A second cruise ship line has said it will shift a vessel destined for Alaska waters in 2010 to another location.

Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line announced Monday its Norwegian Sun will operate in more profitable European waters in summer 2010. Company officials blamed Alaska's $50 passenger fee for the decision.

"After carefully weighing the rising costs of deploying three ships in Alaska and taking into account the recently enacted legislation, in particular the $50 head tax, we felt it was necessary to redeploy Norwegian Sun," said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line's chief executive officer, in a statement. "Alaska is an incredible destination, but we are clearly seeing the impact of these changes in 2009, emphasized even more by this challenging economic environment."

Norwegian Cruise Line joins Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in shifting a ship from Alaska waters for summer 2010. Royal Caribbean officials in January said they would move the Serenade of the Seas to another market. Regional Vice President Don Habeger of Juneau also said the 2006 ballot measure exacerbated the issue.

Carnival Corp., which owns Holland America Line and Princess Cruises, has also threatened to "pull capacity" out of Alaska.

The $50 passenger fee was approved by Alaska voters in August 2006. The money must be spent on improving ports and harbors and other visitor services.

Gershon Cohen of Haines, one sponsor of the 2006 initiative, said the ship shift likely is more about profits than the head tax.