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Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd News

11 Jul 2023

US Court Revives Lawsuit Against Royal Caribbean Over Toddler's Death

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A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived a lawsuit against Royal Caribbean Cruises by the parents of an 18-month-old girl who died after slipping through her grandfather’s hands and falling through an open cruise ship window.The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta restored two negligence claims over the July 2019 death of Chloe Wiegand, who had been in a children’s play area aboard the ship Freedom of the Seas, which was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico.Her grandfather Salvatore Anello testified that he picked Chloe up and put her feet on the windowsill…

10 Jan 2022

Royal Caribbean Pauses Some Cruises Due to Omicron Concerns

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Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd has paused some of its cruise operations amid rising numbers of COVID-19 infections due to the Omicron variant.The sailings of three ships - Serenade of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas - have been paused while the return of its Vision of the Seas to cruising has been postponed to March 7, 2022, the cruise line said in a statement on Friday."We regret having to cancel our guests' long-awaited vacations and appreciate their loyalty and understanding…

06 Oct 2020

Royal Caribbean Extends Suspension of Sailings until November 30

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Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd has extended suspension of sailings until November 30, excluding those originating from Hong Kong, the U.S.

22 Jun 2020

Carnival Extends Operations Pause to Sept. 30

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Carnival Cruise Line said on Monday it has extended its pause in operations for North American voyages until September 30, as it determines how to safely resume service amid the COVID-19 pandemic.The cruise line, owned by Carnival Corp, had previously said it would resume some voyages on August 1.Industry trade group Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said on Friday its ocean-going cruise line members, which include Carnival, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd, would voluntarily extend their pause in operations from U.S. ports until Sept.

20 May 2020

Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Extend Cruise Suspensions

(Photo: Royal Caribbean)

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd on Wednesday extended the suspension of voyages by another month until July 31 amid sailing curbs imposed to check the spread of the coronavirus.The cruise industry has faced the brunt of the health crisis as major outbreaks in ships were blamed for spreading the disease, resulting in government-mandated “no-sail” orders and trip cancellations.Royal Caribbean, which warned of a second-quarter loss in the face of a mounting debt…

20 May 2020

Royal Caribbean Warns of Second-quarter Loss

(File photo: Royal Caribbean Cruises)

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd forecast a loss in the second quarter on Wednesday as the cruise operator struggles with mounting debt amid trip cancellations due to travel curbs imposed to check the spread of the coronavirus.The company, which posted a bigger-than-expected loss in the first quarter, has faced the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic as major outbreaks in cruises were blamed for spreading the disease.In the past few months, Royal Caribbean has borrowed more than $5 billion, some by pledging its ships, and now expects to pay between $590 million and $610 million in interests for the rest

19 May 2020

World First: Cruise Ship Piloted Remotely During Sea Trials

Silver Origin on sea trials (Photo: Silversea Cruises)

Royal Caribbean's Silversea Cruises says it is preparing to take delivery of its newest ship, Silver Origin, following a unique set of COVID-19-related challenges overcome by the shipbuilder and innovative sea trials that included world-first remote operations.The new 100-passenger ultra-luxury cruise ship was built by Dutch shipyard De Hoop, which completed construction despite setbacks brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.Silver Origin was still under construction on March 15…

20 Apr 2020

Norwegian Cruise Taps Goldman Sachs to Explore Stake Sale

(Photo: Norwegian Cruise Line)

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd has hired investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc to explore financing options that could include the sale of a stake in the company, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.Norwegian’s attempt to bolster is finances comes as cruise operators have been forced to suspend their operations due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. They have been left out of a $2.3 trillion stimulus package that U.S. lawmakers have adopted to support the economy…

13 Apr 2020

US CDC Extends 'No Sail Order' for All Cruise Ships

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended its “no sail order” for all cruise ships, as it looks to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.The new CDC order says that cruise ships have to cease operations for up to 100 days, or the expiration of the Secretary of Health and Human Services' declaration that COVID-19 constitutes a public health emergency, or if the CDC Director rescinds or modifies the order.The order, dated April 9, comes as the cruise industry takes a hit from the novel coronavirus outbreak…

13 Apr 2020

Royal Caribbean Cruises Founder Dies at 90

A Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship - Image by Björn Wylezich - AdobeStock

Arne Wilhelmsen, a founder of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. died Saturday, April 11, 2020, in Palma, Spain. He was 90.In a company statement on Sunday, Royal Caribbean Cruises called Wilhelmsen a "a constant influence on the company from its founding, serving more than three decades on the company's board of directors."Together with the company's first CEO, the late Edwin Stephan, Wilhelmsen saw possibilities for the nascent cruise industry that others did not, Royal Caribbean Cruises said."At a time when the rest of the world thought cruising was a niche use for old transatlantic liners…

31 Mar 2020

Carnival Brands Pause Cruises for Another Month

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Four of Carnival Corp’s cruise lines said on Monday they would extend the suspension of all voyages by a month to May due to the coronavirus crisis that has worsened over the past few weeks.The brands - Holland America Line, Carnival and luxury cruise ship operators Seabourn and Cunard - together operate 49 ships.Carnival Corp, also the operator of two coronavirus-stricken Princess cruises, has already temporarily suspended several of its ships due to concerns over the rapidly spreading COVID-19 crisis earlier this month.“The impact of COVID-19 is affecting personal routines and businesses as

14 Mar 2020

Trump Says Cruise Lines Suspend Departures for 30 Days

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U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said that major cruise lines would suspend cruises for 30 days, following a series of industry announcements that came after repeated transmission of coronavirus among passengers at sea.“At my request, effective midnight tonight, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and MSC have all agreed to suspend outbound cruises for thirty days,” Trump said on Twitter.“It is a great and important industry – it will be kept that way!” he added.Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd said earlier on Friday it was suspending its cruises in the United States for 30 days…

12 Mar 2020

Vietnam Turns Away Cruise Ship Over Coronavirus Fears

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Health authorities in the southern Vietnamese city of Ho Chi Minh want to stop a Bahamas-flagged cruise ship with Italians on board from docking at the economic hub on Friday over coronavirus concerns, state media reported.The Health Department on Thursday advised the People's Committee of the city not to allow passengers on the cruise liner, Silver Spirit, to disembark, the Tuoi Tre newspaper said.The department said the move is aimed at "limiting the intrusion of disease into the city"…

16 Feb 2020

WFW Advises TUI on $1.3Bn Take Over

London-based international law firm Watson Farley & Williams has advised TUI Cruises GmbH on its acquisition of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises from TUI AG for US$1.3bn, excluding net debt.According to the the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to close in summer 2020. The deal includes the acquisition of HL Cruises’ luxury and expedition fleet, consisting of two five-star plus luxury vessels and three expedition cruise ships, by TUI Cruises. This expands TUI Cruises’ existing fleet to twelve cruise ships, which will enable it to participate in the growth of the cruise industry as the…

14 Feb 2020

Cruise Industry Seeks to Limit Coronavirus Risks

Norwegian Spirit (Photo: Norwegian Cruise Lines)

The plight of the cruise ship off Japan with more than 200 coronavirus infections and the shunning of another by five ports despite no known cases has led to a sharp change in tack for an industry in shock: avoid Asia.To that end, many cruises in the region are being cancelled while others currently sailing are being re-routed, skipping originally scheduled stops in China, Hong Kong and Singapore.Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd on Thursday canceled 18 cruises in Southeast Asia after calling off eight trips to China last week.

09 Jan 2020

RCCL Taps SGS for Maintenance and Repair

Photo courtesy of RCCL/SGS

Subsea Global Solutions (SGS) has entered into an agreement with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL). Under the agreement SGS will provide underwater hull maintenance and repair services for their fleet of 58 ships trading under six different brands (Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity, Azamara, TUI, Silversea, and Pullmantur). The  new agreement is a continuation of the long term relationship between the two companies.

16 Dec 2019

Galveston Port, RCL to Develop Cruise Terminal

Miami-based cruise company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) will kick off construction of a third cruise terminal at the Port of Galveston in Texas next year.Both companies have approved a lease agreement to build a third cruise terminal at Pier 10 in Galveston with $100 million in construction cost.Through the public-private partnership, RCL will build the terminal, then lease it from the port for an initial term of 20 years, with four 10-year extension options.The two-story terminal will have a footprint of approximately 170,000 square feet on 10 acres in the eastern section of the Pier 10. Construction is expected to begin in April 2020.Anticipated to open in fall 2021…

11 Nov 2019

Royal Caribbean Cruise Founder Dies

Army veteran-turned-Royal Caribbean Cruise Line founder Edwin W. Stephan passed away on Friday at 87 years old."We at Royal Caribbean mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to the Stephan family," said a statement from the global cruise company said.In 1969 Stephan founded the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, and his contributions helped create the modern cruise industry we know today. Under his leadership in 1970, the company launched Song of Norway, the first ship purpose-built for warm-water cruising.Since that initial voyage, Stephan's fledgling company has grown into the world's second largest cruise line, a multi-billion-dollar global company of six brands…

12 Sep 2019

Cruise Lines Invests $22 Bln in Clean Fuel Tech

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said that its Cruise Lines have invested more than $22 billion in ships with new, energy-efficient technologies and cleaner fuels and achieved substantial progress.“While cruise ships comprise far less than 1% of the global maritime community, cruise lines are at the forefront in developing responsible tourism practices and innovative technologies. Our industry leads in environmental stewardship,” said Michael Thamm, Chairman of CLIA Europe and Group CEO of Costa Group and Carnival Asia.“The entire shipping industry benefits from early adoption of innovative technologies by cruise lines—many of which did not exist five to 10 years ago such as exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS)…

07 Aug 2019

Maritime Recordkeeping is Serious Business

© Igor Kardasov/Adobe Stock

In addition to fuel, modern ships also run on paper or their electronic equivalent. Vessels are required to keep written or electronic records of many things – and the list is growing.There is the traditional Ship’s Log, which records the vessel’s position, course, speed, weather, and unusual events to name a few. The Oil Record Book (ORB) has been around for a long time and tracks all movement of oil throughout the vessel, including its loading, consumption, and discharge (generally via the oily water separator and overboard discharge piping).

04 Feb 2019

Celebrity Cruises Installs SOLASOLV

British manufacturer of marine windows Solar Solve Marine has won a contract to supply 20 SOLASOLV anti-glare, heat rejecting roller screens screens to the bridge windows of the cruise ship Celebrity Millennium. Celebrity Millennium is owned and operated by Celebrity Cruises - a brand under Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) and the second largest cruise line operator in the world. It is 294 meters long and has a 2,138 passenger occupancy with almost 1,000 crew.The ship travels to destinations far and wide including Alaska and Asia and is due to have a major refit in February 2019 as part of the “Celebrity Revolution” fleetwide modernisation project.Solar Solve Marine has supplied more than 165…

18 Feb 2019

RCL Orders Oasis Class Cruise Ship

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.  entered into an agreement with French shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique to order a sixth Oasis-class ship for delivery in the fall of 2023."This is the twenty-third cruise ship that RCL will be building at our shipyard, and we are especially proud of it," said Laurent Castaing, General Manager, Chantiers de l'Atlantique.This order is contingent upon financing, which is expected to be completed in the second or third quarter of this year.

20 Feb 2019

RCL Confirms Sixth Vessel Order

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCL) just gave confirmation of an order for Chantiers de l’Atlantique, according to a previous option agreement, to build a new Oasis-class cruise ship, due for delivery in the fall of 2023.“At her delivery, she will be the twenty third cruise ship built by our yard for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, and we are especially proud of it”, said Laurent Castaing, General Manager, Chantiers de l’Atlantique."With her outstanding dimensions, the new 2857-cabin ship (hull A35) will belong, like her sister ships of the Oasis-Class, to the category of the largest cruise ships ever built," said a press release.As per some contracts previously signed with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd for Oasis-Class ships…