One Dead in Cruise Ship Rescue, Cruise Taxes on the Rise

Editorial Summary

Doug Parker reports on several developments within the cruise industry, beginning with new port tax increases in the Virgin Islands. Starting January 1, the Virgin Island Port Authority will implement a five dollar capital cost recovery charge per passenger for Royal Caribbean group vessels docking at the Monsanto marine terminal in St. Thomas. These funds are intended for the Crown Bay District Upland development project, which involves dredging and the construction of a third pier. Plans exist to implement a similar charge in Saint Croix to accommodate larger ships. The report also covers a rescue operation involving the cruise ship Pacific Explorer near Fiji. The vessel diverted to assist a New Zealand flagged yacht named Second Life after receiving a distress signal. While one crew member was successfully brought on board, one person was confirmed dead by the time help arrived. Finally, the report notes that the trend of scrapping cruise ships has reached a standstill. After a significant surge in vessel recycling during the pandemic, no cruise ships were scrapped in 2023 so far. This follows a period where scrapping increased from one ship in 2019 to 38 ships over the subsequent three years.

Written by TripBacon from this video's transcript.