Johanna Jainchill
A case is being made to revisit the 135-year-old shipping law that could be the stranglehold on Alaska cruising this summer not by citizens of the 49th state, but of the 50th.
When it comes to cruising, Hawaii and Alaska appear to have very little in common. More than half of Alaska s tourist arrive via cruise ship every year, while they accounted for only 1% of all Hawaii visitor arrivals in 2018, according to the nonprofit Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.
That organization, a member of the State Policy Network, an umbrella organization for a consortium of conservative and libertarian think tanks, is joining forces with organizations in Alaska to call for reform or repeal of the 1886 U.S. Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA).
With President Joe Biden’s 100th-day milestone on April 30, 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard is holding a steady course on its expectations, including those related to environmental stewardship, innovation and cybersecurity. (See Holland & Knight Transportation’s previous article, “Steady as She Goes: Three Expectations for the Coast Guard Under the Biden Administration” from Jan. 8, 2021) In fact, emerging commercial opportunities in areas involving renewable energy, innovative and novel technologies, and alternate marine fuels have already come to surface in the first few months of the Biden Administration. In addition, pending bills on Capitol Hill with a maritime nexus will merit further engagement for stakeholders seeking to help shape future legislation while ensuring regulatory compliance.
Keeping It Steady as She Goes: Coast Guard Living Up to Its Three Expectations – gCaptain gcaptain.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gcaptain.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog:
With President Joe Biden s 100th-day milestone approaching on April 30, 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard is holding a steady course on its expectations, including those related to environmental stewardship, innovation and cybersecurity. (See Holland & Knight Transportation Blog, Steady as She Goes: Three Expectations for the Coast Guard in 2021, Jan. 9, 2021.) In fact, emerging commercial opportunities in areas involving renewable energy, innovative and novel technologies, and alternate marine fuels have already come to surface in the first few months of the Biden Administration. In addition, pending bills on Capitol Hill with a maritime nexus will merit further engagement for stakeholders seeking to help shape future legislation while ensuring regulatory compliance.
Cruise ships docked in Juneau in July 2016. Photo Credit: Iv Nikolny/Shutterstock.com
Royal Caribbean Group CEO Richard Fain said today that the CDC s latest guidance makes the prospect of an Alaska season more likely and that although the Alaska situation is complex, he thinks a solution is possible.
The CDC last night committed to a mid-July restart from the U.S., relaxing testing guidelines, speeding up the approval-to-sail process and saying that cruise lines can skip test sailings if 98% of crew and 95% of passengers are fully vaccinated.
The changes, Fain said, encourages us that we now see a pathway to a healthy and achievable return to service, hopefully in time for an Alaskan season.