Posted at 12:14 p.m., Thursday, February 6, 2003
Norwegian Star cancels Fanning port call
By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer
Spokesman Steve Hirano said the cruise line has notified U.S. Customs of the change in itinerary, which may lead to fines because a federal law requires foreign-flagged ships to stop at a foreign port during U.S. cruises.
"Norwegian just didn't want to hazard that situation at sea," Hirano said. The ship will skip Fanning Island again next week and should return to its regular schedule by Feb. 16, Hirano said.
The Norwegian Star needs repairs to its steering and propulsion controls because of problems with a transformer, Hirano said. Norwegian discovered the problems last week and has ordered parts, he said.
The ship is in Kona today, sails to Hilo tomorrow, and returns to Honolulu by Sunday. The repairs will be completed as the cruises continue through next week.
Next week the ship will stop at Kona on Wednesday and Lahaina on Thursday and Friday instead of making the trip to Fanning Island in the Republic of Kiribati. Normally, the Norwegian Star sails from Honolulu and stops at Hilo, Fanning Island, Kahului and Nawiliwili before returning to Honolulu.
The Passenger Vessel Services Act, to protect the domestic shipping industry, requires foreign-flagged ships to stop at a foreign port. According to Customs, there is a $200 per passenger fine for violation, but the fine is subject to review and it is not uncommon for ships to encounter problems preventing them from making a foreign-port stop. Legislation introduced by Sen. Dan Inouye and awaiting action by a Congress conference committee would exempt Norwegian from the requirement.
