Cruise Ship Stuck Due To Swine Flu Scare

With more than 3300 passengers and almost 1200 crews, the Ruby Princess was stucked in the famous lagoon city of Venice. Packed with British tourists, the cruise ship were surrounded immediately by health officials and coast guards as it docked the port.

Five cases of H1N1 virus were confirmed among passengers and crews on Friday as it arrived in the port of Piraeus, Greece. Two more people has been diagnosed today with the same virus as confirmed by Italian health authorities. Among these passengers were Mexican, a German and an American and the rest were crews and staff of the cruise ship.

The American patient along with the crew and staff will be allowed to stay on board the cruise ship as they are showing good progress in recovery while the Mexican and German will have to be treated on shore.

Health officials went on board the cruise ship to carry out tests and check all of the passengers. No passenger nor crew were allowed to disembark until the tests were finished. After an hour of measuring temperature and observing other symptoms, passengers were allowed to leave the ship for sight seeing and other activities on shore.

Although passengers have heard about cases of the flu on board, none of them were really that worried. In fact, people living on shore are more worried and is questioning the coastguard on why people who may have been exposed to the virus was allowed to go on shore and roam the area. The coastguard then made assurance that there is nothing to worry about.

For more details and information please visit Daily Mail - World News

Cruise Ship Jobs To Increase with High Bookings

Even during the times of recession, cruising, one of the growing trends in industry, is going strong according to the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA). Cruise line operators has been getting an increase in pre-bookings for the 2010 and 2011 holiday season according to some firms. This increase in bookings can open up hope for more openings for cruise ship job positions that would be available to those in the hospitality category professionals.

A lot of people are going for a cruise ship job as it is a good and free way to earn good money and travel the world for free at the same time and nothing beats a good week or two of relaxation and exposure to exotic places for those who wants to have a vacation and pay for a cruise.

Penny Guy, PSA public relations director, discusses on how cruising can offer the best for your money. She says "You have your board, accommodation, meals and all these things bought. At the moment the eurozone is prohibitive because of the Euro, but of course if you still want to go into Europe you can book and pay for your cruise in sterling."

Promotions for early birds, discounts and other packages are some of the reasons on why people are now pre-booking their vacation even with the economic problems in the world.

Fishing Industry Leaders Visit to New Terminal

The two-story, 143,000 square feet building with berthing space for two ships, Smith Cove Cruise Ship Terminal, opened in April. Processing cold storage, facilities, factory trawlers and other operations, it shares space on terminal 91 underneath the Magnolia Bridge.

It was on June 24, 2009 when fishing industry leaders had their first tour of the new facility along with the rest of Terminal 91. Concerns were raised to the Port of Seattle regarding some issues with the terminal.

The manager of dock operations for the port, Greg Englin, says that “The difficulty for the Port of Seattle, which operates Terminal 91, is to integrate all the different operations with the increase in use brought on by the cruise ship terminal”.

The owner of Ballard Oil, Warren Aakervik asked if the fishing trawlers would be turned away if and when cruise ships were docked. Englin then answered that they didn't have to but it would need a few more effort on the part of the port staff.

Some rules needed to be disregarded to make sure that all ships will get into the terminal but it wouldn't be a regular occurrence said the managing director of the port's seaport division, Charlie Sheldon.

"Out of the whole cruise season, there are maybe 20 days when it gets crazy," he said. "But when it gets crazy, it gets really crazy." Sheldon also announced that the fishing industry gives tons of jobs to the people and that 50 percent of those are on the kinds of trawlers who needs to dock at the Terminal. "The fish business is hugely important to us," he said. "And, we want to make sure it works."

To read more concerns about the new terminal, please visit Ballard News-Tribune.