Celebrity Ascent welcomed a familiar face to the bridge following a recent change of command aboard the ship.

Captain Tasos Kafetzis signed off after completing his latest rotation, handing command to his brother and fellow Celebrity Cruises captain, Dimitrios “Captain D” Kafetzis.

Federal authorities detained 11 cruise ship crew members in Boston during a multi-agency operation targeting individuals suspected of involvement with child sexual abuse material.

The crew members were taken into custody when two cruise ships, Holland America Line’s Volendam and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Breakaway, arrived at the Port of Boston on August 15 and 16.

MSC Cruises has introduced stricter rules for crew members who choose to resign and leave a ship before completing their contract, according to an internal policy document shared with Crew Center.

The rules set out how much of the repatriation expenses a crew member must cover depending on how quickly they leave the ship after submitting their resignation.

Royal Caribbean Group has teamed up with Finland’s Aboa Mare Maritime Academy and Training Center, opening a new route for maritime students to gain hands-on experience aboard cruise ships.

Under the new cooperation, Aboa Mare engineering students will be able to apply for Royal Caribbean’s cadet programme and complete part of their supervised onboard training aboard the company’s international cruise vessels.

Princess Cruises is changing the way mandatory deductions and salary allotments are processed for Filipino crew members, with the new system set to take effect with the September 2026 payroll.

A family cruise in the Mediterranean turned into a frightening ordeal for a French passenger who was mistakenly identified as a wanted drug trafficker during a stop in Sicily.

MSC Cruises has completed the first phase of a major casino technology upgrade, introducing a new progressive jackpot system on blackjack tables across its North American fleet.

A passenger sailing aboard Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas was airlifted to hospital after suffering a medical emergency while the ship was cruising off the coast of British Columbia.

The incident took place on August 9 when the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre Victoria received a request for a medical evacuation from the cruise ship. At the time, Ovation of the Seas was sailing approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Tofino, B.C.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has become the first cruise line to sign the Merchant Navy Welfare Board’s Seafarer Pledge, a new initiative focused on improving support and opportunities for seafarers.

The pledge recognizes the important role seafarers play in keeping countries connected through trade and travel while encouraging companies to invest in crew welfare, career development and future maritime talent.