The cruise line industry never lacks for media coverage…both positive and negative. Here, we highlight some of the headline grabbing news stories from the first 2 weeks of August related to cruise ship accidents, incidents and topical information.
Saturday, August 13, 2016 — Cruise ship hits 3 vessels in Boston Harbor:
A small cruise ship — the Boston Harbor Cruises’ Regency — hit three other boats Saturday morning while pulling into a dock in Boston Harbor. The U.S. Coast Guard said the boat was loaded with passengers when it experienced an engine problem that prevented the ship from slowing. No injuries have yet to be reported. Read the full story here.
Sunday, August 14, 2016 — Inquiry into why cruise ship lost power with almost 4,500 on board in Irish Sea
Bermuda has initiated an investigation into how a “mega-class” cruise ship with almost 4,500 people on board spent nine hours drifting without power in the Irish Sea earlier this month. The 290-metre Caribbean Princess was forced to abandon a scheduled visit to Dublin Port after the serious incident occurred 25 miles southeast of the capital off the Wicklow coast on August 3rd. Read the full story here.
Saturday, August 13, 2016 — Chinese woman ‘survives 38 hours in sea’ after falling from cruise
A Chinese woman who fell off a Royal Caribbean cruise ship and drifted at sea for 38 hours before being rescued by fishermen has lived to tell the tale. The woman from Shanghai, known only by her surname Fan, leaned too far forward from a ship deck and fell overboard, according to Chinese media. She reportedly fell from the fourth deck, the approximate height of a seven-floor building. Read the full story here.
Sunday, August 14, 2016 — How do cruise ships stack up in environmental impact?
This article from the Portland Press Herald delves into questions about the cruise industry’s impact on the environment — long article, but well worth the read! Read the full article here.
Thursday, August 11, 2016 — Man indicted in alleged assault aboard Carnival Ecstasy cruise ship
A federal grand jury this week handed down an indictment against a man accused of assaulting another person on the Carnival Ecstasy cruise ship. Timothy Dean Hill is accused of assaulting a person identified in the indictment as B.J., according to court documents. Hill is charged with assault resulting in serious bodily injury while within the maritime and territorial jurisdiction of South Carolina. The indictment states the alleged assault occurred on Feb. 27, but Carnival spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz said the incident took place on Feb. 26 while “the ship was on the tail end of a cruise, on its way back to Charleston.” Read the full story here.
Friday, August 12, 2016 — Gastroenteritis is the curse of cruise ships and what do owners do to prevent it
Forget icebergs. The highly contagious norovirus has become enemy number one for cruise ships around the world, with 25 major on-board outbreaks of the resultant gastro recorded since the start of last year. In some of the worst cases as many as 700 passengers on the one ship have been struck down by the virulent tummy bug — which is almost as common as the cold — but causes vomiting and diarrhea, often leading to dehydration. Read more about the Norovirus impact of cruise passengers worldwide.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016 — New law, websites uncover cruise crime
Crime at sea, including sexual assaults, is deceivingly under-reported. Entire websites like Cruiserape.com and RAINN.org are dedicated to more transparency. Organizations, often formed by victims, include the International Cruise Victims Association. Read the full article here.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016 — Cruise ship stocks are getting whacked after Zika travel warnings
Shares of the three major publicly traded cruise liners are getting whacked. Shares of Norwegian Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean have fallen by almost 6.5% each and Carnival Cruise Lines is off just over 2.5% as of 1:50 p.m. ET. Read more here at BusinessInsider.com.
Friday, August 9, 2016 — Fake cruise ship physician sentenced to 3 years in prison
A nurse who found employment aboard an American/British owned cruise ship after as a physician has been sentenced to more than three years in prison, according to The Maritime Executive. The man, identified in the German press as Denny H., was charged with the “deprivation of liberty associated with anesthesia, fraud, forgery and abuse of title,” according to the report. Read the full article here.