Over the past week, two passengers on two separate cruise vessels had to be medically evacuated after they fell ill. In the first case, a passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship began showing symptoms of appendicitis on the Explorer of the Seas cruise ship. The vessel was about 130 miles southwest of Key West at the time, and was heading back...

Read More >>

According to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the numbers of food poisoning outbreaks on cruise ships were at their lowest in years in 2010.  The agency reported that in 2010, it recorded just 11 outbreaks of food poisoning on cruise vessels, compared to 14 outbreaks the previous year. In 2006, the cruise ship ind...

Read More >>

The families of 39 crewmembers of the Russian oil rig which collapsed and sank off the coast of Russia last week, are coming to terms with the fact that their loved ones will never be found. Mixed with sorrow is also anger that company officials went ahead with what was possibly a suicidal towing mission. The Kolskaya oil and gas drilling platf...

Read More >>

Federal workplace safety regulators have cited a Mississippi shipyard for 50 safety violations, including failure to prevent slip and fall hazards, and improper storage of inflammable materials. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Huntington Ingalls Industries with a total of 50 safety violations and proposed penalties t...

Read More >>

The International Maritime Organization has released data to mark 12 months of battling piracy. According to the statistics, the number of vessels held captive by Somali pirate gangs has dropped from 33 ships in February to 13 at the beginning of December. Further, the number of seamen being held captive by Somali pirates has dropped from 733 in...

Read More >>