Canada lengthens ban on cruise ships

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Canadian government has extended a ban on cruise ships through February 2022, which is expected to block trips from visiting Alaska this year.

The ban was set to expire at the end of February, but Transport Canada said “cruise vessels in Canadian waters pose a risk to our health care systems.”

Most large cruise ships visiting Alaska are registered in foreign countries.

U.S. federal law prohibits foreign-registered ships from sailing between two American ports without stopping at a foreign port in between. Large cruise ships bound for Alaska either begin voyages in Canada or stop there on the way.

Most of Alaska’s 1.3 million visitors two years ago were cruise ship passengers visiting southeast Alaska. Many disembarked for excursions in Anchorage, Denali National Park and Fairbanks.