July 2023

Passenger Reported Missing After Going Overboard From Carnival Elation

A thirty-year old man reportedly went overboard from the Carnival Elation which was returning to the port in Jacksonville Sunday afternoon from a five day cruise. News reports say that the man’s traveling companion reported him missing from the ship sometime in the “late afternoon” of

Explora I Delivered Amid Questions Over Faulty Fire-Resistant Panels

MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys, the owner and operator of the new luxury cruise ship Explorer I, announced the delivery of the ship with great fanfare last week. During the media blitz and hype surrounding the delivery of the new cruise ship on July 20th

Cruise Passengers Witness Pilot Whale Slaughter in Faroe Islands

The recent slaughter of pilot whales witnessed by guests who had sailed aboard the Ambition operated by Ambassador Cruise line earlier this week to the port capital of Torshavn in the Faroe Islands reminded me of the first time I became aware of this repulsive activity.

Cruise Ship Fire Safety Concerns Over Faulty Paroc Panels

The Financial Times article published last week titled Luxury Cruise Liner’s Launch Delayed as Dozens of Ships Face Potential Safety Hazard raised the issue that as many as forty-five (45) cruise ships may be equipped with faulty fire-resistant panels manufactured by Paroc. This raises important issue

Court of Appeal Revives Royal Caribbean Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Yesterday, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal sent the wrongful death case against Royal Caribbean Cruises by the parents of Chloe Weigand whose grandfather dropped her from an open window on deck 11 of the Freedom of the Seas, back to the trial court. In

MSC Cruises and CLIA Respond to Explora I Fire Safety Concerns

Cruise trade organization, Cruise Line International (CLIA), and the parent company of Explora Journeys, MSC Cruises, are rushing to try and minimize the fallout of The Financial Times’ article that the Paroc fire-resistant panels used during the construction of the Explora I failed fire

Explora I Launch Delayed Due to Failed Fire Safety Certification

According to a blockbuster article in the Financial Times titled Luxury Cruise Liner’s Launch Delayed as Dozens of Ships Face Potential Safety Hazard, construction materials used in the building of MSC Cruises’ Explora I reportedly failed their safety certification. Helsinki, Finland-based Paroc (a subsidiary