CruiseLaw News 2000
   
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December 2000:

Parent Company for Commodore Cruise Line and Crown Cruise Line Files for Bankruptcy and Ceases Operations
Commodore Holdings Ltd. filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of U.S. bankruptcy laws in the hope of reorganizing its operations. Financial problems for Commodore started earlier in the year when the company refurbished one of its cruise ships, the Enchanted Sun, and offered gambling day cruises from California to Mexico.

Based in Hollywood, Florida, Commodore operated the Enchanted Capri and the Enchanted Isle from New Orleans.   A third cruise ship, the Crown Dynasty, sailed to Aruba. This was the second major bankruptcy this year in a sector dominated by Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Florida-based Premier Cruises, which operated the Big Red Boat ships, halted operations in September. Read the Story on CNN     CNN's Suggestions to Protect Yourself if Your Cruise Line Goes Under

SeaBreeze I Sinks off of the Coast of Virginia

The Panamanian registered SS Seabreeze, formerly owned by the now bankrupt Premier Cruise Lines, sank off of the coast of Virginia in rough weather. Thirty four crew members were rescued, although fortunately no passengers were aboard. Title to the cruise ship was held by Cruise Ventures III, a subsidiary of  investment firm Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Capital Funding in New York.  The cruise ship was seized in September when Premier fell behind in paying its creditors. The ship was sailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Charleston, South Carolina.
Read the Story on CNN   Read the Story on MSNBC    Read the Story on BBC

75 Lawsuits Filed Against Miami Based Cruise Lines From October Through December
Seventy-five lawsuits were been filed in the last quarter of 2000 against Miami based cruise lines by injured passengers and crew employees. See the list

Royal Caribbean Abandons Alaska Port of Haines
Royal Caribbean canceled its cruise ship visits to the tiny Alaska port of Haines, ending several years of controversy over cruise ship release of sewage and waste water into Alaska's Inside Passageway.  Following high profile dumping cases against Royal Caribbean, the city of Haines imposed a 4% sales tax on shore excursions. One local tour operator said Royal Caribbean ended its decade relationship with Haines in retaliation for anti-cruise activity. Royal Caribbean denied that they intended to make an example of the little city, responding that the decision leave Haines was "purely an economic one."
Read the Article in the Seattle Times 

Bahamas Maritime Authority Report Critical of Sun Vista Cruise Ship Management 
The Bahamas Maritime authority (BMA) issued its report on the ill fated cruise ship, the Sun Vista, which caught fire and sank in the straits of Malacca in May of 1999.  The report concluded that Sun Vista was an old ship which was in poor mechanical condition and required considerable refurbishment of the main and auxiliary machinery and safety equipment.  The BMA report further claims that the ship's management company, Sembawang Shipmanagement, formerly a unit of Sembcorp Industries (since divested to Norway's Tschudi & Eitzen), was aware of the vessel's problems, but the vessel was allowed to continue in service with the crew having to deal with machinery breakdowns on a frequent basis...
Read the Article from WorldNews.com    See Photographs of   Sun Vista Cruise Ship On Fire

November 2000:

La Habana Cruise to Cuba Cancelled Due to Passenger Safety and Security Concerns
A Toronto based cruise company cancelled a November 18th cruise to Cuba marketed to Americans, citing bomb threats which jeopardized the safety of the crew and passengers. Among the speakers booked for the cruise out of Nassau was author and human rights activist Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy.
Read the Article in the Chicago Tribune 

Cruise Lines Increase Political Contributions and Seeks Friends in the State Legislature
The cruise industry in Florida has paid big bucks to curry favor with local legislators.  The industry avoids income taxes by keeping their legal headquarters in Panama, the Bahamas, Liberia and other foreign countries.  Environmental groups rightfully characterize the cruise ships as "floating toxic waste sites." In response, the industry is pouring money into Florida's political coffers. Florida Cruise Committee (the cruise industry's political action committee) was the largest contributor.  Total contributions from the cruise industry to candidates and political parties in Florida this year exceeded $260,000.
Read the Article in the Orlando Sun-Sentinel    Read the List of  Contributors to the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL)  - Dominated by Contributions from Carnival Cruise Line Executives in Miami 

 

October 2000:   

Norwegian Cruise Line's Former CEO Assaults Passenger
Last April, NCL's former chief executive, Geir Aune, filed suit against NCL for $2,000,000 in severance pay.  The lawsuit was filed after the executive was removed from his job when NCL was acquired by Star Cruises, a Hong-Kong based cruise line. This month, NCL filed a counter-claim against its former executive, alleging that he engaged in a pattern of improper conduct. Included in the counter-suit was the accusation that NCL's former CEO sexually assaulted a 21 year old passenger while he was intoxicated during a cruise on a NCL cruise ship, the M/V Norwegian Sky. NCL was one of the cruise lines last summer which announced that it would institute a "zero tolerance" policy regarding sexual assaults and other crimes on cruise passengers.  Read the Article in the Miami Herald By Cynthia Corzo

"Cruise Ships in Troubled Waters"

Airing on the A & E Channel this month, this documentary by Investigative Reports is based on research by the New York Times.  The fifty minute report looks into cruise ship crimes, inadequate medical treatment on cruise ships, and other issues affecting passenger safety and security.  Attorney Jim Walker was interviewed in the documentary.  
Read a Description of the Investigation    Order the Video From A& E

Carnival Receives Subpoena for Possible Environmental Pollution Violations
A federal grand jury asked Carnival Corporation to produce documents regarding its environmental practices, as the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Florida continues to look for cruise lines violators other than Royal Caribbean. 
Read the Article in the Sun Sentinel By Tom Stieghorst 

Premier Cruise Line Crew Stranded in the Mediterranean
260 crew mmbers of Premier Cruise Lines' ship, the SeaWind Crown, remain stranded in Spain a month after the cruise line's chief creditor seized the cruise ship.
Read the Article in the Sun Sentinel By Richard Verrier     Read the Web Site Created by the Abandoned Crew

Judge Dismisses Parents' Lawsuit Against Royal Caribbean for Missing Daughter
A Judge in Dade County Florida dismissed the lawsuit filed against Royal Caribbean Cruises by the parents of a young woman who disappeared during a cruise with her family aboard the Rhapsody of the Seas in 1998.  The Court dismissed the parent's lawsuit because the parents did not not disclose certain information regarding the identity of witnesses who may have knowledge regarding their daughter's whereabouts.  The parents feared that releasing the information would thwart attempts to find their daughter. (The family's web site created to find their daughter promised: "We will protect your identity, we promise. Your information may save our daughter Amy's life."  Link to the Bradley Family's Site) As matters now stand, the daughter remains missing, and the parents have no legal recourse against the cruise line.  The parents will appeal the Court's decision.
Read the Article in the Miami Herald By Cynthia Corzo

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