THE CAPE MAY LIGHT, a vessel of Delta Queen
Coastal Voyages, stopped at New York's Chelsea Piers Sept. 23,
making the American-flagged ship the first to call on the Big Apple
since Sept. 11, according to the company. The ship left the city
Monday morning, leaving a wreath in the water near the Statue of
Liberty to commemorate those killed in the attacks. The company
said the ship will return to New York on Oct. 1, 8 and 18 for a
series of weeklong fall foliage cruises.
NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE became the first major
cruise operator to make broad redeployments in the wake of the
mayhem of Sept. 11. The Norwegian Sun, slated to cruise the
Mediterranean from May to October 2002, instead will spend the
summer in the Caribbean. The SuperStar Aries, which was to transfer
from NCL's parent, Star Cruises, to Star's Orient Lines brand in
2002, will remain with Star. The ship, to have been renamed the
Ocean Voyager, now will transfer to Orient Lines in the spring of
2003. Also NCL's historic Norway, which was to join the Star fleet,
will instead return to Miami in December after a dry docking and
refurbishment in Europe. Finally, NCL's Norwegian Sky, scheduled to
take over Norway's eastern Caribbean route, will instead offer
alternating eastern and western Caribbean cruises between January
and March of 2002.
PORT CANAVERAL, one of the world's busiest
cruise ports, instituted a $2 million plan to "permanently" tighten
security in the wake of the terrorist attacks. Among the new
measures are around-the-clock boat patrols; security zones in the
water 25 feet around docks and 100 feet around ships; badges and
criminal background checks for all employees in restricted areas;
security zones around all cargo and cruise ship docks and around
ships, and restricted-access areas around cruise terminal and fuel-
and cargo-storage areas. Cruise-ship passengers also will face
longer security checks.
CARNIVAL CORP. will refocus the historic Cunard
Line brand as a U.K.-targeted product, Carnival Corp. chairman
Micky Arison said. Carnival earlier said it will homeport the
677-passenger Caronia in Southampton, England, beginning in May.
The Carnival chief also said preliminary discussions with top
European shipyards indicate the yards "would be open to
discussions" about delaying the start of work on some ships that
are under contract but not yet under construction.
PETER RATCLIFFE, CEO of P&O Princess
Cruises, said the terror attacks in the U.S. will cost his company
about $3 million to $5 million. The losses, "including the costs of
future cruise credits, reduced on-board revenue, and additional
hotel and flight costs, are largely covered by insurance," he said,
but Princess still will pay "deductibles under the various
insurance arrangements."
LUXURY OPERATOR Silversea Cruises is offering
vacationers who cancel bookings on any of its cruises on or before
Sept. 30 a credit in the amount of their cancellation penalty,
which may be applied to a future Silversea cruise. Company
officials also said the Silversea will retain its 10% commission on
the air portion of air/sea bookings.
IN OTHER NEWS, U.S.-flag operator American
Classic Voyages reached an agreement with Northrup Gruman Corp.,
parent company of Mississippi-based Ingalls Shipbuilding, that will
allow work to continue on two 1,900-passenger ships Ingalls is
building for ACV. The agreement was endorsed by the U.S. Maritime
Administration with the support of DOT Secretary Norman Mineta,
according to a joint statement issued by Northrup and ACV. Under
the agreement, the vessels' delivery dates were extended by 12
months to Feb. 1, 2004 and Feb. 1, 2005. Also, the project's price
tag was increased by $19 million to about $459 million.