Seabourn new-ship shocker: two ships ordered

Seabourn Cruise Line, the luxury cruise member of the Carnival Corporation family of cruise lines, has ordered two new passenger ships to be delivered in spring of 2009 and 2010.

This news surprised even industry insiders, since the ultra-luxury market hasn't been seen as a growth segment. But, given that backer Carnival Corporation doesn't dig into its wallet unless there's a very good reason, we now have proof that the luxury-segment rebound is alive and well.

The new ships will each accommodate 450 passengers in 225 suites, 90% of which will have private verandahs. The still-unnamed vessels will have triple the space, but just double the passenger capacity of Seabourn's existing ships, giving the liners the relaxed, personal feel of an oversized yacht.

The new ships' design specifications call for a 650-foot long hull, a beam of 84 feet, and a draft of 21 feet. They will be powered by diesel-generated electricity and twin screw propellers. The ships will also be "green ships," employing advanced wastewater treatment technology.

Seabourn Cruise Line currently operates three 208-passenger, all-suite luxury ships. They are known for their elegant, service-oriented ships and their unusual and diverse ports of call.

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Pirate vessel seized off Somalia by U.S. Navy

Remember the pirates who harassed small luxury ship Seabourn Spirit in November of last year? Well, by making such a bold move these pirates raised their profile to the point where the U.S. Navy has sent a guided-missile frigate to hunt them down--successfully.

The U.S.S. Winston Churchill had responded to a piracy alert on January 21 related to merchant shipping from the International Maritime Bureau, discovered a suspicious vessel about 50 miles off the coast of Somalia, and shadowed it overnight. Come morning, the Churchill hailed, chased, and eventually fired warning shots at the traditional dhow, eventually forcing its occupants to surrender themselves and their vessel.

Indian mariners onboard the dhow, as it turns out, had themselves been taken hostage by the well-armed pirates and were grateful for the Navy's rescue. The pirates had been using the dhow as a platform for launching attacks on other merchant vessels for six days. No word on whether these particular pirates had any connection to the attack on Seabourn Spirit.

Although it's not common knowledge outside of maritime circles, piracy of merchant vessels on the high seas is a prevalent problem world-wide, and nowhere more so than off the coast of Somalia which has no effective government. The only reason the mainstream media is covering the issue today is due to the extremely unusual and brazen attack on the Seabourn Spirit.

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Seabourn Pride detained in Ireland over safety problems

Luxury ship Seabourn Pride has been detained in Port of Waterford, Ireland, after government inspectors discovered what has been reported as a messy and unsafe environment in the engine room. As of this moment, sources at Seabourn tell us that the ship will be undergoing repairs but a firm completion time is not available right now. Seabourn is owned by Carnival Corporation.

Online.ie: Cruise ship detained over safety breaches

Update 9/9/05: The ship was repaired and cleared to leave Friday night, September 2, and sailed at the next favorable tide on Saturday morning September 3, causing the cancellation of a port visit in Dublin.

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