Canada will ban cruise ships in Canadian waters until February 2022, the government announced on Thursday.
This order effectively ends Alaska’s 2021 cruise season.
US maritime law says that foreign-flagged cruise ships must stop in Canada between U.S. ports. That’s why major cruise lines like Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean stop in British Columbia before starting their travels in Alaska.
So when the Canadian government banned cruise ships traveling to their ports last year, it also ended cruise tourism in Alaska. This ban on cruise ships was extended until February 2022.
Juneau’s city manager, Rorie Watt, said he was not surprised.
“Since the new year, tea leaves and the news is increasingly pessimistic about the return of cruise ships for the summer,” he said.
But he thought the extension of the ban could be for a few months, not the whole year.
“Three months ago, we thought we would see ships in May, a month ago we might see them in June, two weeks ago we might see them in July and, last week, we thought we might see them in August,” he said.
However, it is not a deal closed in Watt’s mind. And the Canadian government’s order could be rescinded if pandemic conditions improve before next February.
But in Skagway, Mayor Andrew Cremata sees no way forward in the meantime.
“Any idea that there could be some sort of alternative solution is out of the question now, because the Canadian government has stated very clearly that cruise ships will not even be allowed in Canadian waters,” he said.
Some members of the cruise industry expect an exemption from this law that requires cruise ships to stop in Canada before proceeding to Alaska.
Patti Mackey, president and CEO of the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau, says an exemption request has already been made to Alaskan lawmakers in Washington DC
“There has already been considerable conversation with our Congressional delegation,” she said. “And I have a feeling this is going to increase a little more now with this latest ad.”
Hours after the announcement, Alaska Congressman Don Young’s office sent a three-page letter to the White House asking the Biden government to help find a legal solution with Canada that could save Alaska’s 2021 cruise season.
Not all cruises are affected by Canada’s ban. Small cruise ships departing and ending in Alaska will be able to operate when they meet the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 protocols.
But if port communities in southeastern Alaska are going to endure another year without any revenue from cruise ship passengers and related businesses, Rorie Watt in Juneau said, it won’t happen without any help.
“We will be waiting and praying for a big federal stimulus package,” he said.
According to the Cruise Lines Industry Association, cruises contributed $ 1.3 billion in direct spending to Alaska and generated 23,000 jobs before the pandemic.
The companies in Skagway have been struggling to stay afloat after a year without any kind of cruise tourism. It is practically the only industry in the city. The municipality scheduled a city hall meeting on February 10 to discuss backup plans, now that it is clear that the ships will not be returning this summer.
Jacob Resneck and Eric Stone contributed to the account of this story. The story has been updated from the original with additional information.