Utah Senator Bill Lee has tabled three bills in the U.S. Senate that take aim at sa国际传媒鈥檚 cruise sector.
The bills鈥� intent is to permanently change U.S. law in a way that would allow foreign-flagged cruise ships to travel directly between U.S. ports without touching a foreign country.
That would mean that Seattle-to-Alaska voyages could skip stops in sa国际传媒, such as in Victoria or Vancouver.
The U.S. Congress recently unanimously passed a bill to temporarily allow cruise ships on Alaskan voyages to bypass sa国际传媒, after the Canadian government banned those ships from docking in sa国际传媒 to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The law that allows the ships to temporarily bypass sa国际传媒 when headed to Alaska stipulates that it will cease to be in effect as soon as sa国际传媒 reopens its ports.
sa国际传媒鈥檚 ban on cruise ships docking at its ports is in effect until February 28, 2022, and that ban applies to all commercial vessels carrying more than 100 passengers.
Greater Victoria Harbour Authority CEO Ian Robertson told BIV on June 10 that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should be clear that the ban on foreign cruise ships docking in sa国际传媒 will not be extended, and these vessels will be welcome in 2022.
鈥淭he cruise lines need some certainty, and I think it was the uncertainty that caused this whole thing to happen,鈥� he said.
Robertson said his organization originally supported Ottawa鈥檚 ban on cruise travel, due to COVID-19, but things are changing and policies need to keep pace.
鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing everyone, or a lot of people, getting vaccinated, and the passengers are tested, and they are vaccinated on the ships, the risk to Canadians is very, very low,鈥� he said.
The rationale for the 135-year-old Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA), was to protect the U.S. shipbuilding sector. In order to be a U.S.-flagged ship, the vessel must not only be registered in the U.S., and pay U.S. taxes, but it also must be constructed in the U.S.
No U.S. ship-building facilities now make cruise ships, so the reality is that there are no new ships that are eligible to travel between two U.S. ports without stopping at a foreign port.
The only exception to the restriction is for far-flung U.S. ports, such as American Samoa.
鈥淭he PVSA is bad news,鈥� Lee said in a June 10 statement. 鈥淭his arcane law benefits sa国际传媒, Mexico, and other countries who receive increased maritime traffic, at the expense of American workers in our coastal cities, towns, and ports.鈥�
He said that the result of the law is reduced demand for jobs and travel opportunities in the U.S.
鈥淚n the context of ocean liners, this 鈥榩rotectionist鈥� law is literally protecting no one, as there hasn鈥檛 been a cruise ship built domestically in over half a century. The PVSA is bad economics and bad law, and it鈥檚 far past time that Congress reconsider it.鈥�
Alaska Representative Don Young had implored sa国际传媒 Premier John Horgan to urge the federal government to allow so-called 鈥渢echnical calls,鈥� which would allow cruise ships to dock at Canadian ports as long as no one leaves the vessels.
When Young threatened to introduce legislation in Congress to allow a temporary override to the PVSA, Horgan dismissed his effort as a 鈥渂lip along the way as a result of frustration by Alaska,鈥� and something that was not likely to be successful.
When the initiative passed in Congress, Young, on May 20, tweeted to Horgan, saying 鈥渄on鈥檛 underestimate Don Young and the Alaska delegation. Our bill, the 鈥榖lip鈥� as you say, is now headed to be signed into law.鈥�
The debate about whether to allow technical calls at ports, however, is long over, according to Robertson.
鈥淭echnical calls are not are not viable at this time,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is too late. The cruise lines have got what they wanted, and they are able to sail between Seattle and Alaska.鈥�
