The plight of the cruise ship off Japan with more than 200 coronavirus infections and the shunning of another by five ports despite no known cases has led to a sharp change in tack for an industry in shock: avoid Asia.To that end, many cruises in the region are being cancelled while others currently sailing are being re-routed, skipping originally scheduled stops in China, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Japanese health officials said there have been 44 new positive tests for the novel coronavirus on board the Diamond Princess, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 218 aboard the cruise ship currently quarantined in Yokohama.Princess Cruises' Diamond Princess, owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp
Island Offshore took delivery of Island Victory, a new offshore installation vessel, at VARD Langsten today (Friday, February 7, 2020).Upon delivery the vessel will head straight into operation, spending a couple of weeks in the spot market, before commencing a series of contracts – in the Barents Sea and the Gulf of Mexico – securing work for the vessel potentially throughout October this year.
Dozens more people onboard a cruise ship quarantined in the port of Yokohama, Japan, tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday and thousands of passengers remained confined to their cabins, only allowed on deck briefly for fresh air.The Diamond Princess, owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri announced it has delivered Seven Seas Splendor for US-based Regent Seven Seas Cruises.The Ancona-built ultra-luxury cruise ship is the second Fincaantieri has delivered for the Regent Seven Seas Cruises, a Norwegian Cruise Line brand. The newbuild is the fifth-all-suite vessel in Regent’s fleet.
Finish shipbuilder Meyer Turku delivered liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fuelled Costa Smeralda to its Italian owner Costa Cruises, a brand of Carnival Corporation.The brand's new flagship Costa Smeralda becomes Carnival Corporation's fourth new ship of 2019 and its second LNG-powered ship.
Yokohama-based Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co has launched a cargo-passenger ship currently under construction for Tokai Kisen Co., Ltd.The new vessel will inherit the name Salvia Maru, replacing the second ship bearing the name that is currently operated by the company.The formal christening was conducted by Tokai Kisen President Junichi Yamazaki
Army veteran-turned-Royal Caribbean Cruise Line founder Edwin W. Stephan passed away on Friday at 87 years old."We at Royal Caribbean mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to the Stephan family," said a statement from the global cruise company said.In 1969 Stephan founded the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, and his contributions helped create the modern cruise industry we know today.
Canadian ferry owner and operator British Columbia Ferry Services Inc (BC Ferries) has made a further order of four additional electric-battery hybrid Island Class vessels from a major European shipyard.The ferry corporation announced that Damen Shipyards Group of the Netherlands has been awarded the contract to build the new vessels.
While nothing lasts forever, the cruise industry – and particularly the ‘expedition’ cruise sector – remain on a historic run with no indication of a near-term slowdown.The leisure travel sector, of which expedition cruising is a part, offers numerous possibilities for delivering new “experiences” unlike industrial shipping businesses (or even conventional ferry and passenger transport)
Norway on Jan. 1, 2026, will begin a ban on cruise ships powering through the Unesco-listed heritage fjords on anything but zero-emissions propulsion. For now, that means battery power, but few of the 190 cruise ship calls to these fjords are made with that kind of electro-chemical fuel on board.
Health officials for the Caribbean island of St. Lucia furnished 100 free doses of measles vaccine to a Church of Scientology cruise ship placed under quarantine in port after the highly contagious disease was diagnosed on board, the island's chief medical officer said on Thursday.St.