ICCL Concerns On New Passport
Requirements
ICCL Issues Advisory On
2005 Hurricane Season
ICCL Statement On Future US Passport Requirements
For Air/Sea Travel
The 2004 Intelligence Reform Bill contained
a provision, based on the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission,
that addressed future passport requirements for all U.S. citizens.
Under Section 7209, the Department of Homeland Security is required
to devise a plan to require a passport (or other accepted document)
for all U.S. citizens for any travel they may incur from foreign
countries into the United States, eliminating the current passport
exemption for travel within the Western Hemisphere. The implementation
date is January 1, 2008.
To implement the law, currently referred
to as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), the government
proposed a phased-in approach for different regions in the Western
Hemisphere under the following timeline:
December 31, 2005 Passport or other accepted
document required for all air and sea travel to or from the
Caribbean, Bermuda and Central and South America.
December 31, 2006 Passport or other accepted
document required for all air or sea travel to or from Mexico
and Canada.
December 31, 2007 Passport or other accepted
document required for all air, sea and land border crossings.
The International Council of Cruise Lines
(ICCL) has serious concerns with these timelines as it does
not allow sufficient time for travelers to comply with the requirements,
and treats the Caribbean, Bermuda and Central and South America
unfairly. The Caribbean is the most heavily visited cruise destination
in the world, accounting for approximately 45 percent of all
cruise ship visits. In many instances, cruise passengers traveling
to the Caribbean have already booked their cruises for 2006.
Currently, the State Department estimates that only 20 percent
or less of all Americans have passports.
The ICCLs highest priority is the safety
and security of our passengers and crew, and we clearly understand
that the government has a legitimate need to enhance the security
at the borders. Requiring a standardized identification document,
(e.g. passport) is an important aspect of that effort and it
simplifies the process of border crossings to have a single
recognized document in place. The cruise industry supported
the inclusion of the provision as a policy, but asked that when
the government proposed regulations to implement the program,
sufficient time be allotted to allow for the public to understand
the new rules, and for the industry to be able to communicate
the new requirements to their customers, and most importantly,
for the public to obtain their passports.
There is no basis for treating travelers
to the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Central and South Americans any
differently from others. Implementation of all phases of the
WHTI should be delayed until January 2008. Delaying the implementation
date will give much needed time to the federal government, the
travel industry, and most importantly, the traveling public,
to adapt to the new passport program.
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ICCL Issues Advisory
On The 2005 Hurricane Season
The highest priority of the membership of
the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) is to ensure
the safety of our passengers, crew and vessels. In the early
part of the 2005 hurricane season, ICCL cruise lines are already
prepared to make sure that the ships are out of harms way.
In the event of severe weather, certain operational
protocols are in place for cruise lines, including:
Being completely mobile, cruise lines are
able to alter, cancel, shorten or extend ship itineraries to
keep passengers safe. Modern cruise ships feature technologically
advanced weather forecasting systems that enable them to reposition
a ship well in advance of significant weather related disturbances.
Ships are able to work around port closures
caused by severe weather conditions. In the event that ports
of embarkation and debarkation are closed, cruise lines can
use an alternative port that is open nearby. In these cases,
cruise lines coordinate the logistics of loading food and supplies
and getting passengers to and from the original port.
Cruise lines communicate any itinerary
changes up until the sailing date to their passengers. Travelers
should monitor cruise line Web sites for modifications to itineraries
prior to finalizing travel.
Throughout this time, the ICCL member lines
will continue to closely monitor weather conditions and take
all actions necessary to make certain our passengers enjoy a
safe and secure cruise vacation.
About the ICCL: The International Council of Cruise Lines
(ICCL) represents the interests of 16 passenger cruise lines
that call on major ports in the United States and abroad. ICCL
member lines include: Carnival Cruise Lines; Celebrity Cruises;
Costa Cruise Line N.V.; Crystal Cruises; Cunard Line; Disney
Cruise Line; Holland America Line; NCL America; Norwegian Cruise
Line; Orient Lines; Princess Cruises; Radisson Seven Seas Cruises;
Royal Caribbean International; Seabourn Cruise Line, Silversea
Cruises; and Windstar Cruises. These vessels account for approximately
90 percent of the North American passenger cruise line industry.
