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• Russian Sub Accident Kills 20  

A manufacturing flaw, a misplaced cable, even a cigarette.

Those are some of the scenarios put forward by navy veterans and experts as investigators try to determine what activated a firefighting system aboard a new Russian nuclear submarine beneath the Sea of Japan, and why 20 people were killed.

The Akula-class submarine was undergoing sea trials Saturday with 208 people aboard when its fire-extinguishing system activated in error, spewing Freon gas that suffocated the victims and injured 21 others, Russian officials said.

With little official information emerging yet about the precise cause, experts said overcrowding and human errors may have contributed to the accident and the casualty toll aboard the Nerpa - the worst on a Russian sub since the Kursk disaster killed 118 seamen in 2000. . . .

Igor Kurdin, a former captain who heads an association of submarine veterans, told the Russian newspaper Kommersant that the fire-suppression system could have been triggered by something as simple as someone smoking a cigarette near a safety gauge.

"Civilians should have undergone training. But it usually is a mere formality," Kurdin was quoted as saying.

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• Smokers make a last stand on the high seas 

Cruise ships, one of the last bastions of freedom for smokers, are joining the rest of the travel industry in introducing draconian measures to restrict use of the “evil weed”. Ships on the high seas are not subject to the same smoking laws as hotels, restaurants bars and other public places are on land. Nevertheless the winds of change are blowing in favour of non-smokers.

The Cruise line P&O recently changed its policy, designating only one indoor public area for smokers to light up and making the rest of their ships off limits. Another UK based cruise line, Fred Olsen, announced last month that it is kicking the habit in the New Year and will introduce a totally smoke-free environment - at least indoors - on all five of its vessels in early 2009. . . .

Cruise smokers however are refusing to give up quietly and have been mounting what could be the last stand for tobacco and travel. Much of the battle is being fought in the virtual world of travel blogs, forums and reviews. Said editor in chief of cruise news and reviews site, Carolyn Spencer Brown, “This is probably the most hotly debated cruise topic ever – it makes fuel surcharges seem likely a minor irritant.

“Cruisecritic.co.uk has been inundated with e-mails and postings from both the pro and anti groups. Tempers are running high the tone is often passionate if not strident and vicious.

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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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• 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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• 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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• 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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• 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 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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• Crunching the numbers: Are casinos or complainers blowing smoke? 

Debate continues as to why admission numbers are dropping at most gaming boats in Illinois, including the Argosy Casino in Alton, and whether gamblers who smoke are fleeing to Missouri.

Tom Swoik, executive director of the Springfield-based Illinois Casino Gaming Association, earlier this month said the state's new ban on smoking at public places that went into effect Jan. 1 is largely responsible for the drop in gaming boat admissions.

The Illinois Gaming Board's figures for February 2008 for all nine casinos showed eight of them recording lower revenues than in February 2007, with an average decrease of 12.88 percent. Alton's comparative drop was the largest, 24.93 percent. . . .

anonymous telephone calls to The Telegraph accusing Argosy of tightening up its slot machines to reduce payout amounts apparently aren't reflected in recent numbers from the Illinois Gaming Board. According to the board's official numbers, adjusted gross receipts (AGR) from electronic gaming devices (EGD) are down at Argosy from $9.9 million last August to $7.51 million in January.

AGRs are casino wins, or the gross gaming receipts minus winnings paid to bettors.

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• LETTER: Why does Saga allow smoking on its cruises?  

• MSC Cruises is the latest line to ban smoking  

The Great Snuff Out of 2007 continues. The latest line to ban smoking is MSC Cruises, the fast-growing Italian ship operator that caters mostly to Europeans.

Like Oceania and Regent Seven Seas, MSC is taking the hardest line against smoking, banning it not only in cabins but on cabin balconies. The only places smoking will be allowed on MSC ships is in the casino, one lounge, one side of the sun deck and the cigar room (hard to argue with that one).

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• Cruise smoking bans clouded by complaints 

"The non-smokers are thrilled, (but) the smokers are very unhappy," says Mark Conroy, president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, which is planning to tighten its rules in December -- and already is getting an earful from customers.

Though many clients praise the changes, Conroy says angry smokers have canceled $3 million worth of bookings since July 5 . . .

Regent is just one of several lines changing the smoking rules in the next few months -- and facing the wrath of both smokers and non-smokers (some of whom say the lines aren't going far enough). Just weeks after Regent's announcement, Royal Caribbean said it would snuff out smoking in cabins (though not on balconies) by January. Norwegian Cruise Line announced it is doing so in all interior public areas except casinos and cigar bars (though not in cabins or on balconies). More lines are on the verge of announcements.

"We are looking at further restrictions,"

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• New Smoking Policy Onboard Royal Caribbean Ships Mirrors Growing Trend Toward Smoke-Free Environment 

In time to help guests set their New Year's resolutions for a healthier lifestyle, Royal Caribbean International announces a new smoking policy onboard its ships, effective January 2008. To bolster the cruise line's new Vitality wellness program, recently debuted on Liberty of the Seas -- the newest vessel to share the title of the world's largest cruise ship with sister-ship, Freedom of the Seas -- Royal Caribbean is increasing smoke-free zones by designating all staterooms and one lounge on each ship in its fleet as non-smoking areas. The new policy will go into effect aboard 18 of the line's 21 ships initially, with Legend of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas following suit with the 2008 summer season. "Feedback from our guests was a driving force behind the new Vitality program and our focus on wellness,"

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• Royal Caribbean to expand no-smoking areas  

The new policy additionally prohibits smoking in all passenger cabins and one bar or lounge on every ship. . . .

Alice Norsworthy, senior vice president of marketing at Royal Caribbean, said in a statement: ``Results from online polls as well as input from all of our international offices worldwide show very strong support of the new smoking policy. These changes reflect a more contemporary approach to healthier lifestyles and will significantly improve the cruise vacation experience for our guests.''

The cruise line said violations will trigger cleaning charges to the guest's onboard account and may also be handled through the guest conduct policy listed on its website.

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• Investigators say cigarette butt likely caused fatal cruise ship fire 

A discarded cigarette butt was the likely cause of a fatal fire on a cruise ship in the Caribbean, accident investigators say.

Britain's Marine Accident Investigation Branch said in a report that the March 23 fire aboard the Star Princess was probably sparked by a cigarette that ignited combustible materials on a cabin balcony.

The blaze spread to almost 300 cabins on the Bermuda-registered ship, which was sailing from Grand Cayman to Montego Bay, Jamaica. One American passenger died and 13 other passengers were treated for smoke inhalation. The investigators' report found that the balconies' polycarbonate partitions, polyurethane deck tiles and plastic furniture were highly combustible and produced large quantities of thick black smoke when burned. The report said international sea safety regulations would be tightened in the wake of the fire.

The investigation branch said the ship's owner, Carnival Corp, was taking steps to improve safety and that the International Maritime Organisation would consider proposed amendments to an agreement governing ships at sea in December.

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