May

Iquitos,Peru
The ship Camila carrying more than 140 passengers from the river port city of Iquitos in northwest Peru sank early Wednesday morning, and the toll rose steadily through the day as bodies were recovered from the boat and river. At least 12 people have drowned after a ferry sank in the Amazon River near Peru's border with Colombia, but officials warned the toll would likely rise when recovery efforts restart at dawn Thursday.

Dover, UK
UK Border Agency took eight Latvian and Lithuanian passengers sailing on the MSC Opera into custody after the vessel arrived at the Port of Dover on Friday. The news outlet says the passengers allegedly had about $2 million worth of cocaine in their cabins. The UK Border Agency reportedly searched the vessel after it arrived from Brazil en route to Amsterdam.

Pandaw Cruises has announced it will be pulling its Ganges cruises this year following to many ‘navigational and security challenges’. Last season the operator ran 10 two-week cruises on an 800-mile stretch of the Ganges between Varanasi and Calcutta but has called them a ‘disaster’ after crew were not trained properly and the river proved unpredictable. At times the river levels were too low, too high or too fast to operate on and there were frequent damages to the engines and propellers that could not get repaired. Also, the close presence of Maoist revolutionaries meant heavily-armed special forces had to be aboard, putting guests on edge. Pandew plans to move the vessel to the Mekong - Video -, where it hopes to open two new routes next year.

Seattle, WA
Ambassadors International said it will appeal its notice of delisting from the NASDAQ after the company’s shares failed to meet the minimum $1 bid requirement for 30 consecutive business days. Ambassadors has been considering implementing a reverse stock split to achieve the minimum bid requirement. Such action may require stockholder approval. NASDAQ informed the parent company of Windstar Cruises on Wednesday that its stock will be suspended May 21 unless Ambassadors requested an appeal, which would stay the suspension.

The DFDS takeover of Norfolk Line is not yet finalized as the European Commission has called for industry comment on the proposed acquisition, Lloyd’s List reports. Interested parties have until the end of this week to express an opinion to the Brussels executive on the purchase.
In December DFDS reached an agreement with A P Møller-Mærsk to acquire Norfolk Line. ”There has been a need for consolidation in the European ferry industry and the combination of Norfolk Line and DFDS will create Northern Europe’s leading ferry operator, spanning from Russia to Ireland”, said Mærsk in a statement. more...

Portsmouth, May10th
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) acted after concerns were raised about overloading and the recording of rest hours for senior staff.
The 132-passenger ship, operated by V Ships Leisure based in Monaco, had been due to leave the south coast port at 20.00 last night and finally left at midnight. "The inspection of the Prince Albert II - Video -  has raised two areas of of concern; overloading and the recording of hours of rest for senior officers. "The MCA has zero tolerance on crew fatigue, it is of grave concern that senior officers on board are seemingly not getting sufficient rest." 
Silversea was not in a position to comment this morning but said a statement would be issued later today.

Fincantieri and the US cruise group Carnival Corporation & plc announced today an order to build two prototype ships for Princess Cruises brand. 
The contract confirms a memorandum of understanding signed in February. At 141,000 gross tonnes, the two new vessels, which have a maximum passenger capacity of 3,600, will be the largest cruise ships ever built by Fincantieri and the flagships of Princess Cruises fleet. Scheduled for delivery in spring 2013 and 2014, these ships, as prototypes, will be two of the most exclusive and innovative in the world. Although the design incorporates a number of features which have contributed to the success of the Fincantieri’s most recent vessels, an in-depth review has been carried out in order to develop a ship of superior quality. more....

Cruise ships were advised to reroute their approaches to New Orleans, as the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico began creeping towards the Louisiana coastline. The Port of New Orleans said that all ships should take the Southwest Pass route from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mississippi River, to try and avoid the spill areas altogether. Carnival Cruise Lines has the only ship currently sailing in the affected area near New Orleans, with the 2,758-passenger Triumph operating weekly four-, five- and seven-day sailings from New Orleans this month.