Marking the long-term partnership and commitment of their recently signed declaration of intent, Costa Group donated € 100,000 to bring the mission of Mercy Ships to hope and healing to the poorest of the poor. The organization Mercy Ships which operates a vessel named Africa Mercy transformed into a floating hospital will use the donation to support more than 1,700 life-changing treatments and operations carried out by the volunteer doctors and surgeons while in Benin, Africa.

Acapulco port authorities and Mexican Navy conducted security exercise simulating a protest in which boats have blocked the cruise ship Norwegian Jewel while the vessel was anchored on March 1.

Due to a technical issue affecting the maximum speed of Carnival Splendor, the vessel will cancel two stops and return to its homeport of Miami on Sunday. Splendor was on its way to St. Thomas when the ship lost propulsion. Carnival Cruise Line stated that the engine only had a technical defect, however some guests on board report that crew said at least one engine had failed completely.

Great news for all passengers sailing on board Royal Caribbean cruise ships. Starting this month on all swimming pools lifeguards will be in charge for the safety of the passengers. By adding this safety feature Royal Caribbean will become the second cruise line to employ lifeguards.

Silversea celebrated the completion of the sea trials of their latest cruise ship Silver Muse scheduled to debut on April 19, 2017. The formal launch will be in Monaco where the vessel will be baptized. Rigorous evaluations have been carried out at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, where the ship is in final stage of development.

On a routine unannounced USPH inspection conducted by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Holland America Line cruise ship MS Eurodam received its 11th consecutive perfect score. The inspectors boarded Eurodam while the vessel was docked in its home port at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on January 14, 2017. After inspecting the key facilities and procedures onboard the CDC inspectors give perfect marks with 100 points.

Sydney Residents and visitors have stormed the harbor on weekends to enjoy the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth. The two Cunard liners have meet again as hundreds of sailboats and yachts accompanied the vessels at the harbor entrance. Thousands of people were standing along the shores to accompany the Royal Rendezvous.

The passengers boarding was interrupted on the cruise ship Seabourn Encore in Picton, New Zealand after a strange gas smell was noticed by the Port Marlborough authorities.  At the quayside of Port Marlborough, staff at the refrigeration plant had detected an ammonia leak by one of the refrigeration units. The terminal was then closed for about an hour, as well as Seabourn Encore, which was in the immediate vicinity.

The P&O Australia cruise ship, Pacific Dawn has entered dry dock for a multi-million dollar refurbishment in Singapore. Among many new features on board, the renewal will include the installation of two spectacular waterslides on the top open decks. New stylish restaurants will be included such as Mediterranean-inspired dining venue named Nic and Toni’s, and a seafood restaurant Shell & Bones.

A terrible tragedy seems to have taken place on the cruise ship MSC Magnifica. According to the Italian police, a 45-year-old German passenger was arrested in connection with the disappearance of his wife during a 10-day Mediterranean cruise.