A fuel tank exploded and caught fire close to a cruise ship in the North Mole Cruise Line terminal of the British territory of Gibraltar on Tuesday, injuring at least two people.  The diesel fuel tank was used to refuel ships, and was located extremely close to the giant Royal Caribbean cruise ship the Independence of the Seas.  This type of fi...

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A fire on a Norwegian cruise ship led to the deaths of two crewmembers, and evacuation of passengers on board.   The incident occurred last week, on the MS Nordly. The ship was sailing with 260 people on board, including crewmembers.  The fire broke out in the engine room and quickly spread.  Once it became clear that the fire was out of contro...

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The world's first clinical trial into the use of embryonic stem cells to treat spinal cord injury is continuing in California. Last week, another patient, the first from California, enlisted in the trial. This person has been paralyzed waist down, and is currently undergoing stem cell injection therapy at the Santa Clara Medical Valley Center. ...

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Both cruise ship crew members and passengers may be eligible for damages in the event of an accident or injury on a vessel. However, the laws governing compensation for crewmembers are different from those for passengers. Passengers on a cruise vessel could suffer fall accidents, or accidents in the swimming pool or other amusement facilities o...

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A 57 year old American passenger on a cruise vessel has been confirmed dead after a gastroenteritis outbreak on the vessel. The death occurred on the MS Veendam operated by Holland America, and occurred when the vessel was docked at a port at Rio de Janeiro. Earlier, at least 87 passengers on the vessel had fallen sick with a bout of stomach fl...

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An investigation by the NSW Office of Transport Safety has found several breaches of safety regulations at Australia's Capt. Cook's Cruises. These breaches include failure to record passenger injuries properly, and poor maintenance of vessels. Inspectors with the NSW Office of Transport Safety began investigating the Sydney-based fleet of 14 cr...

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Every year, more than 20 million people in the United States suffer from norovirus poisoning. Many of these persons are on vacation on a cruise ship when they contract the infection. In fact, norovirus poisoning can spread very quickly on a cruise vessel, because of the close proximity of hundreds of people to each other. Research into the deve...

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The captain of a cruise liner that ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan coast Friday, leaving 6 dead, is being held by authorities for suspected manslaughter. A search of the ship was continuing Monday in rough seas for 16 people still unaccounted for. A prosecutor confirmed they also were investigating allegations that the captain abandoned...

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Five more bodies were found Tuesday, bringing the total dead to 11 after the Costa Concordia hit rocks and capsized Friday off the Italian coast. The search for missing continued as navy explosives experts blasted a hole in the vessel’s hull to provide access to search-and-rescue teams. The ship’s captain was still in jail as investigators cont...

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The search for missing passengers off the Italian coast amid the wreckage of the Costa Concordia was suspended Wednesday after the ship shifted on the rocks, making the situation too dangerous for rescue workers. Since the luxury liner crashed into rocks and capsized Friday, 11 people have been confirmed dead, and 23 are still missing. Salvage ...

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A 15-year-old passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship has alleged that she was sexually assaulted by two fellow passengers on a cruise line this Christmas.  The two male passengers, including a 20-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy, are being accused of luring the young girl to a private room, where they allegedly raped her. The incident occ...

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Rescue operations again were suspended Friday after the stricken Costa Concordia shifted in choppy seas off the Italian coast, increasing concerns about a possible fuel leak. Eleven people have been confirmed dead and at least 22 are still missing after the cruise liner struck rocks and capsized off the coast of the tiny island of Giglio. Also...

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As cruise ship injury lawyers, we try to draw attention to unsafe conditions on cruise ships, so that passengers can make informed decisions. Last month, a cruise vessel operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises failed a health inspection by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Inspectors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

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Divers searching the Costa Concordia discovered another body Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 16 in the Italian cruise ship disaster. At least six of the recovered bodies have yet to be identified, but are presumed to include some of the 17 people still unaccounted for. The luxury liner ran aground and capsized Jan. 13 just off the tiny isla...

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The Christmas holiday cruise season will soon get underway, and thousands of vacationers across the country will set off on a dream vacation on the sea. It is the right time for passengers to understand that there are dangers on a cruise vacation that they may not always be aware of.  MSNBC has a timely report on an increasing number of inciden...

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For years, it has been one of the biggest mysteries in the cruise industry. 26-year-old George Smith disappeared from his vacation on a Royal Caribbean cruise liner back in 2005. His body was never found, and speculation about his disappearance has continued since. Now, new details have emerged about his disappearance.  According to the New Yor...

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Back in 2004, a paint inspector found black residue inside the drinking water tanks on two cruise ships operated by Norwegian Cruise Line, the Norwegian Dawn and Norwegian Star. He believed that the residue was the result of the paint on the potable water tank leaching a chemical called acrylonitrile into the water. This chemical is believed to ...

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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...

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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...

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Investigators are looking into incidents of sexual assault of child passengers involving a crew member on two luxury cruise liners. The alleged sexual assault occurred on the Cunard vessels, the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Elizabeth over a five-year period. The suspect is from the United Kingdom. Local police have confirmed that they are investi...

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Close to a dozen people, including crew members and passengers, have been confirmed dead in the deadly Costa Concordia cruise line accident last week. While people have been seeing horrific images of the overturned vessel and the rescue operations, the New York Times is drawing attention to what maritime lawyers know is a serious problem - the l...

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Barely a few weeks after the deadly Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, passengers on another cruise vessel have been traumatized by a cruise ship accident.  According to Costa Cruises, a fire recently broke out in the engine room of the Costa Allegra. Cruise officials insist that the fire was contained and extinguished quickly. The fire did ...

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Spurred by the deadly Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, cruise lines belonging to three industry groups have announced new requirements for implementation of emergency muster drills for passengers before a cruise begins.  The policy was announced by the Cruise Lines International Association, the European Cruise Council, and the Passenger S...

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In the wake of the Costa Concordia cruise ship tragedy, attention has been focused on what seems to be the despicable behavior of the captain, Francesco Schettino. He currently faces charges of manslaughter in the tragedy that has confirmed to have killed more than 11 people. However, it is his behavior in abandoning his vessel while passengers ...

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At least two cruise ships operated by Princess Cruise Lines have been struck by norovirus poisoning. According to news reports, the quick-spreading gastrointestinal illness affected passengers on board the Ruby Princess and the Crown Princess. Both the ships are operated by Princess Cruise Lines.  Earlier news reports have held that a total of ...

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