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Secretary Mineta visits Pride of Aloha (8/16)

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta recently visited the SIU-crewed Pride of Aloha in Hawaii. The Transportation Department issued the following news release, which also is available on the DoT web site here Friday, August 13, 2004 U.S. Transportation Secretary Meets Hawaii’s New Maritime Workforce During Cruise Ship Visit KAHALUI (Maui), Hawaii – U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today visited the Pride of Aloha cruise ship during its port call to the island of Maui for a tour and unique opportunity to address employees aboard the ship. The Secretary highlighted the importance of the 3,500 seafaring jobs created by the introduction of the Norwegian Cruise Lines ship into the inter-island Hawaii cruise trade. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration played a critical role in bringing the Pride of Aloha into service by overseeing the implementation of the U.S. registration effort, enabling the ship to meet requirements established by Congress. “This ship symbolizes the beginning of a rebirth in the domestic cruise industry in the United States. The Pride of Aloha employs approximately 800 U.S. citizens during one cruise – 60 percent of them residents of Hawaii,” Secretary Mineta noted. “As Hawaii renews its focus on its maritime heritage, the Pride of Aloha has helped advance the effort led by the state and its business leaders.” The crew operates on a rotating schedule, quadrupling the total number of employment opportunities throughout the year aboard the ship. The Pride of Aloha is the only modern, state-of-the-art U.S.-registered cruise ship in the world and is the only cruise ship in the world where U.S. citizens constitute the entire crew. “Transportation is the backbone of a revitalized economy here in Hawaii, and across America,” Secretary Mineta said “You are on the front lines of a growing economy and you make up the foundation of a travel and tourism industry that has come roaring back to life,” he told employees assembled to meet with the Secretary. The 2,000-passenger Pride of Aloha started flying the U.S. flag on June 7 when it began the voyage to Hawaii to embark on seven-day inter-island cruises. Norwegian also plans to register two more ships as U.S. ships, the Pride of America and another cruise ship yet to be named. -END-