We have just received a message from a reader of Crew-Center that the cruise ship Oceania Regatta is experiencing technical problems. Today’s scheduled stop in the Cartagena, Colombia is canceled and the vessel was anchored just outside from the port. Ship’s captain informed passengers onboard via PA system that the vessel is experiencing technical issues. Technical personnel (contractors) boarded the vessel by a pilot boat and are working to solve the problem.

Carnival Cruise Line has introduced new internet prices for crew members on their latest cruise ship Carnival Horizon. Unlike previous plans where Carnival crew was charged per minute, the new plans include charges by Megabyte. The good news is that the new prices are lower than the old ones. Now the crew will have an option purchase $5, $10 or $40 internet card with prices ranging from 10, 9 and 6 cents per MB.

MSC Cruises announced that they have raised over 8 million euros for UNICEF, thanks to the generous donations of guests sailing on their cruise ships. The funds raised are used to help children in Africa by providing ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF). To date, more than 6.5 million RUFT packages have already been distributed to children in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia and Malawi.

When it comes to new technology cruise lines are quite creative by implementing impressive robot bartenders on Royal Caribbean ships, magic carpet on Celebrity Edge, the friendly Pepper Robot on Costa and AIDA cruise ship to name a few. 

The scheduled inaugural cruise of MSC Seaview, the 15th MSC cruise ship that will join the fleet next month, was postponed. The cruise ship is currently in the final construction phase at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, where there was a great progress since the keel was placed in February 2017.

A 25-year-old Norwegian Cruise Line crewmember was detained by Bermuda Authorities on May 2, for possession of Cannabis-infused mints. According to Royal Gazette, Ethan Crystal from New York, part of the Norwegian Escape crew was stopped and searched by Customs officers at Dockyard’s Heritage Wharf as he returned back to the cruise ship.

The cruise ship Crown Princess in Kotor, Montenegro has been blown close to the wharf while it was being battered by strong gusts of wind. The giant 113.000 tons vessel which was anchored in Boka Kotorska Bay found itself driven close to the pier at the coast of Kotor, today. Luckily an experienced local pilot Captain Tihomir Andric, boarded Crown Princess and took the ship to safety.

New Zealand Traffic Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has released a report of the accident on 27 January 2016 when the cruise ship Azamara Quest hull and propeller was damaged at the Marlborough Sounds.

The Balearic Island’s Port Authority dispatched emergency services yesterday at the port of Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in order to isolate the oil spill caused by the cruise ship Marella Dream operated by Marella Cruises (former Thomson Cruises). The leak which is believed to have come from the ship’s fuel tank started at around 10 a.m.

For the second year in a row, the world's largest leisure travel company, Carnival Corporation has received a perfect score of 100 and designation of the best company to work for LGBTQ equality. Carnival announced that it has been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest LGBTQ civil rights organization in the U.S. with a perfect score in its Corporate Equality Index (CEI), which rates U.S. companies on their treatment of LGBTQ consumers, investors, and employees.