Grand Cayman News

U.S. oil and gas companies on Friday raced to complete evacuations from offshore Gulf of Mexico platforms as Tropical Storm Ida advanced towards oilfields that provide 17% of the nation's oil production.The storm early Friday was about 50 miles northwest of Grand Cayman Island moving north at 15 miles (24 km) and expected to intensify and become near a major hurricane when it hits the central U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). A major…

Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) announced that Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou (WISTA Cyprus), CEO of Tototheo Maritime, was re-elected to a second term as President.WISTA International elected Alexandra Anagnostis-Irons, President of Total Marine Solutions (WISTA USA) as Secretary, and Fabiana Simões Martins (WISTA Brazil), as Board Member, to the WISTA International Executive Committee at the 39th WISTA International Annual General Meeting on Grand Cayman on 30 October 2019.Naa Densua Aryeetey (WISTA Ghana), Head, Shipper’s Services & Trade Facilitation, Ghana Shippers’ Authority, was re-elected to a third term as a Board Member.Despina P. Theodosiou, CEO Tototheo Maritime was re-elected to her second term as WISTA International President.

MR spent time with Graham Couser, VP of Sales and Marketing, Grand Bahama Shipyard Ltd. (GBSL), for updates and insights on how this yard is faring in the current market and investing for the future. As the largest ship repair yard in the Caribbean, Grand Bahama Shipyard Limited, Couser said the yard is committed to continual investment based on customer’s needs, in markets good and bad. “The cruise market remains buoyant and upbeat with growth planned into the next few years,” said Couser.

Work to support women in the Caribbean maritime industry is underway with the first conference of the Women in Maritime Association Caribbean (WiMAC) taking place in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (5-9 September). Under the theme "Charting the course for generations of women" the conference is drafting a strategic and regional agenda to support WiMAC’s mission to foster the development and participation of women in the maritime sector and contribute to the growth of the industry within the region. Some 75 representatives from the port and maritime authorities and shipping associations of the Caribbean are attending. The agenda includes an outreach and mentoring programme that reaches out to over 250 students from six schools in Grand Cayman.

The anchor chain of 303-foot mega-yacht, the Tatoosh, belonging to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has been blamed for destroying a large area of protected coral reef in the Cayman Islands. It destroyed almost 14,000 square foot, or about 80 per cent,  of reef in a protected area in the West Bay area of the Cayman Islands, according to the islands' Department of Environment (DoE). Allen's Seattle-based Vulcan Inc organisation, which manages his fortune, said on Wednesday that the M/V Tatoosh was moored on January 14 in a "position explicitly directed" by the local port authority and that his team was co-operating with the investigation. CNN reported that Mr Allen could face a maximum fine of roughly $US600,000, not counting civil damages.

Port Canaveral will homeport Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) largest ship and currently the third largest in the world—the Norwegian Epic—starting in November 2016, offering seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, as well as three- and four-day vacations to the Bahamas in 2017. “As a regular port of call for NCL ships, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to homeport the Norwegian Epic and welcome NCL guests into our community,” said Port Canaveral CEO John E. Walsh.

Re-emerging from a 24-day drydock at Grand Bahama Shipyard, Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas returned into service this weekend to offer vacationers one of the best cruise ships for incredible Caribbean’s adventures. The ship showcased its new features to more than 1,700 of the cruise line’s value travel agent partners on an exclusive two-night sailing before embarking on its first regular itinerary on Sunday, Feb. The newly revitalized Freedom of the Seas will amaze guests with a range of new tantalizing dining options, new staterooms categories, the new retro-chic R Bar lounge, and a bow-to-stern refresh of the entire ship’s furnishings.

A Cuban migrant drowned after a makeshift vessel with four passengers overturned in rough seas off the Cayman Islands on Saturday afternoon, local officials said. The three other Cubans, all in their 20s and 30s, made it to shore clinging to two inner tubes with the help of local surfers and were taken into custody, local officials said on Sunday. The dead man was identified as Manuel Marino, believed to be in his 50s, Cayman officials said. The three survivors were identified as Dailer Perez Arresoitia, 27, Diosul Alarcon Barrero, 37, and Lety Sanchez Fonseca, 33, all from Santa Cruz del Sur in the eastern province of Camaguey. Local police had been watching the 18-foot wooden sailboat off the coast of Grand Cayman during the day.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) issued a notice to cruise passengers affected by the Houston ship channel oil spill stating that several cruise voyages have been altered or rescheduled. Royal Caribbean International’s Navigator of the Seas seven-night Western Caribbean March 23 sailing was originally cancelled because of an oil spill in Houston harbor, but has decided to go ahead with a shortened four-night cruise. Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Magic departed March 25 from Galveston to begin a new cruise after being delayed as a result of the oil spill.

Ship Features All-New WOWs, Including Royal Caribbean’s First-Ever Virtual Balconies, FlowRider Surf Simulator and New Dining Program. Royal Caribbean International’s Navigator of the Seas is primed to resume year-round service from Galveston, Texas on February 5, 2014, after completing a month-long drydock revitalization. Part of an extensive fleetwide program to enhance every Royal Caribbean’ ship, Navigator of the Seas will WOW the Lone Star State with the area’s most innovative and contemporary Caribbean cruise vacation by introducing new and significantly enhanced dining options…

Volvo Penta of the Americas today announced the appointment of Scotts Marine of Grand Cayman and Pirate Marine Hardware of Cozumel as full-line sales and service dealers. Founded in 1985, Scotts Marine is a full-service marine center, offering a comprehensive range of boats, motors, trailers, batteries, gensets, parts, accessories and electronics, in addition to maintenance and service. The company is the authorized dealer for major brands including Volvo Penta partners Tiara Yachts, Cobalt and Starcraft.

Royal Caribbean International’s newly revitalized 2,360-passenger Serenade of the Seas arrives at the Port of New Orleans’ Julia Street Cruise Terminal Dec. 12 to sail weekly itineraries through April. The 965-foot cruise ship was completely refurbished in December 2012 and replaces Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas, which was home-ported in New Orleans during the 2012-2013 cruise season. Sleek and sunlit, Serenade of the Seas features panoramic views and wide open spaces, as acres of glass enclose a nine-story central atrium.

The totally transformed 3,006-passenger Carnival Sunshine – the largest Carnival Cruise Lines ship ever to be homeported in New Orleans -- will sail this afternoon on its inaugural voyage from the Big Easy, embarking on a six-day cruise to Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Earlier this year, Carnival Sunshine underwent a $155 million, 75-day makeover that added a variety of innovations that are part of Carnival’s groundbreaking Fun Ship 2.0 enhancement initiative, along with several features unique to this vessel and 182 new staterooms.

Cargo operations at Port of New Orleans terminals continued uninterrupted today, despite the closure of Southwest Pass at the mouth of the Mississippi River in anticipation of affects from Tropical Storm Karen. “The entire Port community continues to monitor the storm and we have implemented Phase II of our Hurricane Preparedness Plan,” said Gary LaGrange, Port President and CEO. “Phase II includes securing all equipment and facilities and removing any debris that could become a hazard during a tropical storm.

The American Equity Underwriters, Inc. (AEU) 2011 Safety Awards were presented at the annual American Longshore Mutual Association (ALMA) Conference in Grand Cayman on July 30, 2012. The awards are given each year to the best performing ALMA members nationwide and are based on the number of accidents and the severity of accidents for each calendar year. The award is an acknowledgement that these companies are leaders in the most important aspect of business operation – protecting employees from injury or death. This is the one effort that should lead all others as businesses strive for improved results and better performance. Marine Cargo Handling: International Transportation Service, Inc. Marine Cargo Handling: Levin Enterprises, Inc. Marine Cargo Handling: Schaefer Stevedoring, Inc.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark Rosenker applauded the United Kingdom's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) for the speedy publication of their investigative report on the fire aboard the Bermuda- registered cruise ship Star Princess, on March 23, 2006, en route from Grand Cayman to Jamaica. NTSB assisted the MAIB in their on-scene investigation and analysis of the accident, which resulted in the death of a U.S. citizen. "Cruise ships are a very large and important source of recreation for Americans. said Rosenker. The fire aboard the Star Princess uncovered a safety gap in the international regulations for passenger ships. A basic tenet of fire safety is to provide structural fire protection so that a fire is contained within a local area of the ship.

Carnival Cruise Lines will switch the homeport deployments of its 2,124-passenger SuperLiners Carnival Legend and Carnival Miracle beginning in spring 2007. Carnival Legend, which currently sails from New York and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will be deployed to Tampa to operate year-round seven-day western Caribbean voyages departing Sundays from that port beginning April 15, 2007. Currently based in Tampa, Carnival Miracle will be relocated to New York and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to operate eight-day Caribbean cruises from those ports beginning April 25, 2007. Carnival Legend’s new seven-day schedule from Tampa begins April 15, 2007, and includes extended calls at four magnificent Caribbean ports – Grand Cayman…

The island of Grand Cayman, which has long resisted building a cruise ship dock out of concern about environmental damage that would result from dredging a channel into George Town Harbor, has now decided to start development of a dock for four ships, according to Cruise Ship Report. The initial phase, an environmental impact assessment, has just started. Currently, cruise ships anchor off George Town, and tenders ferry their thousands of passengers back and forth to town. At some times of year, cruise ships are forced to skip scheduled visits to the island because the shallow waters off Grand Cayman are too rough for tendering. This is seen as inconvenient by major cruise lines whose ships visit Grand Cayman and prefer to be able to tie up at a dock…

Five Miami-based cruise ships have changed their itineraries to avoid Tropical Storm Chris. Forecasters have issued a hurricane watch for the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos islands as Tropical Storm Chris threatens to intensify. Royal Caribbean's 3,114-passenger Navigator of the Seas, which plans to return to Miami by August 5, skipped a visit to St. Maarten and will arrive in Nassau on August 4, a day earlier than planned. Royal Caribbean's 3,634-passenger Freedom of the Seas, which also plans a return to Miami on August 5, will be at sea on August 4 rather than call at Labadee, Haiti. Carnival Cruise Lines' 2,974-passenger Valor, returning to Miami on August 6, swapped stops in St. Thomas and St. Maarten for calls at Grand Turk and Freeport.

A person on board a luxury cruise ship has disappeared during a voyage. According to Carnival Cruise Lines, a crew member from the cruise ship Imagination was reported missing Tuesday afternoon after not reporting for duty. At the time, the ship was en route from Miami to Grand Cayman during a five-day Caribbean voyage. All proper authorities, including the US Coast Guard and FBI, have been notified. The Coast Guard is currently conducting search and rescue activities while comprehensive search efforts continue on board the vessel, as well. Source: CBS

With its FlowRider surf park, cantilevered whirlpools and colorful H20 Zone silhouetted against the backdrop of The Statue of Liberty, Freedom of the Seas, the RCL’s latest cruise ship, made its U.S. premiere today. When measured from the waterline to the top of the funnel, Freedom of the Seas towers 208 ft. tall, approximately the same height as two Statues of Liberty, placed head to toe. At 160,000 GRT and holding 3,634 guests double-occupancy, Freedom of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world. The first in Royal Caribbean’s new Freedom class, she sails seven-night Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami calling in Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Royal Caribbean’s private destination, Labadee, Haiti.

The National Transportation Safety Board has sent an investigator to Jamaica to assist in the investigation of today's fire on board the Bermuda registered cruise ship Star Princess. The United Kingdom's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) will lead the investigation. "This is an important industry for the United States because every year millions of Americans enjoy their vacations on board cruise ships. We appreciate the opportunity to work closely with the MAIB in this investigation," said NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. The NTSB will participate in the investigation under the provisions of the International Maritime Organization's Code for Investigation of Marine Casualties and Incidents. All information regarding the investigation will be released through the MAIB.

On March 23, as Star Princess was en route from Grand Cayman to Montego Bay, a fire broke out in the passenger accommodations, and spread to adjacent cabins. Passengers were immediately notified of the fire using the public address system and requested to report to their muster stations. According to Princess Cruises, there was one passenger fatality following a cardiac arrest, two passengers with significant smoke inhalation injuries and nine passengers with minor complications resulting from smoke inhalation. The injured passengers have been stabilized in the ship's medical center. While the fire has been put out, there is still residual smoke throughout the affected area. The cause of the fire at this time is unknown.