By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has announced plans to introduce legislation that would continue to allow large cruise ships to sail to Alaska without the required port call in Canada.
She made the announcement September 14 at the Southeast Conference in Haines, saying she intends to introduce the legislation this week.
The legislation would permanently exempt cruise ships carrying more than 1,000 passengers from the Passenger Vessel Services Act. The PVSA requires foreign-flagged ships sailing between American ports to stop en route at a foreign port, which for Alaskan cruises is generally Canada. After the pandemic started Canada closed its ports to cruise ships.
Alaska’s congressional delegation was successful earlier this year in securing passage of the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act, which allows ships to bypass the required Canadian stop for the 2021 season. It was signed into law by President Biden on May 24.
Large cruise ships that come to Alaska are generally foreign-built and foreign flagged.
Murkowski’s announcement was well-received in Sitka.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Chris McGraw, who manages the Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal. He said the temporary exemption in place not only allowed ships to come to Alaska this season, but allowed ships to add another port call – in Sitka – because they didn’t have to stop in Canada.
“The Ovation of the Seas is calling here because they don’t have to make a stop in Canada, so they came to Sitka,” McGraw said. “It allows the ship to make an extra port call in Alaska.”
Allen Marine is also supportive of the legislation, which the company said will help protect Alaska’s tourism industry.
“Earlier this year we saw the cruise industry going to great lengths to ensure shipboard health and safety — including vaccination requirements,” said Zak Kirkpatrick, Allen Marine director of marketing and public relations. “It was frustrating and disheartening to consider that local companies, cruise lines, and the State of Alaska were ready to safely welcome visitors, but could not because of the unintended power one of our own laws gave to a foreign government.”
City Administrator John Leach, who attended the Southeast Conference meeting in Haines and heard Murkowski’s speech, said, “We’re very appreciative of our delegation and the work they are doing to ensure the viability of a tourism industry that is so crucial to Alaska’s economy.”
On her webpage Murkowski noted the economic losses in Alaska related to the pandemic, and Canada’s cruise ship ban.
“It nearly wiped out Southeast Alaskan economies as we saw business after business ready to welcome visitors, but unable to because Canadians would not respond to our requests to allow foreign stops at their ports to meet the requirement of PVSA,” she said. “We cannot let that happen again.”
In her speech at Haines, Murkowski noted that eliminating the requirement for the Canada stop will create jobs for merchant mariners in the cruise industry.
As a result of the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act, the Serenade of the Seas’ visit on July 21 was the first stop by a large cruise ship in nearly two years. The schedule for an abbreviated season was quickly put into effect, with the last port call by large ship scheduled for Oct. 12.
McGraw said today’s stop by the Nieuw Amsterdam was canceled due to high seas, and high seas also may cause Serenade of the Seas to cancel Friday’s visit. But that’s still under evaluation.
Murkowski said the exemption would end once there is a U.S.-built cruise ship that carries more than 1,000 passengers.
“We do not want to compete with U.S. shipbuilders — that’s why this legislation ends once there is an American market,” she said. “Bottom line, we need to reform the PVSA so that Alaskans’ ability to engage in commerce isn’t derailed by the government of another country.”
