Jim Colwell Becomes Director of Risk Management for Holland America and Seabourn

Holland America Line and Seabourn promote Jim Colwell to Director, Risk Management

Seattle, Wash., Jan. 28, 2014 — Holland America Line and Seabourn have promoted Jim Colwell to director, risk management. In this role, he will be responsible for leading the cruise lines’ maritime risk management and claims adjustments.

Colwell will report to Larry Calkins, senior vice president, finance and information technology and chief financial officer for Holland America Line and Seabourn.

“Jim has an impressive background with both our lines and our sister company, Holland America Princess,” said Calkins. “We welcome and support Jim as he applies his extraordinary experience and skills in leading our risk management group.”

With the formation of Holland America Princess Alaska in 2009, Colwell most recently worked as part of the Health, Environment, Safety and Security (HESS) team for Holland America Line and Princess Alaska land operations where he managed driver, facility and marine safety compliance. He also was director, driver safety and training for Holland America Line’s transportation divisions in Seattle, Alaska and Canada. As manager, risk management, Colwell handled crew and passenger claims for Holland America Line and Windstar. He began with the company in 1990 as a seasonal driver and guide in Juneau, Alaska, with Gray Line of Alaska.

Colwell is a graduate of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., a Certified Accident Investigator and a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers.


Source: Holland America Line

Howard Frank to Chair Costa Crociere

Longtime Carnival Executive Howard Frank Named Chairman Of Costa Crociere S.p.A

MIAMI, Jan. 28, 2014 -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) today announced Howard Frank has been named Chairman of Costa Crociere S.p.A, the largest Italian travel group and a major force in cruising throughout Europe, Asia and South America.

In this role, Frank will support Michael Thamm, CEO of Costa Crociere S.p.A.

Last November, after 25 years with Carnival Corporation which included serving as Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman since 1998, Frank stepped down to serve as special advisor to the CEO and to the Chairman of Carnival Corporation.

Frank currently serves as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the world's largest cruise industry trade organization.

Costa Crociere (www.costacruises.com), which operates Costa Cruises, AIDA and Iberocruceros brands, is Europe's number one cruise company and the only Italian-flagged cruise line. For 65 years, the ships of Costa Cruises have plied the seas of the world, offering the best in Italian style, hospitality and cuisine and providing dream holidays with the utmost in terms of fun and relaxation.  Its fleet, the largest in Europe, has a total of 14 ships in service, flying the Italian flag, and one new ship to be delivered in October 2014. All the ships in the Costa fleet have been assigned RINA's Green Star notation certifying that they are operated in compliance with the highest environmental protection standards.

Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise company in the world, with a portfolio of cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Ibero Cruises, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).

Together, these brands operate 101 ships totaling 208,000 lower berths with eight new ships scheduled to be delivered between May 2014 and June 2016.  Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon.  Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.


Source: Carnival Corp

Cruise News Daily Headlines for January 27, 2014

* Royal Caribbean Cuts Explorer OTS Sailing Short
Amid a suspected norovirus outbreak, Royal Caribbean decided yesterday to drop the last port call on Explorer of the Seas’ 10-day itinerary and bring the ship back to Cape Liberty (NJ) two days early so it can be thoroughly cleaned with no passengers aboard, and before the next passengers come aboard.
   The latest numbers from the CDC show 595 passengers (out of 3050) have reported norovirus-like symptoms (“norovirus-like” because norovirus itself can’t be confirmed until lab tests are back) and 50 crew members (out of 1165). Earlier figures (around 300) were underreported, since the CDC stopped updating the number, after initial reports, until their personnel boarded the ship. Royal Caribbean says that the number of new cases has peaked, with fewer new cases now being reported each day. Many passengers only experience symptoms for a couple of days, so many who reported symptoms early, are now up and about.
   Norovirus has a 48-hour incubation period before symptoms appear. It is believed passengers brought the disease aboard with them since some passengers were reporting symptoms within the first two days of the cruises.

* And Finally ...
Over the weekend we added a couple of sets of photos to our blog that we think you’ll find interesting. The first was of Navigator of the Seas getting its FlowRider in dry dock We also have some photos of Britannia’s funnels - in their new blue livery - being attached. We have photos at http://goo.gl/Cjc98B

The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

Royal Caribbean Shortens Voyage for Explorer of the Seas

Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas (January 21 sailing) will return to Cape Liberty two days early on January 29 to allow time for deeper cleaning of the ship following the norovirus outbreak on the current cruise.

The line's statement is below:

Royal Caribbean International Statement Regarding Explorer of the Seas
January 26, 2014
6:45 p.m.

Explorer of the Seas will return home from its 10-day cruise two days early, after an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness that spiked over the weekend. New reports of illness have decreased day-over-day, and many guests are again up and about. Nevertheless, the disruptions caused by the early wave of illness means that we were unable to deliver the vacation our guests were expecting. After consultation between our medical team and representatives of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we think the right thing to do is to bring our guests home early, and use the extra time to sanitize the ship even more thoroughly. We are sorry for disappointing our guests, and we are taking several steps to compensate them for their inconvenience.

After returning to home port on Wednesday, Jan. 29, we will perform a thorough “barrier” sanitization program on the entire ship to make certain that any remaining traces of the illness are eliminated. It will be the third aggressive sanitizing procedure the ship has undertaken since we became aware of the issue, and will additionally provide a window of more than 24 hours where there are no persons aboard the ship, which is a significant help. Guests scheduled for the next cruise on Explorer of the Seas can be confident that all possible measures will have been taken to prevent further problems.

At this point, it appears that reported illnesses among guests and crew peaked during the first few days of the cruise – though, as is common with many illnesses, some additional cases are to be expected over the course of the week. Our doctors tell us symptoms are consistent with that of norovirus, but that they are awaiting the results of tests to confirm that diagnosis. Our response included flying additional medical personnel and equipment to meet the ship, and conducting additional sanitizing procedures at two of the ship’s stops.

In the end, the number of cases was still higher than any of us want to see. We will be cooperating with authorities and conducting our own internal assessments to make sure we are doing all we can to promote the health and safety of our guests and crew.



Source: Royal Caribbean International

Britannia's Funnels in New Livery Installed

Earlier this month, P&O Cruises revealed the new livery for their ships. It includes a new blue funnel with a rising sun icon on it. Britannia is currently under construction at Fincantieri in Monfalcone, and the funnels in the new blue livery were installed this week.

Photos courtesy of P&O Cruises. May not be used or copied without permission. All rights reserved.