CELEBRITY
CRUISES canceled the June 3 sailing of the Summit and
shortened its May 27 cruise by one day in order to make a repair to
the ships propulsion system. The Summit, which is sailing in Alaska
during the summer season, will enter dry dock on June 2 to replace
a radial-bearing unit showing premature wear on the ships starboard
propulsion system. It is expected to return to service June 10. The
canceled and altered cruises are expected to negatively impact
parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises second-quarter earnings by 4
to 5 cents per share.
PROPULSION
PROBLEMS are a reoccurring issue on Celebritys
Millennium-class builds, and the line in 2003 filed a $300 million
suit against the pods makers, Alstom Power Conversion and
Rolls-Royce.
AN
INVESTIGATION by the Bahamas Maritime Authority into the
Norwegian Dawn's April 10 cruise, when the ship was damaged after
being struck by a rogue wave, determined that the captain took
appropriate action to reduce the effects of the weather on the ship
and its passengers. The Dawn encountered the rough seas on its trip
from Florida to New York. There is no evidence that any real or
perceived urgency to arrive at New York earlier was a factor in the
handling of the ship, the statement said.
WHEN THE WAVE
HIT the ship, two cabin windows broke after being struck
by teak handrails. According to the report, the penetration of the
welds holding aluminum supports for the handrails and attached
glass windbreak had not been adequate when the ship was built. The
failure of the welds caused the supports to break loose, releasing
the glass and teak sections, the statement said. In an e-mail an
NCL spokeswoman said, We have notified the shipyard of the report
of the welding to ensure it does not happen on future builds. In
addition, we are looking at existing ships and taking steps to
ensure this doesnt happen [on them].
STAR CRUISES
GROUP posted a $4.4 million profit during first-quarter
2005, up from a net loss of $9.2 million in first-quarter 2004. Net
revenue increased by 2.6% to $404 million from $391 million. The
company said net cruise revenue yield rose 7.8% due to higher
cruise ticket prices, onboard revenues and occupancy levels. Stars
ship-operating expenses rose due in part to the increase in fuel
prices and in part to the higher cost structure of Stars NCL
America brand. The NCL Groups net revenue yield (which includes
Norwegian Cruise Line, NCL America and Orient Lines) was up by
9.8%.