Breaking: Another cruise line drops Egypt, says safety first

by Chris Owen on

Cruise lines are modifying cruise itineraries for ships calling in Egypt and Tunisia, canceling all port calls in these two countries. While unrest/chaos continues in the area, cruise lines are playing it safe by keeping ships and passengers out of harms way.

Costa Cruises told Gadling today that they have modified Red Sea sailings on the Costa Allegra and Costa Marina, the itinerary will now concentrate on calls at Jordan and Israel, with turnaround operations taking place at Aqaba, Jordan. To accommodate guests who have already booked these cruises, Costa Cruises will offer alternative itineraries and dates of departures.

Costa’s Mediterranean cruises with a one-day call at Alexandria will be diverted to a one day-call at Greece or Israel. On Mediterranean seven-day sailings normally going to Tunis, Tunisia, that call will be replaced by Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Malta, or Cagliari, Italy.

The port of Alexandria Egypt has been a favorite of cruise passengers. Here is what they might have seen.

It looks like cruise lines are clearing out itineraries for the next couple of weeks, with many more modified itineraries than were on the books just last weekend.

A travel warning issued by the U.S. Department of State “recommends that U.S. citizens avoid travel to Egypt due to ongoing political and social unrest.” and goes on to add “demonstrations have degenerated on several occasions into violent clashes between police and protesters, resulting in injuries and extensive property damage.”

The Department of State also offers specific safety tips for travelers and recommends enrollment in their Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) , a free service that lets travelers advise the Department of State where they will be and helps them keep in touch in emergency situations.

Cruise ports green up and look to the future

by Chris Owen on

To passengers, U.S. cruise embarkation ports may all look about the same. On a good day, we pass through them, either coming or going, in a matter of minutes without much regard for what goes on there. We know that security is a big part of what they do and feel good about seeing law enforcement there, making sure the whole process runs smoothly and without incident. Lately, some of our ports are moving forward with plans to make the whole process more secure, easier and even a bit more green.

The Port of San Diego opened a new $28 million Port Pavilion that will provide green shore-side power to cruise ships. The new facility serves as an auxiliary terminal to the Port’s main B Street Cruise Ship Terminal and is also available for public events when cruise ships are not in port.

Earlier this year, Princess Cruises Island Princess plugged in at the Port of San Francisco to a system that was built as a cooperative effort by the Port of San Francisco, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Environmental Protection Agency, Holland America Line and Princess.

The Port of Los Angeles just completed it’s World Cruise Center solar rooftop project. Estimated to produce 1.2 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, the $10.8 million project will also result in an estimated $200,000 in energy cost savings.

On the East coast, Florida’s Port Canaveral is looking to the future also with plans for a $100 million expansion program that includes a new terminal and more cargo facilities. “Just when the economic recovery should be moving forward at a steadier pace, we will be ready.” said Port Canaveral CEO Stan Payne.

Not long ago, Florida’s Port Everglades set out plans for a $2 billion expansion over the next 20 years that included a $75 million expansion to accommodate the worlds largest cruise ships, Oasis and Allure of the Seas.

Photo courtesy Port of Los Angeles

San Diego helps cruise ships go green

by Chris Owen on

The Port of San Diego has now joined a small group of ports throughout the world in offering cruise ships the ability to plug in to shoreside electrical power. Environmental groups, strong critics of the cruise industry, like this. The new system lets cruise ships turn off their highly-polluting engines while in port.

Providing up to 12 megawatts of much cleaner grid electricity, enough to power a college campus, the Port of San Diego joins Seattle, Vancouver and San Francisco in reducing emissions from cruise ships, the largest single source of harmful emissions.

Holland America Line’s Oosterdam was the first to plug in to “Shore Power”, a system designed to help cruise ships go green. Initially the system can handle one ship but plans are to take on more in the future. Plugging in keeps over a ton of pollutants out of the air.

Earlier this year, Princess Cruises Island Princess plugged in at the Port of San Francisco to a system that was built as a cooperative effort by the Port of San Francisco, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Environmental Protection Agency, Holland America Line and Princess.

Princess’ shore power program made history debuting in environmentally extra-sensitive Juneau, Alaska in 2001, expanded to Seattle in 2005, and then to Vancouver in 2009. Currently nine of the line’s ships have the capability to “plug in” to a shoreside power source, representing an investment for Princess of nearly $7 million in equipment.

Update on Antarctic cruise ship Clelia II

by Kraig Becker on

Yesterday we posted a story about an Antarctic cruise ship, named Clelia II, that ran into trouble when it reportedly lost an engine while crossing the legendary Drake Passage on its way back to Ushuaia, Argentina. To make matters worse, the weather was incredibly bad, with 30 foot waves crashing against the vessel, adding even more of a challenge to completing repairs and continuing the journey. Later in the day, we received an update on the ship courtesy of the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO).

According to the IAATO, the Clelia II is making its way north to Ushuaia under its own power and at regular speed. Contrary to early reports, the ship did not lose an engine, but instead suffered damage when a powerful wave crashed over the bow, smashing a window on the bridge and damaging important electronic equipment. The damage to that equipment caused the vessel to temporally lose communications and engine power, dropping its operational speed dramatically. Once repairs were finalized however, the ship got back underway with just the heavy seas causing issues for the passengers and crew.

The IAATO reiterated that the ship suffered no damage to its hull, nor was there a discharge of any oil or other types of fuel that could have an impact on the environments of the Southern Ocean. Furthermore, the organization confirmed that one crew member did indeed suffer minor injuries in the storm.

If all goes as planned, the Clelia II should arrive back in Ushuaia today, with all passengers safe and sound. I’m sure they’ll all be more than happy to be back on dry land when they reach port, but at least they’ll have a great story to tell their friends back home.


Antarctic cruise ship runs into trouble in Southern Ocean

by Kraig Becker on

Another Antarctic cruise ship ran into trouble yesterday while crossing the treacherous Drake Passage on its return voyage to Ushuaia, Argentina from the Antarctic Peninsula. The Clelia II suffered engine failure that left it adrift in the Southern Ocean for a time while the region’s notoriously bad weather pounded the vessel.

According to this report from Gadling’s very own Jon Bowermaster, the Clelia II has 88 passengers and 77 crew members on board. All of the passengers are reportedly fine and in good health, while one crew member has suffered minor injuries in the line of duty.

The ship was spotted and passed by the National Geographic Explorer, another cruise ship, which was also making the return voyage to Ushuaia. When the crew of the Clelia II failed to respond to hails, the Explorer turned around and returned to the foundering ship to render aid if needed. After establishing communications with Clelia, the Explorer stood by for much of the day, while crew members repaired the engine and managed to get the damaged ship limping back towards South America once again.

There have been a number of high profile accidents involving passenger liners in the waters off Antarctica in the past few years. Back in 2007, the MS Explorer struck an iceberg and sank in the Southern Ocean, while just last year this very same ship, the Clelia II, ran aground and needed to be pulled off the ice by another vessel.

For now, the ship is once again under its own power and hoping to complete its return trip to Argentina where full repairs can be made. The incident just happens to underscore the dangers of traveling in the Antarctic waters, which can be treacherous in the best of times. Fortunately, it seems that the Antarctic tourism community dodged yet another potential disaster. With the poor weather conditions this situation could have been far worse and it is a miracle that no one was seriously injured.

[Photo credit: Stewart/McIntosh]