THE U.S.
COAST GUARD did not raise the security level for the
maritime sector or change the screening process for passengers at
seaports, the International Council of Cruise Lines reported, after
an alleged plot to blow up airplanes was foiled last week in the
U.K., causing major worldwide travel disruptions. Several cruise
lines pushed back debarkation times after Thursday's event, but
none reported any major delays or any cancellations of itineraries.
Most major cruise lines, the ICCL, and the Cruise Lines
International Association distributed information to travel agents
and cruise passengers, either via their Web sites or by sending
advisories, on the new aviation regulations for carry-on items.
CELEBRITY
CRUISES canceled the Sept. 13 Alaska sailing on the
Infinity: Problems with one of the ship's propulsion pods prompted
the line to send the Infinity into dry-dock for repairs at a
facility in Victoria, British Columbia. It is expected to return to
service for its Sept. 24 Panama Canal transit from San Francisco to
Fort Lauderdale. Passengers booked on the Sept. 13 cruise will
receive a full refund and a future cruise credit; commission is
protected and retailers will receive a $50 per-cabin rebooking
bonus. Passengers on the next sailing will depart San Francisco a
day later than scheduled and miss the scheduled call in Cabo San
Lucas, Mexico; passengers on this cruise are entitled to a $500
per-cabin onboard credit, a $200 future cruise credit and overnight
accommodations in San Francisco on Sept. 23. Celebrity established
a phone desk at (800) 852-8175 to assist guests and
agents.
CELEBRITY'S
POD PROBLEMS are an ongoing issue for the cruise line's
ships that are fitted with Mermaid pods. The Infinity has been
taken out of service for at least one cruise each year since its
2000 debut to deal with propulsion issues, and an Alaska sailing
was cancelled in May due to propulsion problems on Celebrity's
Summit. Celebrity's parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises had sued
pod producers Rolls-Royce and Alstom Power Conversion for $300
million in 2003. RCCL settled with Alstom in January, releasing
them from the suit after being paid $38 million; its case against
Rolls-Royce is still pending. This latest cancellation will
negatively impact shares by about five cents, RCCL said.
WINDSTAR
CRUISES will upgrade and refurbish its entire fleet by
2008. The company has not released details of the upgrade, but it
said that renovations would be extensive. The Wind Surf will go
into dry-dock for about five weeks this fall, from Nov. 12 to Dec.
16. The Wind Spirit will go into dry-dock sometime in spring 2007,
and the Wind Star will go in the fall of 2007.
AKER
YARDS' second-quarter earnings increased 59% to $62.3
million, but it missed margin expectations due to what it called a
slow pace with the integration of its recently acquired businesses.
The Scandinavian shipbuilder acquired Alstom Marine's two shipyards
in France during the second quarter, increasing its order intake by
52% to a backlog of 126 vessels. The Chantiers de l'Atlantique yard
in Saint-Nazaire, France, has four MSC Cruises ships on order
through 2009; Aker's yard in Turku, Finland, floated out Royal
Caribbean International's Liberty of the Seas Aug. 4.
Cruise
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