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The Norwegian Joy alongside the Canada Place terminal in Vancouver in 2019. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
Alaska's three-member congressional delegation responded to Canada's Feb. 4 decision to extend its cruise ban into 2022 by calling it "unacceptable" and saying they would explore "all potential avenues, including changing existing laws, to ensure the cruise industry in Alaska resumes operations as soon as it is safe."
It was assumed that Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young were referring to the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 (PVSA), which requires foreign-flagged ships -- which almost all large cruise vessels are -- to stop in at least one foreign port when sailing between two U.S. destinations, such as Seattle and Alaska. It's why so many Alaska cruises start or stop in Vancouver or Victoria, British Columbia. If they didn't, they'd be in violation of this 19th-century cabotage legislation that was passed to protect U.S. shipbuilders and operators.