The Pacific Sun News

HNA Tourism Cruise & Yacht Management unveils mainland China's largest cruise ship 'Henna'. The Henna previously P&O Cruises' Pacific Sun, has a length of 223m, a width of 31m and 739 rooms for 1,965 passengers, and will make its debut on the Sanya-Ha Long Bay-Da Nang route. Cruise route planning is mainly based on short-term needs and short distance tours, with Sanya and Tianjin serving as home ports and Vietnam and South Korea as destinations. Mr. Zhang Hao, President of HNA Tourism Cruise and Yacht Management…

Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) and the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) are monitoring the status of the cruise liner Pacific Sun, which is currently holding position about 300 nautical miles (540km) north east of New Zealand.The vessel’s crew reported that 42 passengers have received medical attention after the vessel was hit by the severe weather conditions and suffered a sudden heavy roll around 8pm last night. The vessel, carrying 1732 passengers and 671 crew, was en route to Auckland following an eight day cruise in the South Pacific. RCCNZ is in communication with the vessel and has requested regular updates as to its status. The vessel has not reported that it is in distress.

P&O will deploy sniffer dogs at the start of its cruises to deter drug use, Seven.com.au reported. In a new security measure, sniffer dogs will search passengers embarking on cruises aboard the Pacific Sun and Pacific Star ships, and any passengers found to be carrying drugs will be refused entry and referred to police. Since September 2002, P&O had implemented a number of improvements to security, including the appointment of seagoing security officers and increasing security at embarkation. Now, sniffer dogs will be used at the start of all cruises and CCTV surveillance will be installed. The new measures come amid a coronial inquest into the death of a female passenger during a cruise on the Pacific Sky, now based in Singapore.