Tag Archives: lifeboat

Unscheduled Drydocking for Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambience

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Ambassador Cruise Line will go ahead with an unscheduled drydock for the Ambience repairs in Germany following a safety issue found on the ship over the weekend.

The ship was unable to be repaired in the UK, according to the cruise line, and will now sail to Bremerhaven for the work.

While the drydock facility was not named, it could be Lloyd Werft, which is a key drydock in Bremerhaven with a long history of working on cruise vessels.

“We do not compromise on the safety of our guests, staff, or crew,” Ambassador said in a statement. “Therefore, while we have already started work, unfortunately, we are unable to complete it at the Port of Tilbury and therefore Ambience will need to go into drydock.

“She has left London Tilbury this afternoon to go to Bremerhaven where the work and tests will be completed. Regrettably, this will not be concluded in time to operate our Christmas & New Year Canary Islands Cruise, which was due to sail on Wednesday, December 21 2022. We will email all guests this afternoon to further explain and communicate this. We would advise all guests on this sailing to please wait to receive this communication before contacting either us directly or your travel agent.”

The company’s Christmas cruise was set to operate over 15 days to the Canaries. The ship is now expected back in service on Jan 5. 2023 for a 42-night cruise to the Caribbean.

MSC Cruises ship catches fire while docked in Greek port; no injuries among skeleton crew

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Cruiser MSC Lirica is pictured on fire, while docked in the port of the Greek island of Corfu on March 12, 2021.

According to Marine Traffic, a ship-tracking service, the ship was positioned at the port of Corfu and had been there since March 1. 

Facebook user Μαρια Σκουρτη streamed a live video of the ship as it was going up in flames.

In the near hour-long stream, huge black plumes of smoke can be seen billowing from the middle of the ship’s starboard, or right, side. Later, a close-up short reveals orange flames and rescue teams arriving on the scene.

Click the Image above for the Video

MSC Lirica can carry up to 2,548 passengers and 752 crew members when in full operation, according to the cruise line. The ship is 902 feet long and weighs 65,591 tons.

This story was first reported by Cruise Industry News.

Lifeboat malfunctions plague Royal Caribbean

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Royal Caribbean vessels drop two lifeboats within as many weeks

A pair of Royal Caribbean cruise ships have been forced to set sail one lifeboat lighter than usual after both vessels were struck by strange malfunctions that caused them to drop unexpectedly into the water.

Legend of the Seas was anchored near Cabo San Lucas when one of the pulleys malfunctioned on November 25th, causing the lifeboat to fall into the sea. It was later recovered and reattached.

More recently, a similar issue plagued Allure of the Seas when it lost a lifeboat near Nassau due to a broken wire.

Cynthia Martinez, spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean, reassured Cruise Critic that “we had enough safety crafts for everyone onboard the ship. …Our ships carry extra lifesaving vessels at all times”.

She added that, despite the fact the occurrences happened within a two week span, it is not considered to be anything more than an unusual coincidence