Industry urges Hawaii to rethink plan to slash cruise calls

Travel Weekly

2 days ago

Industry stakeholders are urging policymakers to reconsider a plan that would phase out Hawaii cruise calls. The proposal is part of a broader effort to reduce emissions.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation is calling for a 50% reduction in cruise calls by 2030 and an additional 50% reduction by 2035. It makes an exception for homeported ships, of which is there is only one large cruise vessel, Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America. Other large cruise ships include Hawaii as part of longer itineraries.
Hawaii-based policy groups and companies that work with the cruise industry called for open dialogue between policymakers, cruise lines and members of the community, saying there are other ways to reduce cruise ship emissions than eliminating calls.
A group of 55 Hawaii-based stakeholders met on Aug. 7 to begin strategizing a response to the DOT proposal, said Denise Clark, who does consulting and liaison work with the cruise industry and Hawaiian businesses and organized the meeting.
Curtis Chee, director of cruise service at MC&A, which conducts cruise turnaround operations and connects cruise lines with shore excursion vendors, said Hawaii-based businesses that work with the cruise industry share the goal of a greener future. But he urged the state to recognize that there are ways to do so without putting Hawaiians out of work, such as his staff of about 50 who complete turnaround operations for the Pride of America alone.
"We are so eager and anxious to jump in and say, 'What can we do to help you get to this plan without the elimination of vessels?'" he said. "Working with the cruise lines to find out which vessels already have low emissions, which vessels already could have the potential for shore power, and see if that fleet is able to come to the Islands."
Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America is the only large cruise ship that homeports in Hawaii. Photo Credit: Norwegian Cruise Line
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has prioritized environmental policy, and this is not the first time that focus has included new cruise regulations. In May, Hawaii's legislature passed an 11% cruise tax to be used for sustainability efforts.
Malia Blom Hill, policy director at the Grassroots Institute of Hawaii, a nonprofit that supports limited government, said that Hawaiian culture lends itself to a more collaborative rather than adversarial approach to conflict resolution, so it would behoove the cruise lines to work with rather than against policymakers.
"If the perception is that you're just trying to move in and push people around, it definitely sets up not a combativeness but a sort of, 'You're not one of us. You're not here. You don't have our interests at heart,'" Hill said.
The DOT has already indicated it is open to alternatives to a cruise phase-out.
Dre Kalili, a deputy director for the department, said during a recorded presentation about the plan that if the industry indicates it is willing to implement emission-reduction initiatives, such as bringing ships to Hawaii that can plug into shore power, "I think we are open to that. But based on the data that we have and the trends that we see, [reducing cruise calls] emerged as a strategy."
Clark said that Hawaii does not currently have shore power infrastructure, so building it could be one alternative to a port call phase-out. However, she said she fears that cruise lines might reduce Hawaii itineraries pre-emptively after seeing the state's intentions.
"We know that the port itinerary planners work so far in advance that what happens today affects us two years, three years from now," she said.
A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, despite the Pride of America being exempt from the proposal, said it "welcomes an open, collaborative dialogue" with Hawaii's DOT to "refine the plan and best support our shared goals of reducing emissions, enhancing energy security and expanding access to clean, zero- or low-emission fuels. As the only cruise operator with a U.S.-flagged ship offering year-round service in Hawaii, we take that responsibility seriously."
All other cruise lines deferred to CLIA, which said it supports "practical and effective environmental solutions that positively impact the communities we visit."