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Venezuelan Navy vessel collides with a cruise ship in international waters

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 02 April 2020 02 April 2020

Columbia Cruise Services has provided a statement on RCGS Resolute incident:

In the early morning hours of the 30th of March 2020 (local time), the cruise vessel RCGS Resolute was subject to an act of aggression by the Venezuelan Navy in international waters, around 13.3 nautical miles from Isla de Tortuga with 32 crew member and no passengers on board.

When the event occurred, the cruise vessel RCGS Resolute has already been drifting for one day off the coast of the island to conduct some routine engine maintenance on its idle voyage to its destination, Willemstad/ Curaçao. As maintenance was being performed on the starboard main engine, the port main engine was kept on standby to maintain a safe distance from the island at any time.

Shortly after mid-night, the cruise vessel was approached by an armed Venezuelan navy vessel, which via radio questioning the intentions of the RCGS Resolute’s presence and gave the order to follow to Puerto Moreno on Isla De Margarita. As the RCGS Resolute was sailing in international waters at that time, the Master wanted to reconfirm this particular request resulting into a serious deviation from the scheduled vessel’s route with the company DPA.

While the Master was in contact with the head office, gun shots were fired and, shortly thereafter, the navy vessel approached the starboard side at speed with an angle of 135° and purposely collided with the RCGS Resolute. The navy vessel continued to ram the starboard bow in an apparent attempt to turn the ship’s head towards Venezuelan territorial waters.

While the RCGS Resolute sustained minor damages, not affecting vessel’s seaworthiness, it occurs that the navy vessel suffered severe damages while making contact with the ice-strengthened bulbous bow of the ice-class expedition cruise vessel RCGS Resolute and started to take water.

Ready to support anytime, the RCGS Resolute remained for over one hour in vicinity of the scene and reached out to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Curaçao. This is an international body which oversees any maritime emergencies. All attempts to contact those on board the navy ship have been left unanswered.

Only after receiving the order to resume passage full ahead by the MRCC and that further assistance is not required, the RCGS Resolute, currently safely moored in the port of Willemstad, continued sailing towards her destination at Curaçao. A full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident will now be carried out."

Comment – What is the responsibility of the flag state?

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 02 April 2020 02 April 2020

A report on the website of Seattle Times says that foreign flag cruise ships with people infected by the coronavirus should try to evacuate people to the country of the registration of the ship first, rather than to the US.

“The U.S. Coast Guard has directed cruise ships to prepare to treat any sick passengers and crew on board while being sequestered “indefinitely” offshore during the coronavirus pandemic. The new rules outlined in a memo are required for ships in the district that covers Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Puerto Rico. They also come with a stiff warning: Any foreign-flagged vessels “that loiter beyond U.S. territorial seas” should try first to medically evacuate the very sick to those countries instead,” the report said.

It is amazing that during this crisis, in which cruise ships have often been at the very forefront of events, the role and responsibility of flag states has not been discussed at all.

Ships are the sovereign territory of the country whose flag they fly.

In the case of Princess Cruises, this is the UK, of Holland America Line it is the Netherlands. Ships of these two companies remain in the headlines, but ones registered e.g. in the Bahamas, Italy and Malta have also been affected by the virus crisis.

What is the responsibility of the British government for the safety and well being of passengers and crew – most of whom are not British, not necessarily even the master – onboard a ship that flies the British flag and which is in the waters of Australia or the US and which has people sick with the coronavirus onboard?

In the debate about the situation in the hyper-globalised cruise industry, this question will probably have come up now!

Viking extends suspension of cruises to 30 June

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 31 March 2020 31 March 2020

Viking, the privately owned river and ocean cruise operator, said it had decided to extend a suspension of all its cruises to 30 June from the previously announced 30 April.

“We are using this period of non-operation as a time for additional training and initiatives to ensure we have the safest and healthiest fleet in the industry. As a private company we do not have to worry about quarterly profit expectations – and that flexibility allows us the ability to do what is best for our guests and our employees,” chairman Torstein Hagen said in a letter to guests of the company.

Viking was the first company to suspend operations in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak when it unveiled its decision to do so on 11 March.

RCCL extends 48 hour cancellation policy to 1 September

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 31 March 2020 31 March 2020

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL), the world’s second largest cruise shipping group, said it has decided to extend its Cruise with Confidence cancellation policy through 1 September, 2020.

“The updated policy enhances planning flexibility by allowing cancellations up to 48 hours prior to sailing for any reason. Guests will receive a full credit for their fare, usable on any future sailing of choice in 2020 or 2021,” RCCL said in a statement.

Introduced on 6 March, the policy was first intended to remain in place until 31 July.

"Guests are reacting positively to our Cruise with Confidence policy," says company chairman and CEO Richard Fain, "because it enables them to make informed decisions and to better manage complicated travel plans during this unprecedented time of uncertainty."

The extension applies to both new and existing cruise bookings. In addition to easing concerns of booked guests, Fain says the policy enhances consumer confidence to schedule new bookings, knowing last-minute travel adjustments will incur no penalty.

"We want our guests to feel they can safely keep their existing cruise bookings or schedule new sailings," says Fain, "because this policy gives them more freedom and flexibility."

The policy applies to all cruises with sailing dates on or before 1 September 2020, and applies to the company's global brands Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Azamara.

MSC Cruises extends fleet-wide halting of operations through to May 29

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 30 March 2020 30 March 2020

MSC Cruises has decided to further extend the halting of all its new cruise departures fleet-wide through to May 29, in light of the continued extraordinary circumstances the world is facing in connection with the Covid-19 virus global health emergency.

The company previously announced the temporary halting of all its ships globally through to April 30. As governments across the globe have since further strengthened ashore public health and safety measures to protect local populations and contain the further spread of the virus, today’s decision by MSC Cruises to further extend this extraordinary measure aims to mirror and further support the effectiveness of such efforts.

MSC Cruises is working tirelessly with all guests and their travel advisors to address the impact of this necessary decision to their bookings on our ships up to May 29 and it is genuinely sorry for the inconvenience that this will cause them. By announcing this now, the company intends to provide travel advisors and guests who are booked on affected sailings with as much time as possible to move their booking to a future cruise.

MSC Cruises is offering guests affected by this extraordinary measure the opportunity to transfer the full amount paid for their cancelled vacation plus an additional generous credit benefit to a future cruise of their choice at any point through the end of 2021.