B.C. cruise-ship ports say they are monitoring political developments after Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan reportedly suggested scrapping longstanding laws that require cruise ships to stop in Canada while travelling between states.
“Recent discussions about a potential waiver to the U.S. Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) have raised questions about the role of Canadian ports in the Alaska cruise experience
“Greater Victoria Harbour Authority continues to closely monitor the political situation and to actively promote stability in the cruise industry,” said its CEO Robert Lewis-Manning in a statement to BIV Friday.
Sullivan’s comments to 650 KENI radio, as reported by Anchorage Daily News, came the day after B.C. Premier David Eby passed legislation allowing his government to toll trucks passing from Washington state to Alaska.
Eby has also pulled all American-produced alcohol off government liquor store shelves after initially targeting so-called “red states” or those with a Republican governor.
Sullivan is a Republican, as is Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who Eby said he spoke to earlier this month to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats. Eby said he did not get the sense his concerns would be communicated to Trump.
The U.S. Passenger Vessel Services Act prohibits foreign-flagged vessels (such as cruise ships) from transporting passengers between U.S. ports (such as Seattle and Anchorage) without stopping at a foreign port. The act is a protectionist measure for U.S. maritime industries and there are some exceptions.
The act was last raised as an impediment during the COVID-19 pandemic, when American officials sought a broad exemption.
The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority’s Lewis-Manning said there are 320 cruise ships scheduled to visit his city in 2025.
Ultimately it is up to private cruise ships to decide if they wish to bypass a B.C. port between U.S. states, noted Lewis-Manning.
“We will provide a warm welcome to every cruise ship passenger. There is a long history of Victoria welcoming travellers from countries around the world, and that will continue,” he said.
Meanwhile, at the Port of Vancouver, spokesperson Alex Munroe said the agency is also monitoring the situation and “having ongoing conversations with our cruise line partners.”
However, Munroe noted Vancouver differs from the likes of Victoria and Nanaimo because it is a home base for one-way and round-trip cruises.
“We expect Canada Place will long remain one of North America’s premier homeports serving the Alaska market. The terminal also offers strategic advantages and benefits from a well-established support network of businesses and port operators that can ensure cruise lines are able to re-fuel, re-stock and maintain their ships between voyages, as well as offering U.S. border pre-clearance services and Canadian border services for passengers.” Munroe told BIV.
According to the port, as of March 4 there are 301 cruise ship calls scheduled between March 5 and Oct. 21, with more than 1.2 million passengers expected to pass through the cruise terminal in 2025.
Disembarking passengers are a key source of tourists for the region. Cruise operations in Vancouver are said to inject about $1 billion into the local economy, the port claims.
