Cruise ship nearly ran aground
A report in The Age says that Holland America’s Statendam cruise ship nearly ran aground in Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay last December with a report by safety investigators finding that the vessel entered the restricted waters of the port of Melbourne without a pilot.
The report says that pilot vessel had not arrived to meet Statendam outside the heads in the early hours of 6 December 2006 as arranged and although the vessel was aware that it is compulsory for all vessels of 35metres or longer to be taken into port by a pilot, the Statendam, continued her course towards the heads at speeds well above the recommended limit.
Later, when the pilot actually boarded and reached the bridge, he found that Statendam was veering dangerously close to Point Lonsdale and outlying reefs and ordered an immediate 90-degree turn.
At the same time, engineers heard a loud knock and divers later found one of the liner’s stabiliser fins had been damaged.
A Report by The Mole from The Age
John Alwyn-Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025
U.S.A. and Israel attacks on Iran impact air movements in the Gulf (Update 1.00pm CET)
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025