Border guards check cruise ship
Canadian Border Services Agency says
passengers and crews were checked
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Monday, August 29, 2016
ULUKHAKTOK
Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers boarded the cruise ship Crystal Serenity when the vessel anchored near Ulukhaktok on Aug 26.
Armed Canadian border guards boarded this cruise ship, the Crystal Serenity. when it anchored off Ulukhaktok on Aug 26. - photo courtesy of Crystal Cruises |
According to a news release from CBSA this is the first time the agency has ever dealt with cruise ship passengers in northern Canada.
Seven armed officers used a zodiac to reach the ship before processing 1,070 passengers and 655 crew members, according to CBSA spokesperson Jacqueline Callin.
They then determined their admissibility to Canada, she said.
"Every situation is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. If there was a case where a passenger had a minor criminal background that would prevent them from entering Canada - then they would not be allowed to disembark. They would have to stay on the cruise ship the entire time" Callin said. "If there was a passenger with more serious criminal history then we may have to call the RCMP who would take that person into custody."
It was not clear as of press time whether anyone was removed from the ship or told they could not disembarked onto Canadian soil.
Callin said that the seven officers are based in Winnipeg. She added that she is not entirely sure who is paying for the CBSA operation - the Canadian taxpayer, the cruise line or a combination of the two.
The ship is in the process of becoming the largest vessel to ever navigate the Northwest Passage.
The voyage began near Anchorage, Alaska in mid-August and is scheduled to end in New York City.
The 32-day voyage aboard the 250 metre-long, 13-deck luxury liner is sold out. Passage tickets began at $21,855 per person, but tickets for elite suites were as high as $120,000.
