There will be no major cruises in Canada this year, as the Canadian government has extended its ban on cruise operations until February 2022.
The extended ban complicates cruise operators’ efforts to resume sailing in North America this year, prolonging its hiatus as voyages stopped in March 2020 due to outbreaks of coronavirus on ships. The ban is scheduled to expire later this month.
The Canadian measure applies to cruise ships carrying 100 or more people and prohibits access for passenger ships carrying more than 12 people in Arctic coastal waters, including Nunatsiavut, Nunavik and the Labrador Coast, said Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra . Recreational craft are also barred from entering Arctic waters, he added.
“Temporary bans for cruise ships and pleasure craft are essential to continue to protect the most vulnerable in our communities and to avoid overwhelming our health care systems,” Mr Alghabra said. “This is the right and responsible thing.”
Cruises in US regions, such as New England and Alaska, usually stop in Canada. Canadian ports reported visits from more than 1 million cruise passengers in 2019, mainly to Vancouver and ports in the Canadian maritime provinces.