World cruise giant hits trouble after accidents

SYDNEY, Australia — Authorities were conducting an air and marine search Thursday off Australia’s east coast for two cruise passengers who were believed to have fallen overboard the night before. The couple from New South Wales were discovered missing Thursday morning after the Carnival Spirit docked at Sydney’s Circular Quay, at the end of a 10-day journey, said New South Wales state Police Superintendent Mark Hutchings.

One of the largest cruise ships in 1985 was the 46,000-ton Carnival Holiday. Ten years ago, the biggest, the Queen Mary 2, was three times as large. Today’s record holders are two 225,000-ton ships whose displacement, a measure of a ship’s weight, is about the same as that of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.

China is planning to build its first cruise ship, targeting the nation’s huge aspirational middle class as it looks for new ways of spending its money and vacation time.

China is planning to build its first cruise ship, targeting the nation’s huge aspirational middle class as it looks for new ways of spending its money and vacation time.

As the stricken Costa Concordia limped its way towards Genoa last week, all Italy was remembering the 32 people who lost their lives in the cruise ship disaster. All, that is, except for the captain. Francesco Schettino, the slick-haired skipper of the doomed vessel, was photographed on Friday jetting around the holiday island of Ischia, accompanied by a gaggle of glamorous women. Local media suggested he was celebrating signing a book deal.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) confirmed earlier today in a statement that it had struck a deal to acquire Prestige Cruises International for around $3.025 billion in a cash and stock transaction.

A fire breaks out in the engine room of the Costa Allegra, which is carrying 636 passengers, including eight Americans.

AP Photo / Royal Boskalis NVA computer-generated image shows the envisioned removal of the Costa Concordia cruise ship.