According to a report by Cruise Industry News, US President Joe Biden signed the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act into law last Monday, which temporarily allows foreign-flagged cruise ships to sail in the region without having to dock in Canada first.
According to a statement from the White House, the law will be in effect until either Canada lifts restrictions on their cruise ship ban, or March 31, 2022.
The US Senate passed the bill two weeks ago that was the work of Alaskan Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, with the bill then moving to Congress which approved it last week, with Biden quickly signing it on Monday evening.
The law paves the way for the majority of cruise ships to operate in Alaska this summer, with cruise lines including Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line have already announced deployments.
In the meantime in Australia, what appears to be a high degree of bureaucratic ineptitude and an appallingly slow process and lack of information being provided which should be in the public domain, is crippling the cruise sector and the greater travel industry.
The determination which bans cruise ships entering Australia under the Biosecurity (Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) (Emergency Requirements for Cruise Ships) Determination 2020, made under the Biosecurity Act 2015 (“cruise ship ban”) applicable to ‘Cruise Ships’, that is vessels with sleeping facilities for 100 or more passengers and generally used to provide a commercial sea transportation service, is up for review on 17 June, 2021.
Until then the Federal Government has advised that no applications for any cruise ships to operate in Australia will be considered until the Biosecurity Determination (Cruise Ship ban) has been lifted. So just to be clear, no cruise company can apply for a vessel to enter Australia until that determination is lifted.
In addition, the applications have to be made to the Maritime Traveller Processing Committee seeking approval for cruise ships wanting to enter seaports other than the Ports of:
- Sydney
- Melbourne
- Brisbane (excluding Tangalooma)
- Cairns (excluding Yorkeys Knob)
- Port Adelaide
- Darwin
- Fremantle
- Hobart
What is not clear though is what applications have to made for those ports listed above and whether any other applications other than the normal port agent processes need to be made or approvals sought from the Federal Government or from any State or Territory Governments for a cruise ship to enter Australia.
I imagine all will be revealed, but I also ask the question will it, while in the meantime the cruise sector and travel industry continue to wallow in crisis and lack of information, which should be much more broadly available, which is unacceptable for the various levels of government and the industry association to allow to continue.
A report and opinion by John Alwyn-Jones, Cruise Editor.
