All the latest cruise news from the man in the know

Cruise ship Pearl to the rescue

Cruise ship Saga Pearl II raced to the rescue of a tugboat in trouble during heavy weather between Cornwall and France, standing by as two crewmembers were winched to safety by a French rescue helicopter. The 60-ft long tug Aquarius, heading for Plymouth, sent out a Mayday distress call on Monday. The vessel was shipping water and the three crewmembers were taking to the liferafts. Within 10 minutes of the radio message, the boat sank. The cruise ship, heading from Southampton to the port of Ferrol in Spain, was about 44 miles north of Ushant, and the nearest vessel to [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 25 April 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

New safety measures for cruise ships

In the wake of the Costa Concordia disaster, the cruise industry is to implement new safety procedures including the provision of extra lifejackets and restrictions on visits to the bridge. It has taken the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the European Cruise Council three months to come up with the proposals, following their decision in February to make it mandatory for ships to hold the passenger safety drill before the ship left port. The new policies require ships to provide additional lifejackets in busy areas; the total number of lifejackets on board will be far in excess of the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2012-04-25T00:24:04+00:00 25 April 2012|Cruise News|2 Comments

Gladiator Beard is the winner

It may not quite be a gladiatorial contest, but the battle of words between Professor Mary Beard and hapless TV critic A.A. Gill is as one-sided as any confrontation witnessed in the Colosseum. Beard's BBC2 mini-series Meet The Romans reaches its second episode tonight, following an opener which concentrated on the lives and deaths of the man in the street rather than the Emperors in their palaces. Her down-to-earth approach, carried forward from the lecture theatre at Cambridge University to the small screen is what makes her such a hit. But in his review Gill foolishly demonstrated his preference for [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 24 April 2012|Cruise News|2 Comments

Engine room fire on Allure

Allure of the Seas today joins an infamous roll-call of cruise ships which have suffered engine room fires this year. Unlike Costa Allegra and Azamara Quest, which were left drifting without power, Allure's high-tech systems kicked in and prevented serious damage. The Royal Caribbean ship, en route from St Maarten to Fort Lauderdale, reported a "small and short-lived" fire which broke out at 7.45 pm last night. A company statement said: " The ship's high fog system was immediately activated, which contained and extinguished the fire. There were no injuries to guests or crew. The ship is sailing towards Port [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 21 April 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

Second Sapphire cruise is cancelled

More disappointment for passengers booked on Saga Sapphire; work to repair the engine room fault which led to the curtailment of its maiden voyage is taking longer than expected, and the ship's second cruise has now been cancelled. The "Wonders of Iberia" cruise was to have started - a week later than planned - next Wednesday from Marseille instead of Southampton. Passengers who had been told they were getting a 50 per cent discount in return for the loss of seven of the scheduled 18 nights have now been informed they are going nowhere. I was alerted late yesterday by [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 21 April 2012|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|6 Comments

Expedition ship goes green

Cruise ships visiting the Antarctic already have to abide by strict regulations governing the number of passengers they can take ashore, and the fuel they must burn to avoid polluting the wilderness region. Now a cruise line has declared for the first time that one of its ships will effectively be carbon neutral. Passengers travelling on Ocean Diamond (above) in search of penguins, seals and whales can do so with a clear conscience because operator Quark Expeditions will be offsetting their carbon dioxide emissions by supporting reforestation and hydro and wind-power projects in Turkey, Kenya, China and India. Diamond, carrying [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 19 April 2012|Cruise Destinations, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Cruise line probes claim its ship ignored fishing boat in distress

UPDATE: Princess Cruises said a preliminary investigation found there appeared to have been a "breakdown in communication" in relaying the passengers' message. It said Captain -Edward Perrin and the officer of the watch were not notified. "Understandably, Capt Perrin is devastated that he is being accused of knowingly turning his back on people in distress. Had the captain received this information, he would have had the opportunity to respond." Princess Cruises added that its ships had been involved in more than 30 rescues over the past decade. The investigation is continuing. Princess Cruises is investigating an allegation that one of [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 19 April 2012|Cruise News|1 Comment

Scrap ablaze at busy cruise port

A large fire among a mountain of scrap metal at Southampton docks sent clouds of smoke across the port and the city. Firemen from across Hampshire, who have been tackling the blaze since Tuesday morning, have been assisted by heavy rain which helped bring the fire under control. The blaze broke out near the King George V dry dock, between dock gates 10 and 20, and at one stage yesterday up to 60 firemen were involved in putting it out, using compressed air foam appliances, aerial ladder platforms and a high volume pump. Most of the smoke was being blown [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 18 April 2012|Cruise News|0 Comments

The last word on Titanic tragedy

My final postscript (for now) on the Titanic arrived today in the post today, in the shape of John Maxtone-Graham's latest book Titanic Tragedy: A New Look At The Lost Liner. By coincidence, the maritime historian (top left) - described as "the dean" in his publisher's blurb - arrived in the UK today together with his wife Mary aboard cruise ship Grand Princess which docked at Greenock, on the Clyde, this morning. There are some fascinating insights within the book's 235 pages, including rare interviews with survivors. Among them is Violet Jessop (below left), a stewardess whose life at sea [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 17 April 2012|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|0 Comments

Rescue on the way for passengers stranded aboard expedition ship

A rescue ship is expected to reach the island of South Georgia on Wednesday to collect passengers on board a Polar expedition vessel stranded by engine problems. The 114-passenger Plancius, on a 38-day voyage which should have taken it from the Argentinian port of Ushuaia to the Antarctic and then on to the Cape Verde islands, lost power on April 9. Mechanical failure has left it capable of a maximum of 4.5 knots in calm seas instead of its normal operating speed of 10-12 knots. The ship took shelter at anchor off Grytviken, South Georgia, 850 miles south-east of the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T15:59:50+00:00 16 April 2012|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|1 Comment