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Carnival cruise crew members help rescue 12 people from ocean after cargo vessel capsizes.

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Crew members from a Carnival ship assisted in rescuing six men from the ocean after a small cargo vessel capsized, and a passenger captured some of the rescue on camera.

The men were stranded in the ocean near the Dominican Republic early Wednesday morning, Carnival said in a statement. 

“On the way to Amber Cove the Carnival Vista rescued this life raft,” a woman posted along with the rescue video on TikTok.

“This is insane,” the person believed to be filming can be heard saying. 

Captain Paolo Severini was in command of the  Carnival Vista  at the time. He immediately altered the ship’s course, in coordination with Carnival’s Fleet Operations Center in Miami, when the onboard monitoring system received an emergency alert.

“The ship’s officers then spotted six men on a life raft and stopped to rescue them and  bring them on board,”  the cruise line said. 

The Carnival team learned of six additional crew members from the small cargo vessel, and alerted US Coast Guard officials.

The Coast Guard launched a search while Carnival Vista continued on its route to Amber Cove. 

Carnival said the Coast Guard successfully rescued the six additional people.

Carnival Vista is currently sailing a six-day itinerary, expected to port at Grand Turk Island on Thursday, according to CruiseMapper. 

The ship is expected back in Florida Saturday.

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MS Carnival Vista. Photo courtesy Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Vista Crew Rescues Six After Cargo Ship Capsizes

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Crew members aboard the Carnival Vista saved six men who were stranded in the ocean near the Dominican Republic after their small cargo vessel capsized overnight. Sadly, six others are still reported missing.

Under the direction of Captain Paolo Severini and in the coordination of Carnival’s Fleet Operations Center in Miami, Carnival Vista’s officers immediately changed the ship’s course when an emergency alert was received by an onboard monitoring system. Officers on board spotted six men on a life raft and stopped to bring them on board.

Sadly, six additional crew members are still missing, and a search and rescue operation is currently underway led by local Coast Guard authorities.

Despite the incident, the Carnival Vista will proceed with its scheduled visit to Amber Cove. The ship, which is homeported in Port Canaveral, Florida, is currently on a six-day voyage that commenced on Sunday.

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Carnival Ship Rescues Sailors After Cargo Ship Capsizes [PHOTOS]

Doug Parker

• December 13, 2023

The Carnival Vista assisted and rescued six individuals stranded at sea close to the Dominican Republic after their cargo vessel overturned Tuesday night.

Carnival Vista was sailing to Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic when the incident occurred.

Carnival said in a news brief, “ Carnival Vista’s officers under the direction of Captain Paolo Severini immediately altered the ship’s course, in coordination with Carnival’s Fleet Operations Center in Miami, when an onboard monitoring system received an emergency alert. The ship’s officers then spotted six men on a life raft and stopped to rescue them and bring them on board.”

After informing the Dominican Republic’s Coast Guard about the remaining unaccounted-for crew members, a search operation was initiated. The Carnival Vista was then advised to resume its original course.

The ship is continuing on its six-day itinerary and plans to stop in Amber Cove today as initially planned. Carnival Vista’s home port is in Port Canaveral, Florida, and sails weekly Caribbean voyages.

Details on how or why the ship capsized were not released at the time of publication.

Second Cargo Ship Rescue in 2023

Carnival Cruise Line’s sister brand, P&O Cruises, was also involved in a rescue a few months back. The P&O Iona diverted its course in the North Sea in October to assist in rescuing sailors from the sunken freighter Verity .

Initially bound for a European cruise, the Iona responded to a distress call after the Verity went down after a collision with another vessel.

The cruise ship’s crew joined search and rescue efforts alongside coast guard vessels, successfully rescuing two of the Verity’s crew members. The Iona then resumed its journey with the rescued sailors onboard, providing medical care and support until they could be transferred to authorities.

READ MORE: Carnival Cruise Line Ships by Size

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Carnival cruise ship rescues 6 people after small cargo boat capsizes

TAMPA, Fla. ( WFLA ) — A Carnival cruise ship rescued six men Wednesday morning after a small cargo vessel capsized overnight.

The cruise line said in a press release that its Carnival Vista team saved the men, who were stranded in the middle of the ocean near the Dominican Republic, after the ship’s onboard monitoring system received an emergency alert.

The crew spotted the six men on a life raft, stopped to rescue them, and brought them aboard.

The U.S. Coast Guard later rescued six additional crew members who had been on the small, unidentified vessel. Carnival said it alerted the Coast Guard about the additional missing crew members, which led to a “successful search and rescue operation.”

The cruise ship departed from Port Canaveral on Sunday, Dec. 10 and was advised to return to its regularly scheduled route. It’s visiting Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, as part of a six-day cruise.

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Carnival cruise ship rescues 6 stranded in the ocean near the Dominican Republic

Crew members on board the Carnival cruise ship Vista helped to rescue six men stranded in the ocean near the Dominican Republic, Carnival Cruise Line announced Wednesday.

According to Carnival, the men had been aboard a small cargo vessel that capsized overnight. The Dominican Republic Coast Guard responded to the scene and is leading the search for six other crew members from the vessel who were still missing.

"Carnival Vista’s officers under the direction of Captain Paolo Severini immediately altered the ship’s course, in coordination with Carnival’s Fleet Operations Center in Miami, when an onboard monitoring system received an emergency alert," Carnival said in a statement. "The ship’s officers then spotted six men on a life raft and stopped to rescue them and bring them on board."

The Vista was able to return to its previous route after the rescue, and was scheduled to visit Amber Cove Wednesday as part of a six-day itinerary that departed Sunday from Port Canaveral.

Carnival Vista Rescues Six People After Cargo Vessel Capsizes

• December 13, 2023

The Carnival Vista team saved six men stranded in the ocean near the Dominican Republic, the company announced in a statement.

The rescue operation took place early this morning after a small cargo vessel capsized overnight while sailing in the Caribbean.

Carnival Vista’s officers under the direction of Captain Paolo Severini immediately altered the ship’s course, in coordination with Carnival’s Fleet Operations Center in Miami, when an onboard monitoring system received an emergency alert.

The ship’s officers then spotted six men on a life raft and stopped to rescue them and bring them onboard, the company said.

The Carnival team also informed Coast Guard officials in the Dominican Republic about additional missing crew members. The officials launched a search and rescue operation for the six remaining crew members and advised the Carnival Vista to return to its route.

The Carnival Vista is currently offering a six-night cruise to the Western Caribbean. The itinerary hasn’t been affected by the rescue operation, Carnival said.

Homeported in Port Canaveral, Florida, the vessel is set to visit Amber Cove, in the Dominican Republic, as scheduled. The cruise also features visits to Nassau, in the Bahamas, and Grand Turk, in Turks and Caicos.

Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet has been involved in several rescue operations this year. In August, the Mardi Gras saved a stranded couple who was stranded about 20 nautical miles from Castle Island, in the Bahamas.

In May, the Carnival Dream also assisted in a rescue operation that safely recovered 17 people who were stranded in the Belize Channel.

Meanwhile, in April, the Carnival Spirit crew safely rescued 24 people in the Caribbean Sea. While sailing near Aruba, the vessel spotted the group stranded in a small boat .

In March, Carnival Valor’s crew also saved three Hondurans from a small boat adrift in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Terrified cruise passengers wrote good-bye texts to their families as their ship was battered by a giant storm in the Bay of Biscay

• A cruise ship was caught in a brutal storm in the Bay of Biscay over the weekend.
• Terrified passengers described massive swells and howling winds that sent the ship shaking.
• One hundred people were injured, the BBC reported, citing the cruise company, which described the injuries as "minor."

A dream vacation became a maritime nightmare for those onboard a cruise ship caught in a fierce storm in the Bay of Biscay that left 100 people injured over the weekend, according to media reports.

"People were writing texts to their loved ones in case we capsized," an unnamed passenger told BBC News of the chaotic voyage.

The Spirit of Discovery, a vessel run by Saga Cruises, was carrying about 1,000 people on what was supposed to be a two-week cruise around the Canary Islands, the outlet reported.

But when the weather turned, the ship decided to return to the UK earlier than expected amid a coming storm. As it was making its return voyage, the vessel ran into a storm in the Bay of Biscay, an area off the coast of Spain and France known for its rough seas.

Amid slamming waves and howling winds, the ship's automatic safety system kicked in which caused the boat to veer and stop, the BBC reported. A spokesperson for Saga told the outlet that most of the injuries among passengers occurred at this moment and described most of them as "minor."

A representative for Saga did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

"To say 'minor injuries' is an insult to the many horrific broken bones, pelvises, lacerations, stitches, etc. that were caused [to] a very old passenger clientele," the same unnamed passenger told the BBC.

Related stories

The ship stayed put until the weather cleared up, the outlet reported. Video from the voyage shows huge swells outside the ship's windows.

WATCH: BBC reports "tables were flying" as waves threw people "all up and down the place", say passengers on UK cruise ship 'Spirit of discovery' caught in storm. 100 people got injured as 30ft waves battered the ship windows. pic.twitter.com/NWZh2tL2ff — Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) November 7, 2023

Jan Bendall, 75, a passenger onboard the cruise, told the BBC that the vessel didn't move for 15 hours as the storm raged on around them.

"It was quite frightening," she told the outlet. "I'm not somebody who frightens easily, it was quite dramatic."

Bendall said a section of the dining room was turned into a makeshift medical center.

Richard Reynolds, 60, told The Daily Mail he and his wife were passengers onboard along with his elderly parents. Reynolds said his mom was injured after being thrown to the floor when the boat rocked.

Reynolds said passengers were confined to their cabins and wore life vests for two straight days as they rode out the storm, afraid the ship might capsize.

"People were screaming for their lives, things were banging and crashing around us and they thought they were going to die," he told the outlet.

Five people were taken to the hospital when the ship was finally able to dock in Portsmouth on Monday, according to the BBC.

Watch: Cruise ship captain breaks down 8 cruise ship disasters in movies and TV

• Main content

Disney Cruise Line Ship Immediately Halts in Middle of Atlantic, Boat Capsizes

in Disney Cruise Line

The Disney Dream took a pit stop in the middle of the Atlantic yesterday evening as the ship attempted to assist in what appeared to be an urgent emergency.

Disney Cruise Line sets sail on a fleet of five marvelous ships. The Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, launched in 1997 and 1998, respectively, are considered the veteran vessels of the Disney Cruise Line family. Known for their cozy size and enchanting Disney atmosphere, these ships are perfect for families looking for a classic Disney cruise experience.

Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, sister ships launched in 2010 and 2012, offer a bit more space compared to the classic ships.

The newest member of the fleet is the Disney Wish, which set sail for the first time in 2022. As the first in the Triton Class, the Disney Wish introduces innovative experiences like the immersive storytelling environment in the Disney Wish-verse.

The future promises to be even brighter for Disney Cruise Line, with three more ships scheduled to join the fleet. The Disney Treasure, set for a late 2024 debut, will be the second ship in the Triton Class. Disney Adventure and Disney Destiny are also on the horizon, with launches planned for 2025.

No matter what Disney ship you are on, cast members ensure that guest safety is their top priority. 

For example, just days ago, the U.S. Coast Guard responded to a pregnant passenger in need of assistance aboard the Disney Fantasy, conducting an airlift operation to transport her from the ship in the middle of the Atlantic to Puerto Rico, approximately 200 miles away.

The 35-year-old woman faced health issues requiring more extensive medical attention than what was available onboard.

Utilizing a rescue basket and litter, the woman and the ship’s doctor were lifted onto the helicopter, which then flew them to the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Subsequently, she was transferred to Centro Medico Hospital for further treatment.

Disney will also stop to help other ships in the water if they appear to be in distress.

Last night, Kevin John O’Connor, a passenger on the Disney Dream, posted a reel to the Disney Cruise Line Facebook group, stating that the ship stopped moving to help what appeared to be a capsized boat in the water.

The boat was crossing the Atlantic to get to Spain when it stopped, and as we can see from Kevin’s post, it is certainly an upside down boat.

Kevin reported that there were no visible signs of life from the incident.

The Blast reported that guest Jose Carreon on the Disney Dream had passed a capsized boat late evening on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. “Shortly thereafter, an announcement came over the loudspeakers, informing the passengers that the ship had to turn around and investigate. The ship stopped for approximately 30 minutes but then left the site. According to Mr. Carreon, the captain of the Disney Dream contacted local authorities.”

The publication spoke to other passengers including Lacey Harris, who said, “they saw lights and a capsized catamaran off the starboard side and would be stopping to investigate.” Ms. Harris witnessed the captain and crew “shine the big searchlight on the wreckage for about 30 minutes.”

“They searched the water and wreckage, but no one was found. After they realized no one would be found, the Captain came back [over the loudspeaker] and announced they would be continuing on to Ponta Delgada and thanked us for our patience.”

Earlier this year, we reported that Disney conducted a successful rescue mission on New Year’s Eve, once again stopping their boat to provide aid.

The crew spotted a small boat in distress north of Havana, Cuba. Cruise lines helping stranded vessels is uncommon, but Disney Fantasy didn’t hesitate. Passengers even captured the rescue mission on camera. The Disney Fantasy crew launched a smaller boat and brought four people on board safely.

While Disney has faced its fair share of issues, other major cruise lines do as well.

Carnival Cruise Line faced a significant emergency situation in February 2013 when the Carnival Triumph suffered an engine room fire. This incident left the ship stranded in the Gulf of Mexico without power, resulting in unsanitary conditions and limited amenities for passengers. After several days adrift, the ship was eventually towed to Mobile, Alabama.

Royal Caribbean encountered its own emergency situation in February 2016 when the Anthem of the Seas encountered a severe storm off the coast of South Carolina. The ship listed dramatically, causing damage and injuries among passengers due to the rough seas. As a result, the ship returned to port in New Jersey ahead of schedule.

Princess Cruise Line found itself in the midst of a crisis in February 2020 when the Diamond Princess faced a COVID-19 outbreak while docked in Yokohama, Japan. Passengers were quarantined onboard for several weeks, and the ship became a focal point of international attention regarding the spread of the virus.

These are just a few small examples of that.

More on Disney’s Next Cruise Line Adventure

A new era of spooky fun is setting sail on the Disney Cruise Line! The Disney Treasure, embarking on its maiden voyage to the Eastern Caribbean on December 21st, 2024, will be bringing the beloved Haunted Mansion experience to life onboard for the first time ever.

The aptly named Haunted Mansion Parlor will welcome guests with a chilling ambiance inspired by the iconic Disney Parks attraction. Expect specialty spooky libations and eerie décor that will send shivers down your spine in the best way possible.

This spooky addition coincides perfectly with Disney’s annual “Halfway to Halloween” celebration, where they reveal exciting details about their upcoming Halloween festivities. To celebrate, Disney Cruise Line has unveiled some never-before-seen glimpses of the Haunted Mansion Parlor:

• A hauntingly beautiful aquarium filled with ghostly fish – a tribute to an early concept from legendary Disney Imagineer Rolly Crump. A special bust will also be on display to honor his contributions.
• An eerie art collection featuring some ghostly new residents, sure to send shivers down your spine.
• Spooky drinkware designed to match the spectral inhabitants that haunt this lounge. Get ready for a treasure trove of entertainment options beyond the spooky delights!

The Disney Treasure boasts a brand new Broadway-caliber musical, Disney: The Tale of Moana, that will set sail alongside you. Foodies can also rejoice with a Coco -themed dining experience at Plaza de Coco. This dinner show picks up where the beloved 2017 Pixar movie left off, with a brand-new adventure and delicious Mexican cuisine to tantalize your taste buds.

Thrill-seekers won’t be disappointed, either. The massive 144,000-gross ton cruise ship features the brand new AquaMouse water coaster, a 760-foot long adventure that combines the thrills of a water slide with a roller coaster.

Finally, for adults seeking a break from the little ones or couples looking for a romantic escape, Disney is expanding its adult-only offerings with Sarabi, a Lion King -themed lounge named after Simba’s mother. This versatile space transforms throughout the day, offering musical performances, comedy acts, and family game shows during the day before transforming into a lively adult-exclusive haunt by night, complete with live entertainment designed for a more mature audience.

Do you plan to take a Disney Cruise Line vacation this year? What is your favorite ship? 

10 years later, Costa Concordia disaster is still vivid for survivors

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Ten years have passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship slammed into a reef and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio . But for the passengers on board and the residents who welcomed them ashore, the memories of that harrowing, freezing night remain vividly etched into their minds.

The dinner plates that flew off the tables when the rocks first gashed the hull. The blackout after the ship’s engine room flooded and its generators failed. The final mad scramble to evacuate the listing liner and then the extraordinary generosity of Giglio islanders who offered shoes, sweatshirts and shelter until the sun rose and passengers were ferried to the mainland.

Italy on Thursday is marking the 10th anniversary of the Concordia disaster with a daylong commemoration that will end with a candlelit vigil near the moment the ship hit the reef: 9:45 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2012. The events will honor the 32 people who died that night, the 4,200 survivors, but also the residents of Giglio, who took in passengers and crew and then lived with the Concordia’s wrecked carcass off their shore for another two years until it was righted and hauled away for scrap.

“For us islanders, when we remember some event, we always refer to whether it was before or after the Concordia,” said Matteo Coppa, who was 23 and fishing on the jetty when the darkened Concordia listed toward shore and then collapsed onto its side in the water.

“I imagine it like a nail stuck to the wall that marks that date, as a before and after,” he said, recounting how he joined the rescue effort that night, helping pull ashore the dazed, injured and freezing passengers from lifeboats.

The sad anniversary comes as the cruise industry, shut down in much of the world for months because of the coronavirus pandemic, is once again in the spotlight because of COVID-19 outbreaks that threaten passenger safety. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control last month warned people across-the-board not to go on cruises , regardless of their vaccination status, because of the risks of infection.

A dozen passengers on cruise ship test positive for coronavirus

The passengers, whose infections were found through random testing, were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, according to the Port of San Francisco.

Jan. 7, 2022

For Concordia survivor Georgia Ananias, the COVID-19 infections are just the latest evidence that passenger safety still isn’t a top priority for the cruise ship industry. Passengers aboard the Concordia were largely left on their own to find life jackets and a functioning lifeboat after the captain steered the ship close too shore in a stunt. He then delayed an evacuation order until it was too late, with lifeboats unable to lower because the ship was listing too heavily.

“I always said this will not define me, but you have no choice,” Ananias said in an interview from her home in Los Angeles. “We all suffer from PTSD. We had a lot of guilt that we survived and 32 other people died.”

Prosecutors blamed the delayed evacuation order and conflicting instructions given by crew for the chaos that ensued as passengers scrambled to get off the ship. The captain, Francesco Schettino, is serving a 16-year prison sentence for manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning a ship before all the passengers and crew had evacuated.

Ananias and her family declined Costa’s initial $14,500 compensation offered to each passenger and sued Costa, a unit of U.S.-based Carnival Corp., to try to cover the cost of their medical bills and therapy for the post-traumatic stress they have suffered. But after eight years in the U.S. and then Italian court system, they lost their case.

“I think people need to be aware that when you go on a cruise, that if there is a problem, you will not have the justice that you may be used to in the country in which you are living,” said Ananias, who went onto become a top official in the International Cruise Victims association, an advocacy group that lobbies to improve safety aboard ships and increase transparency and accountability in the industry.

Costa didn’t respond to emails seeking comment on the anniversary.

Cruise Lines International Assn., the world’s largest cruise industry trade association, stressed in a statement to the Associated Press that passenger and crew safety were the industry’s top priority, and that cruising remains one of the safest vacation experiences available.

“Our thoughts continue to be with the victims of the Concordia tragedy and their families on this sad anniversary,” CLIA said. It said it has worked over the past 10 years with the International Maritime Organization and the maritime industry to “drive a safety culture that is based on continuous improvement.”

For Giglio Mayor Sergio Ortelli, the memories of that night run the gamut: the horror of seeing the capsized ship, the scramble to coordinate rescue services on shore, the recovery of the first bodies and then the pride that islanders rose to the occasion to tend to the survivors.

Ortelli was later on hand when, in September 2013, the 115,000-ton, 1,000-foot long cruise ship was righted vertical off its seabed graveyard in an extraordinary feat of engineering. But the night of the disaster, a Friday the 13th, remains seared in his memory.

“It was a night that, in addition to being a tragedy, had a beautiful side because the response of the people was a spontaneous gesture that was appreciated around the world,” Ortelli said.

It seemed the natural thing to do at the time. “But then we realized that on that night, in just a few hours, we did something incredible.”

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'We all suffer from PTSD': 10 years after the Costa Concordia cruise disaster, memories remain

GIGLIO, Italy — Ten years have passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship slammed into a reef and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio. But for the passengers on board and the residents who welcomed them ashore, the memories of that harrowing, freezing night remain vividly etched into their minds.

The dinner plates that flew off the tables when the rocks first gashed the hull. The blackout after the ship's engine room flooded and its generators failed. The final mad scramble to evacuate the listing liner and then the extraordinary generosity of Giglio islanders who offered shoes, sweatshirts and shelter until the sun rose and passengers were ferried to the mainland.

Italy on Thursday is marking the 10th anniversary of the Concordia disaster with a daylong commemoration that will end with a candlelit vigil near the moment the ship hit the reef: 9:45 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2012. The events will honor the 32 people who died that night, the 4,200 survivors, but also the residents of Giglio, who took in passengers and crew and then lived with the Concordia's wrecked carcass off their shore for another two years until it was righted and hauled away for scrap.

► CDC travel guidance: CDC warns 'avoid cruise travel' after more than 5,000 COVID cases in two weeks amid omicron

“For us islanders, when we remember some event, we always refer to whether it was before or after the Concordia,” said Matteo Coppa, who was 23 and fishing on the jetty when the darkened Concordia listed toward shore and then collapsed onto its side in the water.

“I imagine it like a nail stuck to the wall that marks that date, as a before and after,” he said, recounting how he joined the rescue effort that night, helping pull ashore the dazed, injured and freezing passengers from lifeboats.

The sad anniversary comes as the cruise industry, shut down in much of the world for months because of the coronavirus pandemic, is once again in the spotlight because of COVID-19 outbreaks that threaten passenger safety. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control last month  warned people across-the-board not to go on cruises, regardless of their vaccination status, because of the risks of infection.

► 'We found out while we were flying': Last-minute cruise cancellations leave travelers scrambling

► 'The Disney magic is gone' ... or is it?: Longtime fans weigh in on changes at Disney World

'We all suffer from PTSD'

For Concordia survivor Georgia Ananias, the COVID-19 infections are just the latest evidence that passenger safety still isn’t a top priority for the cruise ship industry. Passengers aboard the Concordia were largely left on their own to find life jackets and a functioning lifeboat after the captain steered the ship close too shore in a stunt. He then delayed an evacuation order until it was too late, with lifeboats unable to lower because the ship was listing too heavily.

“I always said this will not define me, but you have no choice," Ananias said in an interview from her home in Los Angeles, Calif. “We all suffer from PTSD. We had a lot of guilt that we survived and 32 other people died.”

Prosecutors blamed the delayed evacuation order and conflicting instructions given by crew for the chaos that ensued as passengers scrambled to get off the ship. The captain, Francesco Schettino, is serving a 16-year prison sentence for manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning a ship before all the passengers and crew had evacuated.

Ananias and her family declined Costa’s initial $14,500 compensation offered to each passenger and sued Costa, a unit of U.S.-based Carnival Corp., to try to cover the cost of their medical bills and therapy for the post-traumatic stress they have suffered. But after eight years in the U.S. and then Italian court system, they lost their case.

“I think people need to be aware that when you go on a cruise, that if there is a problem, you will not have the justice that you may be used to in the country in which you are living,” said Ananias, who went onto become a top official in the International Cruise Victims association, an advocacy group that lobbies to improve safety aboard ships and increase transparency and accountability in the industry.

Costa didn’t respond to emails seeking comment on the anniversary.

► Royal Caribbean cancels sailings: Pushes back restart on several ships over COVID

'We did something incredible'

Cruise Lines International Association, the world’s largest cruise industry trade association, stressed in a statement to The Associated Press that passenger and crew safety was the industry's top priority, and that cruising remains one of the safest vacation experiences available.

“Our thoughts continue to be with the victims of the Concordia tragedy and their families on this sad anniversary," CLIA said. It said it has worked over the past 10 years with the International Maritime Organization and the maritime industry to “drive a safety culture that is based on continuous improvement."

For Giglio Mayor Sergio Ortelli, the memories of that night run the gamut: the horror of seeing the capsized ship, the scramble to coordinate rescue services on shore, the recovery of the first bodies and then the pride that islanders rose to the occasion to tend to the survivors.

► Cruising during COVID-19: Cancellation, refund policies vary by cruise line

Ortelli was later on hand when, in September 2013, the 115,000-ton, 1,000-foot long cruise ship was righted vertical off its seabed graveyard in an extraordinary feat of engineering. But the night of the disaster, a Friday the 13th, remains seared in his memory.

“It was a night that, in addition to being a tragedy, had a beautiful side because the response of the people was a spontaneous gesture that was appreciated around the world,” Ortelli said.

It seemed the natural thing to do at the time. “But then we realized that on that night, in just a few hours, we did something incredible.”

Passenger captures moment tourist boat capsizes in the Bahamas - leaving one person dead

The cruise ship sank near the Blue Lagoon Island after encountering rough water. According to local police, the passenger who died was a 75-year-old woman from Colorado and two passengers were taken to hospital.

Wednesday 15 November 2023 18:33, UK

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• CruiseMapper
• Cruise Ports
• Ireland - UK - British Isles Cruise Ports

Greenock-Glasgow (Clydeport, Scotland)

Cruise port schedule, live map, terminals, news.

Region Ireland - UK - British Isles

Local Time 2024-05-20 01:08

Port Greenock-Glasgow cruise ship schedule shows timetable calendars of all arrival and departure dates by month. The port's schedule lists all ships (in links) with cruises going to or leaving from Greenock-Glasgow, Clydeport, Scotland. To see the full itineraries (ports of call dates and arrival / departure times) and their lowest rates – just follow the corresponding ship-link.

Greenock is a major port city located at the entrance to Firth of Clyde on Scotland's western coast. The port (officially Clydeport) is also the cruise port to Glasgow - Scotland's largest city, with population over 600,000 (metro 2,3 million). Greenock City has population around 50,000. It was originally established as a herring fishing port, which in the 19th-20th centuries developed shipbuilding industry.

The Peel Ports-managed Clydeport (locode GBGRK) has a deepwater quay, no tidal or lock restrictions, and is accessible the whole year-round to vessels of all sizes. The cruise port's statistical data shows it handled just 20,253 passengers in 2007. In 2014, their number was 92,678.

On July 12, 2015, UK's biggest passenger liner MV Britannia ( P&O UK ) docked in Port Greenock as part of a 12-day British Isles itinerary (visiting ports in Ireland, Channel Islands, and the UK). The ship berthed at Ocean Terminal at 5 pm, with around 3600 passengers. The arrival marked a record year for the cruise port, becoming Scotland's first to handle over 100,000 cruisers in a single year (14% increase over 2014). In 2015, Clydeport received a total of 56 cruise ship calls and handled 108,866 tourists. It was estimated that each cruise tourist contributed ~GBP 80 to the local economy. The 108,866 passengers in 2015 brought GBP 8,7 million (EUR 12,4 million) to the local economy.

Port Greenock works in partnership with Inverclyde Tourist Group (local tour operator) greeting disembarking passengers and offering tour and travel information at the cruise terminal. The memorable dockside experience is also marked by Glasgow's cow mascot Hamish.

Inverclyde Tourist Group organizes unique land tours guided by local knowledgeable volunteers. Each tour (with duration ~2 hours) starts and ends at Greenock Ocean Terminal. The company offers three different tours (starting from 9:15 am onwards) by using small coaches. Bookings can be made through the company's website and also at the cruise terminal (via its tartan-clad volunteers or call at its ticket desk at the terminal). The three tour options include Greenock (city tour), Gourock (countryside scenic tour) and Port Glasgow and Newark Castle (shipbuilding and sugar manufacturing in Port Glasgow, and to Newark Castle / owned by Historic Scotland).

Clydeport is visited by a great number of cruise shipping companies , including Princess ,  RCI-Royal Caribbean , MSC , Cunard , P&O UK ,  Fred Olsen ,  HAL-Holland America Line , DCL-Disney  (maiden call in 2015). Greenock is homeport to Hebridean Island Cruises (UK-based luxury travel company). Its ship ( Hebridean Princess ) has been chartered twice by HM Elizabeth II.

In April 2019, for 2 weeks in Clydeport were homeported 35 warships, 5 submarines and 59 aircraft (planes and helicopters) plus over 10,000 military personnel from 13 countries as part of a major NATO maritime training exercise. "Exercise Joint Warrior" was controlled and directed from HM Naval Base Clyde's Maritime Operations Centre and conducted along Scotland's west coast.

Following the COVID crisis, in 2022 the cruise port handled 71 ship calls (out of 74 booked) and ~140,000 passengers plus ~35,000 crew. Also in 2022 was officially inaugurated the new dedicated to cruise operations pontoon. In late-June 2022, Peel Ports ordered two new STS (ship-to-shore) cranes for Clydeport's 1969-opened Greenock Ocean Terminal, representing a GBP 17 million investment in infrastructure development. The terminal (Scotland's deepest) serves mainly mid-sized boxships and currently has annual capacity ~60,000 TEU-containers (~1/3 of Scotland's total TEU volume).

In 2023, the Port's cruise schedule listed a total of 91 ship calls (over 25% increase over 2022) with expected ~150,000 passengers plus ~38,000 crew.

Greenock-Glasgow cruise terminal

Greenock cruise ship terminal (officially "Greenock Ocean Terminal") is owned by Peel Ports (UK's largest port operator). The facility features a waterfront walkway connecting to downtown (at approx 5-min easy walking distance).

In early 2016, the cruise terminal was expanded by a GBP 14 million port development project.

In 2023 the terminal was updated (GBP 19,2 million project / ~USD 23,3M / ~EUR 21,9M) and a new visitor center (leisure complex) was inaugurated. The new complex consists of a museum (paying tribute to George Ralston Wyllie/1921-2012, Scottish sculptor), a restaurant, a hall (for arrivals/departures) as well as a roof terrace overlooking Clyde River.

The passenger terminal project was part of the government-funded "Glasgow City Region City Deal" (GBP 1,13 billion) grouping several large-scale infrastructure projects.

The Esplanade/waterfront promenade offers spectacular views over River Clyde. Taxis at the cruise port are also available. Lyle Hill's viewpoint features vistas of Argyll Hills, Gareloch, Holy Loch, Loch Long, Loch Goil, and a number of Munros on clear days.

From Port Greenock, Glasgow City can be reached by train (leaving every 20 min). Travel time (by road or rail) is 35 min. To the nearest railway station is around a 10-min walk. Glasgow is an interesting tourist destination for cruisers and is just a 35-min drive distance from Port Greenock. The city is compact and easily walkable. It offers a true taste of Scotland and boasts a range of popular attractions and architecture.

The cruise terminal's/Greenock Ocean Terminal's building houses tourist information areas, restrooms, currency exchange, several vendors. The local tour company Inverclyde had a dedicated seating area (in the middle) where tour information and maps are provided. Passengers can also sign up for the complimentary bus tours - led by local volunteers, and free of charge.

Traditionally, after docking, at the terminal cruise tourists are greeted by bagpipers performing popular tunes.

• The Terminal's address is "Greenock Ocean Terminal, Patrick Street, Greenock, PA16 8UU".
• Terminal's phone number is +44 (0) 1475 726 171.

Among the visiting vessels in 2015 was RMS Queen Mary 2 as part of Cunard Line 's 175th-anniversary celebrations. The liner docked at Greenock Ocean Terminal on May 21st. To mark the arrival, Peel Ports commissioned a commemorative tartan (traditional patterned cloth) that was officially presented to Cunard at the onboard gala dinner and Captain's cocktail reception.

During summer, from both Greenock and Glasgow are offered regularly scheduled Scottish voyages on PS Waverley - the world's oldest (only one) original and still operational paddle-wheel steamship.

(NEW) Peel Ports Greenock Ocean Cruise Terminal

In July 2019 was proposed a GBP 19,193 million "Greenock Ocean Terminal" project, jointly-funded by Greenock City and Peel Ports (subsidiary of The Peel Groupfka Peel Holdings) - Greater Manchester-headquartered infrastructure, transport and real estate investment corporation (one of UK's largest investment companies) that owns several holdings (land/and property, transport/logistics, energy, retail, media).

For the new terminal, Glasgow (Inverclyde Council) approved funding of GBP 9,693 million (EUR 10,92M) from the city's overall GBP 1 billion annual budget. The balance is to be paid by Peel Ports (UK's largest seaport terminal operator company, GBP 8 million / EUR 8,93 M) and The George Wyllie Foundation (2012-founded non-profit) through Dunard Trust (GBP 1,5 million / EUR 1,67 M).

The port development project was initially scheduled for completion in summer 2020. However, due to the COVID crisis, the project was delayed and Greenock Ocean Terminal was completed and inaugurated in 2022. With the new facility, the expected annual cruise tourist traffic is ~150,000 (pax/crew), with estimated GBP 26 million in annual cruise spending ashore (passengers and crew).

The new berth has length 200 m (656 ft) and capacity to hande the world's largest passenger ships via a floating pontoon. The pontoon is made of four 1000-ton concrete caissons, pre-constructed at Inchgreen Drydock (Port Glasgow) then towed to the new passenger terminal and secured to piles driven into the seabed. At the new dock can berth vessels with max LOA length 340 m (1115 ft). The pontoons have height 5 m, width 8 m, and length 44 m (two structures) and 56 m (the other two). The pontoons are of steel-reinforced concrete filled with polystyrene for buoyancy.

The arriving cruise tourists disembark the ship onto the pontoon and then enter the modern terminal building.

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Two dead and five missing following a boat collision on Danube River in Hungary

Two people are dead and five are missing following a boat collision on the Danube River in Hungary.

Hungarian police received a report late on Saturday night, local time, that a man had been found bleeding from his head on the shore of the Danube near the town of Verőce, around 50 kilometres north of the capital, Budapest.

The bodies of a man and a woman were later discovered nearby.

Hours after police began their search, they discovered a damaged boat in the water, which they towed to shore.

They are still searching for five adults — three men and two women — who they believe were on the boat.

Police said they had determined that a river cruise boat had been in the area at the time of the accident.

They stopped a cruise boat with a damaged hull near the town of Komarom, more than 80 kilometres further upriver.

Hungarian public television station M1 reported that the cruise boat, Heidelberg, is a 109-metre Swiss craft that can accommodate 110 people.

No passengers on that boat sustained injuries, M1 said.

The Danube at Verőce is roughly 460 metres wide and is in the centre of an area called the Danube Bend where the river makes a sweeping, nearly 90-degree turn to the south.

The area is a popular recreational and boating destination and is on a route often used by cruise boats between Budapest and the Austrian capital, Vienna, some 230 kilometres upriver.

The deadly accident comes five years after at least 27 people were killed in Budapest when a river cruise boat collided with a smaller tourist vessel, sinking it in seconds.

The tourist boat Hableany, carrying 35 people who were mostly South Korean tourists, was overtaken from behind by the much larger cruise boat, Viking Sigyn, beneath Budapest's Margit Bridge, in May 2019.

The Ukrainian captain of the Viking Sigyn was found guilty in 2023 of negligence leading to a fatal mass catastrophe and sentenced to five years and six months in prison.

He has appealed the decision.

 On Sunday police said they have initiated criminal proceedings against an unknown perpetrator on suspicion of endangering water transport and causing the death of several people.

Disaster response units, including 95 personnel, 25 vessels and drones were still searching for the five missing people along the entire Hungarian section of the Danube downstream from the site, police said in a statement.

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