Miami Heat News

USS Antietam arrives on scene heralding the arrival of the 'George Washington' carrier strike force wth its immense capabilities, cruise ship operators Carnival Corp. pledge a million US$ and KVH grants free phone calls. Capt. Tom Disy, commanding officer of the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54), speaks to local media about Antietam and the George Washington Carrier Strike Group's plans to provide humanitarian relief to the Republic of Philippines in response to Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda.

A plan to build a $400 million bayfront ball park for the Florida Marlins is pitting the team's millionaire owner against Miami's powerful cruise industry and its billionaire patriarch. Boca Raton, Fla.-based hedge fund manager John Henry paid $150 million cash for the 1997 World Series champion Marlins after former owner Wayne Huizenga stripped the team of its talent and alienated fans. Key to Henry's plan to rebuild the losing team's roster and dwindling fan base is a retractable-roof stadium, which he wants to pay for with a $4 per-day tax levied on cruise passengers traveling through the Port of Miami. Henry's proposal, now moving through the Florida Senate, puts him head-to-head with the lightly taxed cruise industry and Carnival Corp.

Since beginning his cruise industry career as Royal Caribbean's first ever marketing director — Roderick K. (Rod) McLeod has been an instrumental force in the cruise industry. He now heads up what is arguably the world’s most watched cruise ship newbuild program. Having a discussion with Rod McLeod is like talking to an old friend that you haven't been in touch with for awhile. Even though you may have not spoken for months — or even years — you always manage to find enough to talk about. That was the case when McLeod recently spoke with MR/EN regarding his current endeavors as president and COO of AMCV, as well as his past experiences — both professionally and personally.

The “Great Basket” called at Naples. On the occasion of the SeatradeMed convention dedicated to the cruise & ferry industry, Micky Arison, Chairman & CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc, the leading cruise group in the world that include also the Italian brand Costa Crociere, met the local authorities and representatives of the economic world. Arison, who is also Managing General Partner of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Miami Heat, the winner of the 2006 NBA Championship, could share his passion for basketball with Mario Maione, Chairman of Gruppo Industriale Maione and of the SS Basket Napoli, the winner of the latest edition of the Coppa Italia (Basketball Italy Cup).

As initially reported in the October 1999 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, Ted Arison, a pioneer of the modern-day cruise industry, died in Tel Aviv, Israel, from heart failure. He was 75. Arison co-founded Norwegian Caribbean Lines in Miami in 1966. In 1972 he started Carnival Cruise Lines utilizing a refurbished former transatlantic liner. By the time he retired as chairman of Carnival in late 1990, the company had become a three-brand line, Carnival Cruise Lines and Holland America Line, and Windstar Cruises operating 15 ships. As the organization continued to grow, a corporate holding company, Carnival Corporation, was created in 1993.

Ted Arison, a pioneer of the modern-day cruise industry, died Oct. 1 in Tel Aviv, Israel, of heart failure. He was 75. A family tradition in shipping helped Arison gain the experience that would place him in the forefront of modern, post-war passenger cruising. The Israeli-born son of a ship owner, Arison decided to bypass a career in the industry for an engineering education. He entered the American University of Beirut at age 16, but World War II interrupted his studies. Joining the British Army, he served in Italy and Germany, attaining the rank of sergeant major. After the war, Arison's father died, and, as the only son, Ted was asked to assume control of the family business, M. Dizengoff and Co., ship owners and general agents for several lines.