Industry prepares for big Hawai'i expansion
| • | Cruise lines OK waste, recycling rules |
By Michele Kayal
Advertiser Staff Writer
State officials and cruise- line representatives will meet at the end of the month to begin exploring how to live together comfortably as the industry gets ready for a record expansion in Hawai'i.
Hawai'i's cruise-line industry will roughly double in size over the next three years, and it is far from clear what impact that could have on ports, the ocean environment and agencies responsible for public safety.
"We're going to work to make this a sustainable industry for our state and for the industry itself," said Lynn Nakagawa, a planning and policy analyst at the Coastal Zone Management Program, which convened the meeting. "We're going to look at regulations, cooperation between industry and government agencies."
Cruise-line representatives are expected to brief the informal group that includes about two dozen department heads from the Coast Guard, Department of Transportation, Department of Health, University of Hawai'i, the attorney general's office and others involved in water and policies that could be applied to the cruise industry. It will be the first time cruise-line representatives join the group.
Cruise-line representatives said they hope the meeting will "clear the air."
"We're here to educate, that's the main thing," said Bill Thayer, president of Waldron Steamship Co. Ltd, the agent for the lines. "We want to work proactively to assure the state of Hawai'i that the cruise lines are good citizens, who want to maintain the pristine environment."
State and federal laws often overlap, and authority for enforcing the laws is split between at least three different state agencies, as well as the Coast Guard. And some local officials say they do not know what to expect from cruise lines that have had environmental and safety violations elsewhere.
Infrastructure issues are also a concern, as the state debates how much to invest in upgrades and cruise lines struggle to plan itineraries when some Hawai'i ports have been deemed too small or difficult to maneuver for some of their ships.
The group is also hoping to invite alien-species experts to discuss ways to control potential infiltration by nonnative animals and pests, Nakagawa said.
Thayer said he will ask representatives from Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and other major cruise lines with business in Hawai'i to attend. The group has also invited representatives from American Classic Voyages, which has sailed the Islands for years with the Independence and last year added its 1,212-passenger ship, the Patriot.
Norwegian will establish a home port for its 2,200-passenger Star here in December.
Florida recently adopted a memorandum of understanding between the state and the cruise lines that says the companies will comply with environmental laws and cooperate with regulators. In California, the companies were asked to report their environmental practices in the state every quarter. In Alaska, where some of the most serious environmental issues have emerged, the waters have been brought under the protection of federal laws.
Nakagawa and Thayer said they cannot anticipate what sort of formal arrangement, if any, will be favored by both sides, but that discussions, including the one scheduled for the end of this month, will lay the groundwork for the relationship.
"That's going to be up for discussion, what would be the most effective way to take care of all our concerns and what would work best for the industry," Nakagawa said.
The Coastal Zone Management Program is involved in beach management, coastal erosion and other projects.
