A strike by tug boat staff in Vancouver, British Columbia stranded Movie star Cruises’ Movie star Eclipse in a single day, because the ship was unable to go away the embarkation port because of a gasoline barge that was not moved. This has brought about the cruise ship to be delayed from Vancouver and should affect the vessel’s 7-night Alaskan itinerary.
Gasoline Barge Blocks Cruise Ship
Whereas the Solstice-class cruise ship doesn’t itself require tug help to depart Vancouver, a gasoline barge alongside the ship for regular fueling operations does require tug boats to maneuver safely.
Because of the tug staff’ strike, the barge was not relocated after refueling operations have been accomplished, and Movie star Eclipse was unable to depart as scheduled.
“There’s a neighborhood tug staff strike on the Port of Vancouver. With out the help of tug boats, the ship is unable to depart the port,” Movie star Cruises mentioned on Twitter throughout the delay. “We’re working diligently with all native authorities to resolve the state of affairs in order that the ship can embark on its crusing.”
Whereas some passengers onboard have been upset at a perceived lack of communication from the cruise line, Movie star Cruises was responding to social media inquiries as a lot as potential.
The cruise ship was lastly in a position to get underway and depart Vancouver at roughly 1 p.m. on Monday afternoon, somewhat than the unique departure time of 4:30 p.m. Sunday, August 28.
Itinerary Could Be Impacted
Passengers onboard Movie star Eclipse have reported typically good spirits regardless of the delay, in addition to distinctive service by the crew. Movie star Eclipse has a visitor capability of two,850 passengers at double occupancy, with an onboard crew of roughly 1,270 worldwide crew members.
The ship’s itinerary could also be adjusted to account for the delay, nonetheless. It’s potential that port occasions may be shortened if wanted, or the times the ship is scheduled to go to specific port locations may be modified to accommodate totally different journey occasions.
This 7-night roundtrip itinerary has Movie star Eclipse visiting the favored ports of Icy Strait Level, Juneau, and Ketchikan, plus spending time cruising to view Hubbard Glacier.
Some passengers have been upset on the state of affairs, provided that an identical cruises had been canceled as a result of pandemic shutdown, and this crusing was a return-to-the-sea for a lot of keen company. It must be famous, nonetheless, that Movie star Cruises will not be concerned within the labor dispute in any method; Movie star Eclipse solely occurred to be caught within the strike.
The ship is scheduled to return to Vancouver on Sunday, September 4, and there are not any delays anticipated for its arrival and debarkation previous to its subsequent cruise.
Strike Impacting Port Operations
The union-led strike of tug boat staff started August 25, 2022 amid disputes over contract negotiations. This has led to staff stopping companies, which then impacts how vessels can transfer across the port space and refuel as wanted.
Whereas Movie star Eclipse was not the one cruise ship docked at Canada Place cruise terminal in Vancouver on Sunday, August 28, it was the one ship impacted by the strike.
Royal Caribbean Worldwide’s Serenade of the Seas and Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam each departed on schedule and with out incident.
Tug boat staff usually are not the one labor power that would probably affect cruise operations at a homeport. Ought to different important staff at a port strike, cruise operations might be slowed or stopped. This is applicable to safety personnel, pilot boat captains, dock staff, and different important positions.
