We need immediate federal emergency economic assistance for all vessel operators. To keep the pressure on, we need your help immediately!  We ask each of you to send a letter to your Senators and Members of the House of Representatives immediately. Their emails and a template is below:

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

Dear Senator _____

Or Dear Representative _____

Please enact emergency economic relief immediately.  The continued existence of ____[name of your company] _____ depends on it.

[Name of your company] operates __[number]___ passenger vessels ___[where] ____.  We are a part of the American travel, tourism, and transportation industry. The U.S. passenger vessel industry carries approximately 200 million passengers each year. 

We should be operating now, but because of the coronavirus outbreak we are completely shut down and it looks like we will be for weeks or months to come.

• Without cash flow, the jobs of our [___number___] employees are in permanent jeopardy.    These workers are fellow Americans.

• Without cash flow, we will be unable to meet upcoming debt obligations.

• Without cash flow, we cannot make the usual purchases from our suppliers and vendors, many of which are Associate Members of PVA.  Like us, they too are suffering tremendous economic harm.

Some voices have questioned whether emergency economic aid should go to foreign-flagged cruise companies.   But we, like all members of the Passenger Vessel Association, are American companies, we hire U.S. crews and workers, sail vessels registered under the U.S. flag, and fully pay U.S. and state income taxes.  Please don’t inadvertently leave us out of an economic relief package.

[name of company] faces an existential threat as a result of Coronavirus.  We need your assistance immediately if we are to survive.

Sincerely,

(Your name here)