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September 24, 2007
Princess reinstates previously cancelled cruise ship calls to St. Thomas Through the efforts of Gov. John P. deJongh, Jr. and with the cooperation of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Princess Cruise Lines late last week notified passengers scheduled to cruise aboard Sea Princess, the majority of whom are British, that ten previously canceled cruise ship calls to St. Thomas this season have been reinstated. The ship calls were originally canceled due to the anticipated amount of time it would take to for CBP to clear the Sea Princess and her 1,950 non U.S. citizen passengers. The CBP inspection of non U.S. citizens typically takes longer than for U.S. citizens. Upon learning of the cancellation, deJongh made contact with both Princess Cruise Line Vice President of Atlantic and Caribbean Shore Operations Stephen Nielsen and CBP Port Director for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Tarance Drafts, to discuss a resolution of the issue. DeJongh said Port Authority Executive Director Darlan Brin and Princess Cruise Lines’ St. Thomas port agent Steve Vasaturo also played pivotal roles in negotiating the reinstatement of the cruise ship visits. "The cruise ship industry, and our relationship with Princess Cruises, is too important for us not to have initiated immediate action to address the situation and get the decision
reversed," deJongh said Monday. "My long-term goals for the territory, in this area, require that a partnership exists between all the parties and that we be able to discuss areas of concern and those requiring some change in policy." Additionally, deJongh praised Drafts for the responsiveness of his agency. "I was pleased to have Director Drafts immediate response to the recognized challenge and negative economic impact of the cancellation. His assistance and the amicable resolution is appreciated but more so, an indication that Director Draft and CBP are open to discussion on issues of importance." |
