Amidst the ongoing trade war between the United States and Canada, one U.S. Senator threatened to have cruise ships skip Canada when cruising to Alaska.
Historically, Alaska cruises sailing round-trip from the U.S. have had to call at a Canadian port to satisfy the Passenger Vessel Service Act (PVSA) of 1886, which requires foreign-flagged cruise ships to visit a foreign port if sailing a closed-loop cruise from the United States.
Alaska’s U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan claimed he'd propose an amendment to the PVSA after British Columbia Premier David Eby said he'd introduce legislation to place tolls on Alaska-bound commercial trucks.
“I’m here to share that we will be introducing a new law in the coming days to respond to this historic challenge: unprecedented legislation. It will include such countermeasures as allowing the province to apply fees to commercial trucks that transit through British Columbia on their way to Alaska,” Eby said speaking at the Legislative Assembly building in Victoria.
As a result, Sullivan said Congress could pass a law exempting cruise ships from the required stop in Canada when sailing from the Lower 48 to Alaska.
Alternatively, he could seek an exemption by executive order issued by President Trump. Either way, Sullivan claimed the impact on Canada's economy could be in the "billions."
“You know, Canada, you don’t want to mess with Alaska,” Sullivan added, “If you do, we’re going to work hard on having our cruise ships bypass your ports, and that’ll help our economy tremendously, it’ll help our tourism industry tremendously, and it’ll really hurt their tourism.”
Currently, cruise ships that depart from U.S. ports like Seattle often call at Victoria on the final evening of the cruise before making their way back to Washington.
For example, a round-trip Alaska cruise on Anthem of the Seas may depart from Seattle and visit Sitka, Skagway, and Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier before making its way to Victoria.
This new exemption would mean that cruise ships no longer have to visit Canada on voyages from the U.S. Instead, they could potentially adjust their itineraries to include additional stops in Alaska or spend more time offering scenic cruising at glaciers.
Read more: I’ve been on 5 Alaska cruises, and one itinerary was far better than the rest
If Sullivan's threats are successful, it wouldn't be the first time the United States passed an exemption
In 2021, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced a new bill to repeal and reform the PVSA. The Alaska Tourism Restoration Act (ATRA) was signed into law in May but was only temporary and applied just to 2021 cruises.
Before the act went into effect, Canada banned cruise ships from entering their waters due to the global pandemic. As such, Alaska cruises from the United States—such as Seattle or San Francisco—were impossible.
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) tried to make the change permanent, arguing that the requirement "unintentionally put many Alaskan businesses at the mercy of the Canadian government."
The Cruising for Alaska’s Workforce Act would have allowed any ship carrying more than 1,000 passengers to transport passengers between a port in Alaska and another port in the United States, directly or by way of a foreign port.
Read more: I went on a 7-night cruise to Alaska. Here are 16 things that surprised me the most
