TORONTO — All the trade war talk has put Alaska cruises and Canadian cruise ports back in the news – and not in a good way.

According to the Anchorage Daily News, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan said he will seek a waiver to the law that requires cruise ships to stop in Canada when sailing between the lower 48 states and Alaska.

As reported in Travelweek during the pandemic – in March 2021, during Canada’s cruise ship ban – ships with non-U.S. registry can’t embark and disembark passengers at more than one U.S. port unless the itinerary also includes a distant foreign port.

Most U.S. cruise lines register their ships with non-U.S. registry – like in Panama – so they’re subject to this rule. It’s all part of the U.S. Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA).

Similar efforts to allow cruise ships to bypass Canadian ports were initiated by Sullivan and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski in spring 2021 with the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act.