http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/category/sea_travel.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles.cfm?ID=729 http://tobacco.org/news/287992.html Cruise Critic members speak out on the burning issue of smoking policies. What do you all think about onboard smoking policies getting more restrictive? The question was posed after a veritable mob of cruise lines toughened up their stances on smoking, seemingly one right after the other. Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, for example, are phasing in prohibiting smoking in cabins (verandahs are still can-puff zones); violators may be slammed with a $250 cleaning fee! The U.K.'s P&O, too, recently changed its policy, designating only one indoor public area for smokers to light up -- the rest are off limits. (For specific line-by-line policies, check out our At Your Service: Cruise Line Smoking Policies.) One of the reasons the smoking issue is so inflammatory (pun intended) is because opinions vary so widely -- and are passionately upheld on both ends of the spectrum. In fact, it fires up Cruise Critic members so much that for some, the topic has become too taboo for public discussion. Cruise Critic.com melissa@cruisecritic.com ([item undated]) Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=3244 http://tobacco.org/news/287991.html Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Profile and Reviews Latest Cruise News Headlines Fred. Olsen Kicks Indoor Smoking Habit Today's the day that Fred. Olsen finally kicks the habit and goes totally smoke-free -- well, indoors anyway. Last September, the line announced it would gradually be changing the smoking policy on all five of its fleet's ships. Today, Balmoral will be the final ship to implement a ban on lighting up in all indoor areas. Cruise Critic.com Fri, 29 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles.cfm?ID=225 http://tobacco.org/news/287990.html 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. . . . Cruise lines, though, have generally taken a more moderate approach to smoking policies. Renaissance Cruises, an entirely non-smoking line, no longer exists. Carnival's Paradise, which started life as a smoke-free vessel and stayed that way for six years, now allows smoking onboard. But 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 Cruise Critic.com Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=3348 http://tobacco.org/news/287987.html P&O Cruises is set to go smoke-free inside all of its ships from next year. In 2008, the British line introduced a no-smoking-indoors policy on three of its ships -- Artemis, Oceana and Ventura -- when the U.K. banned smoking inside public places. P&O is now following suit with its remaining three ships and its new-build, Azura, which joins the fleet next April. From April 2010 smoking will no longer be permitted in any inside areas, including staterooms, onboard Aurora, Azura and Oriana. The ban will be implemented on Arcadia in May 2010. Passengers who wish to light up will still be able to smoke on stateroom balconies and on certain open decks. Cruise Critic.com UK Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=62482139.blog http://tobacco.org/news/287535.html Cruise lines such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line have been cutting back sharply on the number of onboard areas where passengers can smoke on ships. Are you a smoker? Where do you go these days on ships to light up, and which ships and lines do you think have the best facilities for smokers? Is there a particular bar or lounge on a particular ship that you love best? Also, if you're a non-smoker who tries to avoid smoky areas, tell us: Where do you go on ships to steer clear of smokers? And is there a particular line or ship that you think has the best smoking policy? Smoking on ships is a controversial topic, of course. Cruise Loggers, what do you think cruise lines could do to improve their smoking policies? USA Today Mon, 09 Feb 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.baltimoresun.com/travel/sns-200907131255tmstraveltrctntt-a20090713jul13,0,6786991.story http://tobacco.org/news/287239.html Haven't smokers suffered enough already? You can't help but wonder when you talk with someone like Efrin Knight, a French professor from Miami who enjoys an occasional cigar. "It's more and more difficult to get out of my home because of the tyranny of nonsmokers," he says. . . . Is the travel industry turning its back on a quarter of its customers? Some of it is, some isn't. Cruise lines may be the sole bright spot for smokers . . . . Should the travel industry try to turn back the clock, pushing for laws that permit smoking in hotels, planes and restaurants? No. The dangers of secondhand smoke are indisputable. But shouldn't smokers be allowed to enjoy a cigarette, cigar or pipe when they aren't exposing anyone else to the dangerous carcinogens to which they're addicted? As long as smoking is legal in America, the answer to that question ought to be: "yes." Even ardent nonsmokers like Bill Armstrong, a consultant based in Calgary, concede that smokers should have a place in this world. "In my opinion, a smoking area in a hotel should be away from where guests normally go," he says. "The smoke from the smoking area should not blow into the hotel, pool or rooms." I agree. I think just as we used to allow smokers to indiscriminately consume tobacco products anywhere; we've now gone too far in the other direction. Maybe it's time for a little balance. Baltimore Sun celliott@ngs.org (Elliott, Christopher - The Travel Troubleshooter) Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31448928/ns/travel-tips/ http://tobacco.org/news/286225.html It’s more than a little ironic that the persecution of smokers is a legitimate issue in 2009. Just two short decades ago, the travel industry was more than accommodating to visitors who wanted to have a cigarette. You could puff away in rental cars, hotel rooms, restaurants — even on flights. . . . Should the travel industry try to turn back the clock, pushing for laws that permit smoking in hotels, planes and restaurants? No. The dangers of secondhand smoke are indisputable. But shouldn’t smokers be allowed to enjoy a cigarette, cigar or pipe when they aren’t exposing anyone else to the dangerous carcinogens to which they’re addicted? As long as smoking is legal in America, the answer to that question ought to be: “yes.” Even ardent nonsmokers like Bill Armstrong, a consultant based in Calgary, concede that smokers should have a place in this world. “In my opinion, a smoking area in a hotel should be away from where guests normally go,” he says. “The smoke from the smoking area should not blow into the hotel, pool or rooms.” I agree. I think just as we used to allow smokers to indiscriminately consume tobacco products anywhere, we’ve now gone too far in the other direction. Maybe it’s time for a little balance. MSNBC travel@msnbc.com (Christopher Elliott Travel columnist msnbc.com contributor ) Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/isle_of_man/7952744.stm http://tobacco.org/news/280639.html Smokers can no longer light up on fast craft trips between the Isle of Man and Liverpool, a ferry boss has revealed. The Steam Packet Company is banning smoking on its Snaefell craft when it resumes service on 27 March. Chief Executive Mark Woodward said it was important for the comfort of non-smokers, given the relatively limited outside deck area. BBC Online Isle of Man Thu, 19 Mar 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=da7a55db-0aaa-4a70-88c2-fe66ad193b91 http://tobacco.org/news/278333.html A 73-old-old man who died in a fire on his live-aboard vessel in New Westminster had received an eviction notice and his electrical power had been cut off only days ago, a resident of the same small marina said Friday. Investigators suspect smoking as the cause of the blaze Vancouver Sun lpynn@vancouversun.com ( Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun) Canada Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.croatiantimes.com/index.php?id=2054 http://tobacco.org/news/275551.html Croatian national ferry firm Jadrolinija has announced a ban on smoking in indoor areas on all their ferries, four months before the new law restricting smoking enters into force. "We have imposed a ban on smoking in all Jadrolinija offices and on all our ferries", firm official Ante Mrvica told daily newspaper 'Slobodna Dalmacija.' Passengers have accepted our decision without question", he added. Croatian Times name@server.com Croatia Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/opinion/05burnett.html?scp=1&sq=cigarette&st=nyt http://tobacco.org/news/275457.html TO the horror of many and the fascination of most, the Sirius Star, an enormous tanker transporting two million barrels of crude oil to the United States, was captured by pirates far off the African coast on Nov. 15. . . . The Sirius was just a target of opportunity. Pirates had no idea that they were about to capture a potential floating bomb. It is not the crude oil that is volatile. You can douse a cigarette in the stuff. It is the vapor from the cargo that is vented into the air that is explosive. For this reason, no one is allowed on deck with a camera, flashlight, cellphone or a plastic cigarette lighter in his pocket. One can imagine the captain of the Sirius Star pleading with his captors not to shoot their guns on deck. No one wants to contemplate the effects of an exploding tanker laden with 300,000 tons of crude oil. To place this ship in some perspective, the Exxon Valdez, which ran aground in the Gulf of Alaska in 1989, carried 53 million gallons of crude oil. The Sirius is carrying nearly 84 million gallons. If that amount of crude were to escape, the environmental damage to the Indian Ocean and the East African coast, upon which millions earn their living, would be catastrophic. New York Times Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Cigarette_caused_Russian_sub_fire/articleshow/3700042.cms http://tobacco.org/news/274291.html Unauthorised smoking could have triggered on the fire-extinguishing system that led to 20 people losing their lives on the Russian nuclear submarine, to be leased to India next year, a naval expert said on Tuesday. The new theory on what led to the worst accident in Russian navy's history came as top former naval commander Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov, described the massive death toll on board a brand new submarine "gross unprofessionalism and negligence". . . . Pressing at the possibility of cigarette smoke triggering the mishap, Chairman of St Petersburg club of submariners, Capt (rtd) Igor Kudrin said a person might have lighted a cigarette near a safety gauge switching on the fire-extinguishing system. "After its modification the fire-extinguishing system (inclusion of automatic Freon release system) began reacting to smoke and temperature above 70 degrees C. In principle it could have been activated by cigarette smoke," Kudrin was quoted as saying by 'Moskovsky Komsomolets' daily. "Since it is very difficult to control civilians, may be one of them, instead of waiting for his turn to go to smoking room, lighted cigarette near a safety gauge," he said. While older generations of submarines had fire safety systems that were activated on the captain's command, new submarines have systems that switch on automatically The Times of India Russia Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/1010/42/372249.htm http://tobacco.org/news/274287.html Civilians are supposed to undergo training on safety procedures, but "it is usually limited to some formal instructions," Igor Kudrin, a former submarine captain, told Kommersant. He speculated that someone lighting a cigarette near a safety gauge might have triggered the fire system. While older generations of submarines had fire safety systems that were activated on the captain's command, new submarines have systems that switch on automatically, said another former submarine captain, Nikolai Markovtsev, Kommersant reported. Moscow Times Russia Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_RUSSIA_SUBMARINE?SITE=CAWOO&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://tobacco.org/news/274249.html 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. AP Russia Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.easier.com/view/Travel/Travel_Guides/article-209510.html http://tobacco.org/news/272595.html 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. Easier Media Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT