The SIU has returned to the deep-sea cruise ship industry—and in a big way.
Seafarers recently crewed up NCL America’s newly reflagged Pride of Aloha, an 853-foot vessel that marks the start of Norwegian Cruise Line’s U.S.-flag division.
“This is a great moment for our union,” SIU President Michael Sacco said June 7 when the Stars and Stripes went up on the Pride of Aloha. “It means new jobs for Seafarers, but it also represents a promising start to the rebirth of the U.S.-flag deep-sea cruise ship industry.”
“Reflagging this ship is far more than symbolic,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta. “Raising the Stars and Stripes over more ships raises our maritime strength and raises jobs.”
The Pride of Aloha is scheduled to enter service this month, offering cruises in Hawaii. Formerly the Bahamian-flagged Norwegian Sky, the vessel recently underwent a multi-million dollar refurbishment in San Francisco, where it was reflagged. Its home port will be Honolulu.
The Pride of Aloha employs nearly 800 shipboard personnel and can carry 2,000 passengers.
“Today marks a milestone not only in the cruise industry, but also in our nation’s maritime history,” Norwegian Cruise Line America President and CEO Colin Veitch said at the reflagging ceremony. “We are proud to be the first cruise company in recent memory to offer travelers an unparalleled combination of interisland Hawaii cruising and a modern U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed mega-ship.”
According to an independent study by one of the nation’s leading economic consultants, NCL America’s three U.S.-flag cruise ships planned for Hawaii are expected to create more than 20,000 U.S. jobs and generate more than $825 million of expenditures in the U.S. economy by the end of 2007. (The Pride of America and another cruise ship yet to be named also will be flagged as U.S. ships.) Nearly $360 million in federal tax revenue are also projected by 2007 from the ships and the landside economic activities stimulated by them.
The U.S. Maritime Administration noted that it helped bring the Pride of Aloha into the U.S.-flag fleet by overseeing implementation of the reflagging effort enabling the ship to meet requirements established by Congress.
U.S. Maritime Administrator Capt. William Schubert said of the reflagging and the other planned ships, “This is great news for the U.S. Merchant Marine as it increases the number of ships sailing under the American flag. Our nation’s economic well-being hinges on an economically viable maritime industry and today marks another big step in the right direction.”
U.S. Coast Guard Lieutenant Tony Guild added, “We worked in cooperation with NCL America to ensure that the vessel met all international standards for a passenger ship. This entailed a complete inspection of the vessel and its safety and security systems from life jackets, lifeboats, complex firefighting systems, complex automation systems that manage the ship’s power and propulsion plants, to various security plans and equipment. In addition, the Coast Guard ensured that the ship’s crew met all required U.S. standards for merchant mariner certification.”
Following an inaugural celebration and a christening on July 4, the Pride of Aloha will begin its regular seven-day, year-round Hawaii cruise schedule. Visiting all four main islands and offering passengers up to 96 hours in port, the cruise features two overnight stays in Kauai and Maui while also making full day calls in Kona and Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii.
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