Thursday, October 8, 2009

Seabourn Cancels Africa, Indian Ocean Cruises Due to Piracy Risk



(1 p.m. EDT) -- Pirates have suddenly found themselves back on the cruise
radar today with
Seabourn Cruise Line's early morning announcement
that it has canceled a planned series of voyages aboard
Seabourn Legend in the Indian Ocean in 2010 and 2011, due to the risk
of piracy. The luxury line has said the ship will instead reposition to the
Caribbean for the winter after 2010's summer/fall Mediterranean
season. Seabourn Legend will sail weeklong Caribbean itineraries
between Ft. Lauderdale and St. Thomas, or roundtrip from
St. Thomas.

The coming winter and spring months are generally the prime time for
Middle East and world voyages that would take cruise ships through
the Gulf of Aden and outward into the Indian Ocean, where pirate
activity has recently spread.

Italian line
MSC Cruises famously changed its routing to avoid
the region indefinitely after pirates
attempted to hijack its MSC Melody
back in April; shortly thereafter, U.K.-based
Fred. Olsen announced
that its 2010 world cruise, a 106-night voyage departing on January 5,
2010, will also avoid the area.
Hapag-Lloyd has also sworn off Gulf
of Aden transits until the situation improves, at least with passengers
onboard; in 2008, the line debarked passengers at an undisclosed
location and flew them to Dubai while the ship sailed through with
only a skeleton crew. (Cruise lines that sail through the Gulf of Aden
but have not yet made scheduling changes include
Costa Cruises,Royal Caribbean and Oceania Cruises.)

What's interesting about Seabourn's move, however,
is its choice of the Caribbean as an alternative to Africa
and the Indian Ocean, rather than transitioning the ship without
passing through danger zones to a different -- but perhaps
equally exotic -- area.

Seabourn spokesman Bruce Good tells us that with
Seabourn Spirit already scheduled to visit Bali,
Indonesia and Malaysia at that time,
and
Seabourn Pride in Vietnam and
Thailand, it made more sense to increase capacity elsewhere.
"The Caribbean is popular, especially since we can do such
unusual ports and our way-fun Caviar in the Surf beach
parties," Good tells us. "The good news is that folks who
want a laid-back Caribbean getaway will have an intimate,
ultra luxury Seabourn option."

In a prepared statement, Seabourn CEO Pamela Conover is
quoted as saying, "It makes me sad to have to cancel
these cruises. I personally loved touring Kenya's game parks
and the islands of the Seychelles, Madagascar and Zanzibar
are lovely and exotic destinations where we sincerely had
hoped to be able to take our guests. We look forward to a
time when the sea routes are controlled enough for us to
cruise there for a season."

Passengers already booked on Seabourn's canceled sailings
-- a small number, Good says, as the sailings were still
more than a year out -- will be contacted with a move-off offer that includes
an extra savings and an onboard credit if they rebook.

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