22
May
2021
|
18:49 PM
Europe/Amsterdam
Alaska Cruises Set to Resume as Congress Passes Bill to Waive Passenger Vessel Services Act | gCaptain
Safari Endeavour Alaska Endicott Arm Skiff Glacier
Cruises to Alaska are set to resume this summer after Congress passed a bill waiving the U.S. law that normally requires foreign flag cruises sailing between Washington and Alaska to stop in Canada.
The legislation comes in response to a Canadian ban on passenger vessels which was first in March 2020 in response to COVID-19. The ban is currently scheduled to stay in place until February 28, 2022.
The bipartisan Alaska Tourism Restoration Act provides a temporary waiver of the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886, which prohibits foreign-flagged passenger vessels from sailing to between two U.S. ports without first stopping at a foreign destination. For many Alaska-bound cruises departing from Seattle, this has meant a stopover in Canada.