A lucky escape !

Two thousand passengers - many of them Australian - were booked on a fourteen day cruise on the " Sun Princess " from Singapore to Fremantle.  This ship was in dry dock in Singapore for normal maintenance when a catastrophic power failure occurred.  As a result, the cruise was cancelled.

Carnival has generously reimbursed fares and provided compensation, including return air fares for the disappointed passengers, but most would be well aware that this was a lucky escape.  Had that power failure happened at sea, the ship would have been without air conditioning, cabin lights - and the toilet system and galleys would not be working.   It could easily have turned into the " cruise from hell "

Ocean cruises are a fast growing segment of the leisure market.  Giant ocean liners regularly visit Sydney and other Australian ports and there have been incidents in other parts of the world when these ships have been stranded at sea after engine room fires and power failures.  It raises the question of what standards apply to these cruise ships - and how are they policed ?

In the freight shipping trade we are well aware of " port of convenience " registrations.   A handful of countries offer a legal loophole by allowing what are often termed " rust buckets " to be registered.   Absolutely no standards apply and often these ships sail the world crewed by people from third world countries who are paid a pittance - if they are even paid at all.    Conditions are deplorable and even the food provided belongs to an earlier age in the days of sail.  Hard tack - and biscuits !

It seems that maritime law requires every ship to display both it's name and port of registration on it's stern.   Discerning people considering taking a cruise would be well advised to have a look at this when choosing a shipping line of choice.  The cruise ships that visit Australia are all proudly registered in one of the great ports of the world and we can be confident that adequate standards apply.

The popularity of cruises will no doubt draw in competitors from regimes who are more interested in profit than safety.   The wise would be careful to check the ships credentials thoroughly to avoid unpleasant surprises on the high seas !