Christening Ceremony

Pride of Aloha

Hawaii

Good afternoon.

I am delighted to be here with all of you on your beautiful island of Oahu.

I bring warm greetings from President Bush and Secretary of Transportation Mineta on this historic occasion.

For the first time in nearly half a century, a modern 2000-passenger cruise ship will fly the American flag.

As a result of the re-flagging of the Pride of Aloha, nearly 7,000 U.S. jobs will be created.

And we look forward to adding thousands of additional jobs in the near future, thanks to the U.S. flagging of two other cruise ships.

Today’s event, in a very real way, heralds the revival of the Hawaiian cruise trade and supports the Bush Administration’s efforts to keep Hawaii – and all of America – on the road to a more prosperous future.

The revival of the oceangoing U.S.-flag ships is great news for our U.S. Merchant Marine.

The planned U.S.-flag expansion, starting with the Pride of Aloha, helps expand our U.S.-flag fleet, and creates thousands of jobs for American seafarers, which is vital to our economic well-being and national security.

Indeed, these are exciting times for both Hawaii and the American maritime industry. And all of us can truly rejoice in this very happy event.

Therefore, let us proudly say “Aloha” to the Pride of Aloha.

May she always set her sails to fair winds, and may she always find good fortune by her side.

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