The City of Mackinac Island Prevails in
Lawsuit to Protect the Safety of Cruise Ship Passengers
More than three years ago the City of Mackinac Island received concerns from a city resident that the Mackinac Island Ferry Company main dock on the Island was in need of repairs to insure that cruise ships could safely moor and motor vehicles (including emergency vehicles) could be safely used on the South (lakeward) end of the dock. Cruise ships exert a lateral force on docks of 50 to 250 tons. Throughout 2023 and early 2024 the City attempted to work with MIFC to obtain the necessary repairs. After those attempts to obtain voluntary compliance with safety failed, the City filed suit in the Mackinac County Circuit Court contending that the South portion of the dock constitutes a nuisance regarding use by motorized vehicles and mooring cruise ships, and seeking a court order requiring the dock owner to abate the nuisance by ordering that motor vehicle use be prevented and cruise ships not be moored at the South end of the dock until the repairs were made.
After an evidentiary hearing on May 2, 2024, the Court entered a preliminary injunction preventing use of motor vehicles on the South portion of the dock. Shortly after the injunction was entered, the City offered to put a hold on all litigation proceedings to allow MIFC time to complete the safety repairs that they agreed were necessary. Within the month of the litigation being put on hold, MIFC was purchased by the Hoffmann Family of Companies, a Florida based company, and shortly thereafter rebranded as Arnold Transit Company.
The necessary repairs to the portion of the dock most needing repair halted in October 2024, and despite numerous assurances that commencement of work was imminent, those needed repairs have not begun.
In December 2025, Judge Rahilly granted partial summary judgment to the City declaring the dock to be a nuisance and scheduled a three-day court hearing beginning January 21st, 2026 to set a timeline of repairs. At the beginning of the January 21st hearing, the MIFC, d/b/a Arnold Transit, Hoffmann Family of Companies’ attorneys told the court it is not necessary to hold the hearing because the Company would consent to a judgment being entered which will prevent cruise ships from mooring to the dock until the necessary repairs are completed. The attorney for the Hoffmann Family of Companies also told the Circuit Court that it intends to appeal the finding that the dock is a nuisance.
The court order affects only a small portion of the cruise ships coming to Mackinac Island as most of the cruise ships do not moor at the dock, but rather moor in the open water and bring passengers to the Island in smaller tender ships. It is anticipated that most of the cruise ships, which formerly moored at the dock, will now anchor in the open water and bring passengers ashore in tender boats until the repairs are completed.
The Mackinac Island City Council looks forward to MIFC/Arnolds Transit, a Hoffmann Family of Companies, making the necessary repairs to allow cruise ships to once again safely moor at the main dock, and is pleased to continue welcoming cruise ship passengers to the Island, while also protecting their safety.