing more local than live Maine lobsters caught in the waters off our coast," Pingree said. "I'm glad the cruise ship industry is showing a continued commitment to buying local products when visiting Maine and at the same time giving their guests a chance to enjoy the freshest possible Maine seafood."

In 2012, when Pingree learned that cruise ships visiting Mainewere not purchasing Maine lobster while in port, she wrote to the CEO's of several major cruise ship companies urging them to buy local. Both Celebrity and Norwegian responded and began purchasing locally.

"It's really just common sense for these cruise ships to stock up on Maine lobster when they are in port, but it wasn't happening until we brought it to the attention of the people who run these companies," Pingree said.