Seven Sea News

Syria's ports authority reopened all ports except Baniyas and al-Bassit ports on Thursday, after shutting them down a day earlier due to bad weather, state media reported. The war-ravaged country operates seven sea ports through which it brings in basic needs including food and petroleum (Reuters - Reporting by Nayera Abdallah, Writing by Ahmed Elimam; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)

Syria's port authority has shut down all the country's sea ports including Tartous due to poor weather and high winds, state media reported on Wednesday.The port of Tartous had initially been exempt from the closure but the country's ports authority later said it was shutting down as conditions worsened. "There are winds and high waves in bursts and we cannot risk opening the ports at this time," Brigadier General Samer Kobrosli, the director general of the authority, told Reuters.

South Africa’s ports are ramping up for another busy cruise season with at least14 luxury cruise lines and 20 vessels of varying sizesset to ferry international and domestic tourists across the country’s port cities. The 2016/17 South African cruise season kicks off on 1 November.MSC SINFONIA – the largest and most popular cruise ship in the local cruise calendar –will be a highlight when she arrives in her homeport of Durban in the early hours of Tuesday, 1 November on a journey from Venice, Italy, carrying 2600 European and South African passengers. The ship has been accommodated at the Port of Durban’s longer M berth since last year after being lengthened by 24 metres and undergoing a multi-million Euro revamp.

The cruise ship being billed as "the most luxurious ship ever built" will also feature some of the largest cabins  and balconies afloat. The suites on the Seven Seas Explorer, a cruise ship coming next summer, will be distinguished by some of the largest balconies at sea said Jason Montague, president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Through August 2015, the 750-passenger vessel, which debuts in July 2016, is about halfway through the construction process. Montague hosted a preview of two of the most prevalent suite models here at the Fincantieri ship yard where the Explorer is being built. Two categories of cabins are the 332-square-foot Concierge Suite, which is one of the more affordable options, and the 450-square-foot Penthouse Suite.

Radisson Seven Sea's newest edition to the fleet, Seven Seas Voyager will be christened March 31, 2003 in Monte Carlo with her maiden voyage scheduled for April 1. The Voyager, the world’s second all balcony-suite vessel, will be a sister ship to, but not an identical twin of, the Seven Seas Mariner. The new vessel has a high space ratio, with every guest enjoying a minimum of 301 square feet of living space plus balcony. Four main dining venues will be featured including the 110-seat Le Cordon Bleu® -directed Signatures. The Voyager also features some of the more popular elements of the Seven Seas Navigator's celebrated design including ultra-spacious marble bathrooms with separate showers and full bathtubs.