The Norwegian Star with a capacity of 2,240 passengers
kicks off the 2008 season April 29 in Ketchikan.
:: Cruise companies fret new water standards
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- New state standards for cruise ship wastewater discharge are stiff. Only 3.1 parts copper per billion, whether it's a drop of water or a gallon, are allowed under the new regulations.
It's not much, considering the drinking water in some Alaska communities contains hundreds of parts per billion.
And it's another example of why the industry is desperate for a more reasonable solution.
Alaska Cruise Association President John Binkley said cruise ship companies are terrified by the new regulations as they prepare for another big tourism season in Alaska.
They can handle the soaring gas prices. They can find ample passengers for their destinations. But how, they say, can they meet these stringent standards?
"So you couldn't take drinking water from Anchorage and pour it over board off of a cruise ship -- it would be out of compliance," Binkley said.
Binkley's complaint is directed at standards developed to comply with the cruise ship initiative voters passed...
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:: Cruise ships recycle everything
Some of the world's most aggressive recyclers are the cruise ships that bring more than 1 million visitors to Alaska each year.
All waste materials aboard the ships are recycled, incinerated or offloaded and disposed of in approved shoreside facilities. Materials to be recycled are compacted, crushed or baled and stored on board the ships until they are turned over to an approved vendor for disposal.
In Vancouver, B.C., Tymac Launch Service has the contract to service the 18 ships that homeport there for the summer.
Tymac removed 42 tons of aluminum last...
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ACA's Rod Pfleiger, second from right, talked about how Valley farmers can sell Alaska-grown produce to the cruise ships during a potato and vegetable conference in Palmer. Other panelists include, from left to right, Brian McJunkin of FSA, Alvin Smith of FSA, Alan Seidman of Johnson & Wales University, Pfleiger, and Rob Kinneen, the Captain Cook Hotel Chef.
:: Valley gets bulb recycling system
The Alaska Cruise Association teamed up with Valley Community for Recycling Solutions and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough to donate a fluorescent bulb recycling system called "Bulb Eaters®."
"This system is a win-win for the health and safety of the Valley," said Mollie Boyer, Executive Director, Valley Community for Recycling Solutions. "Spent bulbs now end up in the landfill because we have no way to safely recycle them."
"This is a good example of how the cruise industry can share its cutting-edge technology with Alaskans," said Borough Mayor Curt...
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The ACA also donated a Bulb Eater® to Haines Friends of Recycling. Haines residents can drop off spent bulbs at the recycling center off Small Tracts Road. From left to right: John Binkley, Haines Borough Mayor Fred Shields, Marilyn Gunn, Director of Friends of Haines Recycling.
:: Three new ships to call this season
The nine member lines of the Alaska Cruise Association will send 28 ships to the state this season, including two new Princess ships and the Celebrity Millennium, the first of the line's Millennium-class of ships.
Twenty-five of the ships will depart from the Port of Vancouver, B.C., which will welcome 275 ship visits and 900,000...
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:: Ocean Fund grant funds estauries' assessment
Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises' Ocean Fund awarded a marine conservation grant totaling $40,000 to the Nature Conservancy to conduct inventory and ecological assessment of estuaries, salt-marsh wetlands and coastal marine habitats, and prioritize areas for conservation in Southeast Alaska.
"Clean oceans are good for the environment, good for our guests and good for our business," said Richard D. Fain, chairman...
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Denby Lloyd, Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, enjoys the bounty of the sea at a kickoff reception for a special ecological assessment of estuaries sponsored by Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises.
:: Alaska Cruise Association sponsors Sitka crab feed
The Alaska Cruise Association will sponsor the all-you-can-eat crab feed at the Sitka Summer Music Festival, rescuing a 20-year tradition.
Both the sponsor and the caterer withdrew from the event earlier this year, leaving organizers unsure if the crab feed would take place at all. Word that the event might be cancelled reached the media and the Cruise Association stepped in to help.
The event draws hundreds of people to...
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