GulfQuest Maritime Museum is shutting down 13 months after it opened in September 2015, and just days before the Carnival Fantasy is scheduled to partake in its first voyage out of the Alabama Cruise Terminal on Wednesday.

The announcement of the closure, effective Monday, was made through a news release from Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson's office on Friday.

The decision was related to projected attendance numbers not being reached within the museum's first year of operations. According to the city, the board of trustees with the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf Coast submitted a request for an immediate $1.8 million infusion of funds from the city.

"Our conclusion is, at this time, we cannot recommend additional city funds be allocated to GulfQuest without significant changes to the Maritime Museum's business model and its management," Stimpson said in the news release.

Added Stimpson: "Our hope remains that a path forward will be identified leading to a successful outcome -- a sustainable GulfQuest operation that provides a fun, attractive and appealing entertainment and educational opportunity for citizens and tourists alike."

Limited basis scheduling will continue, specifically for private and special events including those already scheduled. The museum will be maintained by a minimally required number of staff who will become city employees reporting to the mayor's office.

The board of trustees, meanwhile, will be responsible for raising funds for maintenance of the exhibits and to cover their outstanding payables and debt obligations.

The city and board, according to the news release, will work to identify a consultant or third-party operator who can "bring a renewed sense of fund, entertainment and education to the Mobile waterfront."

The closure comes ahead of when GulfQuest was expected generate more activity with the arrival of the cruising industry back to Mobile. The Carnival Fantasy, under a 13-month agreement, will sail its first voyage out of the nearby Alabama Cruise Terminal on Wednesday afternoon.

GulfQuest opened following years of setbacks related to the facility's construction, highlight by an expensive remediation of mold growth within the vessel-shaped museum more than a year before it opened. Much of that money came from a contingency account, which was a little less than $2 million at the time.

Ground was broken on the museum's construction in 2009 and, over the years, its price-tag ballooned to what the city estimates is nearly $70 million in a public-private investment.

The mayor's office, last month, estimated that GulfQuest was behind on its utility payments at around $400,000. At the time, the mayor's office stated it was looking to work with GulfQuest's leadership to resolved the structure's financial situation.