More than two dozen passengers left a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak on April 24 without contact tracing, nearly two weeks after the first passenger died on board, the ship operator and Dutch officials said Thursday. The news raised concerns that the virus could spread as travellers returned home, although experts say the risk to the wider public is considered low. The Dutch-based company had previously said the body of the Dutch man who died on April 11 was taken off the ship on the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena on April 24, when his wife also disembarked. She then flew to South Africa a day later and died there. The company said Thursday, 29 passengers left the vessel at St. Helena, while the Dutch Foreign Ministry put the number at about 40. The company had not previously acknowledged that dozens more people left the ship at that time. The people who left the ship to return to their home countries were of at least 12 different nationalities, Oceanwi
Health agencies across multiple countries are tracing passengers and probing the source of a deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship
A rodent-borne illness is suspected of causing an outbreak aboard a cruise ship that has killed three people and sickened others. Studies indicate hantaviruses have been around for centuries, with outbreaks documented in Asia and Europe. In the Eastern Hemisphere, it has been linked with hemorrhagic fever and kidney failure. It wasn't until the early 1990s that a previously unknown group of hantaviruses emerged in the southwestern United States as the cause of an acute respiratory disease now known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The disease gained attention last year after the late actor Gene Hackman's wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from a hantavirus infection in New Mexico. The World Health Organisation said in a statement Sunday that detailed investigations of the cruise ship outbreak are ongoing, including further laboratory testing and epidemiological investigations. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing. The virus is spread by rodents and, more rarely, ...
A suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus infection on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean killed three people, including an elderly married couple, and sickened at least three others, the World Health Organisation and South Africa's Department of Health said Sunday. In a statement to The Associated Press, WHO said an investigation was underway but that at least one case of hantavirus had been confirmed. One of the patients was in intensive care in a South African hospital, the UN's health agency said, and it was working with authorities to evacuate two others with symptoms from the ship. The Dutch company that operates the cruise said the ship was now sitting off the coast of Cape Verde, an island nation off Africa's west coast, and local authorities were assisting but had not allowed anyone to disembark. It said the two sick people onboard requiring urgent medical care were crew members. Hantavirus infections are spread mainly by rodents Hantaviruses, which are found throughout
Cruise aggregator TIRUN Travel Marketing on Monday said it has partnered with Air India to introduce integrated packages combining flights and cruises. This partnership, which commenced in November, will offer Indian travellers a seamless journey connecting Air India and Air India Express flights with cruise holidays from the TIRUN portfolio, the company said in a statement. Initially, under this partnership domestic and international flight connections will be integrated with cruise itineraries to destinations such as Singapore and Hong Kong, and it will later expand to Sydney, Los Angeles, and destinations across Europe, TIRUN Travels said. "The Fly-Cruise program bridges the gap between doorstep and deck by creating a single, seamless travel experience. With Air India's extensive connectivity and our world-class cruise portfolio, we're making travel planning simpler- a top priority on today's traveller's wish list. Together, we continue to add value to the way India travels and .
Cochin Shipyard subsidiary to construct two inland luxury cruise vessels for Antara River Cruises, marking India's first deployment under IV Rules 2022 on the Brahmaputra River
With this, Cordelia Cruises, operated through Waterways Leisure Tourism in India, will more than double its current capacity, enabling it to explore new regions
Cruise companies like Antara Cruises and Cordelia Cruises told Business Standard that they are planning to invest as well as raise funds to expand their fleet size
Passenger volume this year is projected to grow 4.5 per cent from 2024, when 18.2 million Americans went on ocean cruises
The income tax department has notified amendments in I-T rules to prescribe conditions for applicability of presumptive taxation regime for non-resident cruise ship operators. As a measure to promote investment and employment, the government had in the July Budget, provided a presumptive taxation regime for non-residents, engaged in the business of operation of cruise ships. Further, exemption has been provided for any income of a foreign company from lease rentals of cruise ships, received from a related company which operates such ship or ships in India. As per the amendment to I-T Rules, 1962, notified on January 21, the applicability of this presumptive taxation regime is subject to conditions, including that the non-resident, engaged in the business of operation of cruise ships operate a passenger ship having a carrying capacity of more than 200 passengers or length of 75 metres or more, for leisure and recreational purposes and having appropriate dining and cabin facilities fo
This endeavour, known as Navika Sagar Parikrama II, highlights India's growing expertise in maritime exploration and underscores the courage and determination of its naval personnel
The mission includes setting up of a dedicated fund, easing of cabotage regulations and financial incentives
US Coast Guard officials investigating the implosion of an experimental watercraft en route to the wreck of the Titanic were scheduled Monday to hear from former employees of the company that owned the Titan submersible. The aim of the two-week hearing in Charleston County, South Carolina, is to uncover the facts surrounding the incident and develop recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future, the Coast Guard said in a statement earlier this month. The ongoing Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of marine casualty investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. The Titan imploded in the North Atlantic in June 2023, killing all five people on board and setting off a worldwide debate about the future of private undersea exploration. Among those killed was Stockton Rush, co-founder of OceanGate, the Washington state company that owned the Titan. The company suspended operations after the implosion. Witnesses scheduled to testify on Monday include OceanGate's .
The Ambanis will today celebrate the first birthday of granddaughter, Veda, who is the daughter of Shloka and Akash Ambani, on the cruise on which the pre-wedding of Radhika and Anant is taking place
The 'Icon of the Seas' was built in Finland at a cost of about $2 billion. The ship weighs about 250,800 tonnes and is about five times larger than the Titanic
The world's largest cruise ship is set to begin its maiden voyage Saturday as it gets underway from the Port of Miami. Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, which runs nearly 1,200 feet (365 meters) from bow to stern, is leaving South Florida for its first seven-day island-hopping voyage through the tropics. The ship was officially christened Tuesday with help from soccer legend Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates. Icon of the Seas is the culmination of more than 50 years of dreaming, innovating and living our mission to deliver the world's best vacation experiences responsibly," Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty said earlier this week. She is the ultimate multigenerational family vacation, forever changing the status quo in family travel and fulfilling vacation dreams for all ages on board. When the Icon of the Seas was first revealed in October 2022, the ship spurred the single largest booking day and the highest volume booking week in Royal Caribbean's .
The world's largest cruise ship is set to begin its maiden voyage Saturday as it gets underway from the Port of Miami. Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, which runs nearly 1,200 feet (365 metres) from bow to stern, is leaving South Florida for its first seven-day island-hopping voyage through the tropics. The ship was officially christened Tuesday with help from soccer legend Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates. Icon of the Seas is the culmination of more than 50 years of dreaming, innovating and living our mission to deliver the world's best vacation experiences responsibly," Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty said earlier this week. She is the ultimate multigenerational family vacation, forever changing the status quo in family travel and fulfilling vacation dreams for all ages on board. When the Icon of the Seas was first revealed in October 2022, the ship spurred the single largest booking day and the highest volume booking week in Royal Caribbean's .
The Adora Magic City will depart from its home port of Shanghai Monday for a six-day trip that will take in South Korea's Jeju island and the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Fukuoka
The 300-metre vessel, which has a capacity of 3,780 passengers, is looking to sail with middle-class, young Indian families at a starting price point of Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 per person, per night
Costa Cruises returns to India after three years, to offer trips to Goa, Kochi, Lakshadweep