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• Smoking ban in British waters 

Ships travelling in British waters face a complete smoking ban in 2009 as P&O cuts back on lighting up

SHIPS travelling in British waters face a complete smoking ban next year. The Department for Transport is considering banning smoking inside vessels within 12 miles (19km) of the British coast. The move would mean that smokers could light up for only 17 of the 29 miles between Dover and Calais.

William Gibbons, director of the Passenger Shipping Association, said that annoucements would be made to let passengers know when smoking was permitted. "The rules will apply to all ships, whatever the flag," he said.

P&O Cruises is the latest cruise line to ban smoking inside three of its ships - the Oceana, Ventura and Artemis. Passengers will be allowed to light up only in designated outside areas or on private balconies.

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Two top Navy officers fired over $70 million carrier blaze  

The Navy's Pacific commander fired the top two officers on the aircraft carrier George Washington on Wednesday after investigators concluded that a $70 million fire that damaged the ship in May probably was triggered by crew members sneaking a smoke.

Capt. David C. Dykhoff, skipper of the carrier, was relieved "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command and his failure to meet mission requirements and readiness standards," the service said. His executive officer, Capt. David M. Dober, was sacked "for substandard performance."

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Navy dismisses ship's top two officers 

Navy officials dismissed the top two officers aboard the aircraft carrier George Washington yesterday after investigators linked a massive fire May 22 to one or more sailors who carelessly smoked around flammable materials.

The blaze, which burned for 12 hours as the ship cruised off the western coast of South America, damaged 80 of 3,800 rooms aboard the carrier and will cost about $70 million to repair, said Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Brown, a Naval Air Forces spokesman.

The ship's commander, Capt. David Dykhoff, was relieved because of his superiors' “loss of confidence in his ability to command,” Brown said, while Capt. David Dober, the executive officer, was replaced for “substandard performance.”

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USS George Washington Investigation Complete, Senior Leadership Relieved 

Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Adm. Robert F. Willard, issued a final endorsement to the investigation of a fire that occurred aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73) on May 22. As directed by Adm. Willard, Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific, Vice Adm. Thomas J. Kilcline, Jr., relieved the Commanding Officer of USS George Washington (CVN 73), Capt. David C. Dykhoff, today due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command and his failure to meet mission requirements and readiness standards. . . .

The Chief of Naval Operations directed the Manual of Judge Advocate General investigation headed by the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. The investigation determined that the likely cause of the fire was unauthorized smoking that ignited flammable liquids and other combustible material improperly stored in an adjacent space. The fire and the subsequent magnitude of the fire were the result of a series of human acts that could have been prevented. . . .

The estimated cost of repairs to George Washington as a direct result of the shipboard fire is approximately $70 million.

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• Navy cites smoking as likely cause of carrier fire 

Smoking appears to have sparked a fire that caused $70 million in damage to the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, Naval officials said Wednesday.

The announcement by the Navy came as Adm. Robert F. Willard, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, relieved the carrier's commanding officer, Capt. David C. Dykhoff, and the executive officer of duty, Capt. David M. Dober.

Willard cited lost confidence in the commanding officer and his failure to meet mission standards after the investigation found unauthorized smoking by a crew member appeared to have ignited flammable liquids and other combustible material that were improperly stored. The other officer was relieved of duty for substandard performance.

"The fire and the subsequent magnitude of the fire were the result of a series of human acts that could have been prevented," according to a statement released by the Naval Air Forces in San Diego.

The Norfolk, Va.-based carrier was en route from Chile to San Diego when the fire began on May 22. . . .

Naval officials now say it took about 12 hours to put out the fire because of the location and size. Fire and heat damaged electrical cabling and components running through 80 of the 3,800 compartments across several decks of the carrier.

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Navy: Cigarette cause of aircraft carrier fire in May 

A cigarette was the cause of a May fire aboard the US aircraft carrier USS George Washington that injured 37 sailors, the US Navy reported Wednesday. Investigators believe the fire was started when a cigarette ignited "combustible material improperly stored" in an engineering room, according to a US Navy press release.

The Navy Wednesday relieved the commanding officer of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Captain David Dykhoff, of duty due to a "loss of confidence in his ability to command" as well as his executive officer, Captain David Dober.

The fire, which lasted more than 12 hours before being extinguished, caused an estimated 70 million dollars in damage to the George Washington.

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Illinois casino revenues down again; smoking ban blamed 

Illinois casino officials continue to blame the state's indoor smoking ban as riverboat gambling revenues have fallen for the fourth straight month, a report shows.

Each of the state's nine riverboat gambling sites took in less money in April than they did in the same month last year, for an average loss of about 19 percent, according to the Illinois Gaming Board's monthly report. Each casino also saw its revenues and attendance drop from March to April.

Even as the country's economy struggles and people may be more likely to cut some of the extras out of their personal budgets, Illinois casino officials say the smoking ban is what's hurting the state's boats.

"We still believe it's the smoking ban," said Illinois Casino and Gaming Association director Tom Swoik.

Illinois' falling casino revenues have prompted several attempts to exempt riverboats

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• Cruise company extends smoking ban 

P&O Cruises Australia has extended its ban on smoking to include all indoor areas on its ships from July 2008. Ann Sherry, chief executive of Carnival Australia which operates P&O Cruises, said the move reflected changing social trends and customer feedback.

"The majority of passengers have indicated they'd prefer to cruise in a smoke-free environment,"

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REYNOLDS: Thank God, the state has Big Tobacco to feed on 

We don't force the liquor industry to pay damages to alcoholics or the government for selling alcohol, which is a legal product. Drunks take to the road and kill people. We know that. What we don't have hard evidence of is whether second-hand smoke is a serious health smoke, or anti-smoking propaganda.

It will be interesting to see how the state legislature and governor deal with the request smoking be allowed in casinos, but denied in other public places.

Allow it and rake in tens of millions of dollars in revenue, which can be used to help solve the budget problem state government created.

Thank God, the state's got Big Tobacco to feed on. Too few dollars of which will be used to encourage smokers to quit.

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• Places that allow smoking on water are harder to find 

It's difficult to truly appreciate smoking restrictions on cruise ships until you've sat in the late-night dance club on an Italian ship packed to the ceiling with 300 chain-smoking Italian high school students.

The dance floor had a fog machine, but it was completely unnecessary.

Just two years after I witnessed that scene, however, the world is a different - and increasingly smaller - place for smokers. . . .

Last week, Celebrity said it will eliminate smoking from staterooms and, more significantly, all balconies, in October, becoming the first major North American line to ban lighting up in both areas. (Italian line MSC Cruises enacted a similar ban in September.) . . .

A few of the ultra-luxury and boutique lines have already made similar changes, including Regent Seven Seas and, to a lesser extent, Crystal Cruises. Celebrity's and MSC's are among the first behemoth-ship lines to cover all cabins and balconies, the latter traditionally having been the haven for smokers at sea. Royal Caribbean, for instance, enacted a smoking ban last year on all staterooms, but not on balconies.

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Web exclusive: Senate snuffs out Riverboat smoking exemption 

The latest attempt to exempt riverboat casinos from the statewide smoking ban failed in the Illinois Senate Wednesday.

By a vote of 15-35, the Senate voted down a measure that would have exempted casinos for five years from the ban, which prohibits smoking in most indoor, public places in Illinois.

State Sen. Frank Watson, R-Greenville, had argued that gaming revenue has dropped by about 17 percent since the ban went into effect in January and that is a loss to the state coffers.

Watson used a parliamentary maneuver to tack the riverboat exemption onto a bill by state Sen. Terry Link, a sponsor of the original Smoke Free Illinois Act.

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Asia warms to cruises 

Want to get into an argument? Have a discussion about smoking on cruise ships.

Royal Caribbean is banning smoking in cabins starting in the new year. Oceania and Disney are already there and Regent Seven Seas will be smoke-free in all rooms and balconies this December. If you're banning in the room, why not the balconies? It's just going to drift onto the next balcony anyway.

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• At Your Service: Cruise Line Smoking Policies  

To smoke ... or not to smoke. Nothing fires up cruise travelers more than this issue. Indeed, check out the posts on Cruise Critic's message boards -- but we warn you: Put on your oven mitts before you open any thread with "smoking" in the title. It'll be red hot.

This issue is so incendiary (pun intended) that smokers often feel bruised and battered and slink away in shame, and non-smokers are often arrogant and self-righteous and ... well, just plain rude. On the other hand, there are non-smokers whose response is to live and let live and smokers who take the position that "hell, it's still legal, so leave me alone." . . .

several major cruise lines have recently introduced very limiting policies, as have many small-ship "boutique" lines and river cruise vessels. But for other major companies, the policies are not nearly as restrictive as most non-smokers wish they were.

It's an issue of "spoilage" (the industry's lingo for unsold cabins) that keeps cruise lines from designating some cabins non-smoking, in the fashion of hotel rooms. "It would present an inventory mess," says a spokesperson for CLIA, the cruise industry's official trade association. "The cruise lines' yield management people want the ships to sail full at all times; you can't do that if you set aside non-smoking rooms."

We're presenting the policies for you in one neat, tidy package

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Celebrity Tightens Smoking Restrictions  

While by far most cruise lines permit in-cabin smoking, there's a small group of lines that have begun to create stricter rules, such as Disney, Crystal, Peter Deilmann and Oceania. One major instigator of tightening restrictions was of course the terrifying fire aboard Star Princess last year; it was discovered that it began as a result of a passenger smoking on his balcony.

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• Celebrity Cruises Revamps Smoking Policy 

Beginning October 1, 2008, guests on Celebrity's ships will enjoy fresher air as a result of a new policy that disallows smoking in Celebrity's staterooms or on stateroom verandas. The policy also will reduce the number of public areas in which guests can smoke onboard.

"We are proud to be the first premium cruise line to set a new standard toward creating an environment of cleaner air on our ships," said Celebrity Cruises President & CEO Dan Hanrahan. "We pay careful attention to what our guests have to say, and approximately 90 percent of them have told us they are non-smokers. By increasing the number of smoke-free areas onboard while still designating areas for those who smoke, our aim is to make the onboard experience as pleasant as possible for all of our guests."

The new policy, created after Celebrity polled past guests, will result in a cleaner, fresher and healthier environment on Celebrity's ships.

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