Monthly Archives: August 2021

With its cruise restart plan picking up pace, the Royal Caribbean Group will a achieve a major milestone in August.

By the end of the month, more than half of the groups 61-ship fleet have will be back in commercial service.

The 34 vessels sailing around the world mean 56% percent of the companys fleet is now operating with passengers in several destinations.

This fall, more ships, homeports and itineraries are set to return. Here are the latest plans, brand by brand:

Royal Caribbean InternationalStatus:13 ships in service; three more to follow through October Ships:Quantum of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas in service; Oasis of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas set to follow Regions:Asia, Caribbean, Bahamas, Mediterranean, United Kingdom and Alaska

More than half of the Royal Caribbean International 25-ship fleet has now returned to commercial service.

With 13 active vessels, the brand is currently sailing to several destinations around the world, including the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Asia and Alaska.

In September and October three additional ships are set to resume service, including the Oasis of the Seas.

On September 5, the vessel to the Oasis become the first to welcome passengers back in the New York region, offering weeklong cruises to the Bahamas from Bayonne

The balance of the Royal Caribbean fleet is poised to return to guest operations by May 2022.

Celebrity CruisesStatus:Seven ships in service; two more to follow in September and October Ships:Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Silhouette, Celebrity Flora, Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Xpedition and Celebrity Equinox in service; Celebrity Summit and Celebrity Xploration set to follow Regions:Mediterranean, Caribbean, Bahamas, United Kingdom and the Galapagos

With a bold restart plan, Celebrity Cruises added seven ships back into service since first resuming guest operations on June 5, 2021.

In the North America, the Celebrity Summit recently completed a series of Caribbean sailings from St. Maarten.

The vessel is now poised to return to the United States, offering short cruises to Mexico and the Bahamas.

The Celebrity Edge, the Celebrity Equinox and the Celebrity Millennium are also in service in Europe, while other ships are in operation in Europe and the Galapagos.

TUI CruisesStatus:Six ships in serviceShips:Mein Schiff 1, Mein Schiff 2, Mein Schiff 3, Mein Schiff 4, Mein Schiff 5 and Mein Schiff 6Regions:Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Greece and Italy

After announcing plans to have its entire seven-ship fleet in service this summer, TUI Cruises welcomed guests back on six vessels.

Based in Germany, the brand is currently sailing to several destinations in Europe.

After several months sailing only in the Canaries archipelago, TUI expanded operations to Germany and Greece recently.

A return to the Mediterranean was also carried out with cruises calling in Spain and Italy.

Silversea CruisesStatus:Three ships in service; two more to follow Ships:Silver Origin, Silver Moon and Silver Muse in service; Silver Shadow and Silver Spirit set to follow Region:Galapagos, Mediterranean, Alaska, Northern Europe and British Islands

Silversea Cruises welcomed its passengers back in June, with the inaugural cruises of two newbuilds, the Silver Moon and the Silver Origin.

Continuing its restart plan, the luxury brand launched service in Iceland and Alaska, with two additional vessels.

After completing its first season in Iceland, the brand is now ready to add new itineraries in the Mediterranean, British Islands and Northern Europe.

Hapag-Lloyd CruisesStatus:Five ships in serviceShips:Europa 2, Europa, Hanseatic Nature, Hanseatic Inspiration and Hanseatic Spirit Region:Mediterranean and Northern Europe

Germany-based Hapag-Lloyd Cruises currently has all of its five-ship fleet in commercial operations. The luxury brand is presently offering several different itineraries in the Baltic, the Norwegian Fjords and the Mediterranean.

The new Hanseatic Spirit was the most recent addition to the active fleet. Recently delivered, the expedition vessel departed Hamburg on its inaugural cruise on August 26.

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Nearly 60% of the Royal Caribbean Group Cruise Fleet is Now Back in Service - Cruise Industry News

Invest 99L is still a broad area of low pressure just south of Jamaica. Environmental conditions are mostly conducive for further development and a tropical depression or storm is expected to form later today or tonight as the system moves across the Caribbean. Air Force Reconnaissance aircraft is schedule to investigate the system this afternoon. The system is expected to enter the Gulf of Mexico Friday night.Besides Invest 99L, we are following a trough of low pressure over the central Atlantic well east of Bermuda that has a high chance of developing into a tropical system in the next 2 to 5 days.There is also a tropical wave over the central tropical Atlantic about 1000 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands that has a medium chance of developing into a tropical system in the next few days. Locally, expect mostly cloudy and humid conditions along with high rain chances today and through the weekend. Scattered to numerous rain and storms could bring excessive rainfall to SELA and the Mississippi Gulf Coast for the next several days.Thursday: Invest 99L is headed for the Gulf. Locally, expect a mostly cloudy, hot and humid day with a 70% chance of rain and storms and afternoon temperatures in the upper 80s to low 90s.Friday: A mostly cloudy and hot day with a 70% chance of rain and storms and afternoon temperatures in the mid 80s to low 90s.Saturday: A mostly cloudy and hot day with a 60 to 70% chance of rain and storms and afternoon temperatures in the mid 80s to low 90s.Sunday: A tropical system could be making landfall somewhere along the Louisiana coastline. Expect an overcast, windy and warm day with numerous showers and thunderstorms, power outages, flooding and afternoon temperatures in the mid 80s. Strong southerly winds could bring dangerous storm surge to SELA.Monday: A tropical system could be bringing numerous showers and thunderstorms, power outages, flooding and storm surge to SELA. Expect an overcast, warm and windy day with afternoon temperatures in the mid 80s.Tuesday: A mostly cloudy, warm, windy and humid day with a 60 to 70% chance of rain and storms and afternoon temperatures in the mid to upper 80s.Wednesday: A mostly cloudy, hot and breezy day with a 60% chance of rain and afternoon temperatures in the upper 80s to low 90s.

Invest 99L is still a broad area of low pressure just south of Jamaica. Environmental conditions are mostly conducive for further development and a tropical depression or storm is expected to form later today or tonight as the system moves across the Caribbean. Air Force Reconnaissance aircraft is schedule to investigate the system this afternoon. The system is expected to enter the Gulf of Mexico Friday night.

Besides Invest 99L, we are following a trough of low pressure over the central Atlantic well east of Bermuda that has a high chance of developing into a tropical system in the next 2 to 5 days.

There is also a tropical wave over the central tropical Atlantic about 1000 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands that has a medium chance of developing into a tropical system in the next few days.

Locally, expect mostly cloudy and humid conditions along with high rain chances today and through the weekend. Scattered to numerous rain and storms could bring excessive rainfall to SELA and the Mississippi Gulf Coast for the next several days.

Thursday: Invest 99L is headed for the Gulf. Locally, expect a mostly cloudy, hot and humid day with a 70% chance of rain and storms and afternoon temperatures in the upper 80s to low 90s.

Friday: A mostly cloudy and hot day with a 70% chance of rain and storms and afternoon temperatures in the mid 80s to low 90s.

Saturday: A mostly cloudy and hot day with a 60 to 70% chance of rain and storms and afternoon temperatures in the mid 80s to low 90s.

Sunday: A tropical system could be making landfall somewhere along the Louisiana coastline. Expect an overcast, windy and warm day with numerous showers and thunderstorms, power outages, flooding and afternoon temperatures in the mid 80s. Strong southerly winds could bring dangerous storm surge to SELA.

Monday: A tropical system could be bringing numerous showers and thunderstorms, power outages, flooding and storm surge to SELA. Expect an overcast, warm and windy day with afternoon temperatures in the mid 80s.

Tuesday: A mostly cloudy, warm, windy and humid day with a 60 to 70% chance of rain and storms and afternoon temperatures in the mid to upper 80s.

Wednesday: A mostly cloudy, hot and breezy day with a 60% chance of rain and afternoon temperatures in the upper 80s to low 90s.

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Watching the Caribbean - WDSU New Orleans

A state-of-the-art terminal is coming to Galveston in time for a (hopeful) return to serious cruising. Royal Caribbean International recently broke ground on a new, $125 million cruise terminal to serve as homeport for its award-winning Oasis Class ship, Allure of the Seas.

The techy new terminal is set to open by fall 2022, the company notes.

Those familiar with the cruise line will recognize Allure as one of the brands largest ships. The first of its kind to sail from Galveston, Allure will sail seven-night western Caribbean itineraries starting November 2022, per an announcement.

Royal Caribbean hopes to lure Allure guests with myriad entertainment options, including a zip line that flies across the ship 10 decks high, a pair of FlowRider surf simulators, dedicated spaces for kids and teens, entertainment across four stages air, ice, water and stage and the open-air AquaTheater.

Meanwhile, Houston and Texas cruise travelers concerned about the COVID uptick can take comfort. A Royal Caribbean spokesperson confirms to CultureMap that Galveston cruises are still on; four-day western Caribbean itineraries sailing in September 2021 can be found here.

As for the terminal, the facility will boast mobile check-in and facial recognition features to speed up guests arrival. Extra attention was paid to environmental concerns; the terminal is designed to meet global LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental) health, efficiency, and sustainability standards, a release notes.

Currently, Galveston, the sole cruise port in Texas, houses Royal Caribbeans Independence and Liberty of the Seas, which are the largest cruise ships homeported in the area.

This new cruise terminal is a game-changer, said Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves port director and CEO at the recent groundbreaking. This much-anticipated project will bring 800 new jobs, $1.4 billion in local business services revenue, $5.6 million in state and local taxes, and incredible business development opportunities.

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Royal Caribbean announces fall cruises and breaks ground on techy new Galveston terminal - CultureMap Houston

ORIGINAL STORY: A disturbance in the Caribbean Sea is expected to become a tropical depression or tropical storm later this week or over the weekend.

Its too soon to know if this storm will affect Houston, but forecasters urged area residents to be prepared.

FORECAST: This season's hurricane forecast from NOAA just got a little bit worse

Although track details remain highly uncertain, it is important for all to review hurricane preparedness plans and kits now, according to an email from the National Weather Services Houston/Galveston office. Also, please stay weather aware over the coming days as the forecast evolves.

According to the National Hurricane Centers 1 p.m. update, the system is expected to move over the northwestern Caribbean Sea and near or across the Yucatn Peninsula of Mexico on Friday. It could then move into the Gulf of Mexico this weekend, where conditions are expected to be favorable for additional development.

Regardless of this systems development, portions of Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and the Yucatn Peninsula could receive heavy rainfall and flooding through the weekend. The coasts of Louisiana, Texas and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas could see storm surge, wind and heavy rainfall late this weekend and early next week.

As of Wednesday afternoon, meteorologists were watching a disturbance in the Caribbean Sea. A tropical depression or tropical storm could form late this week or over the weekend. It is too soon to know if the Houston area will be affected.

Exactly where these impacts will occur will depend strongly on track and this remains highly uncertain since the system has yet to form, the National Weather Services Houston/Galveston office said.

There have been eight named storms in the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting 15 to 21 named storms this year. Between seven and 10 of those could become hurricanes and three to five could be major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.

Wednesday marked the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Harvey making landfall in Texas, a storm that would bring catastrophic flooding to the Houston region.

This article has been updated with the correct date, Aug. 25, 2017, that Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas.

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Will a weather disturbance in the Caribbean Sea affect Houston? - Houston Chronicle

African swine fever killed 2,200 pigs in at least 24 outbreaks in the Dominican Republic this summer.

Another 200 pigs were culled in response to the outbreaks.

The infections are the first identified in the Western Hemisphere since 1984, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). The first outbreak began around July 1 and killed almost 800 pigs in the countrys northwest, and an OIE update published Aug. 8 indicates subsequent testing found infections back to April 10.

While further investigations are ongoing to determine how the virus entered the country, several measures are already in place to halt its further spread, an OIE announcement states.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed the presence of ASF virus in the Dominican Republic on July 27, and Dominican Republic authorities reported the results to the OIE on July 29, according to OIE and USDA information.

ASF can wipe out entire herds of domestic swine. The virus is highly contagious, and study results suggest the virus is hardy enough to remain viable for months in common feed ingredients, including those shipped across oceans.

U.S. veterinarians have warned for years that the virus could be devastating if it were to reach herds in the United States. The American Association of Swine Veterinarians, for example, has hosted lectures for years on ways veterinarians can identify and close any biosecurity gaps and lessons they can apply from ASF outbreaks in China.

ASF is found particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the USDA. It emerged in the Caucasus in 2007, spread in subsequent years to countries in the European Union, and, starting in 2018, spread through China, Mongolia, Vietnam, and other countries in the region.

In response to ASF incursion in the Dominican Republic, OIE officials called for countries to strengthen their surveillance efforts. The OIE and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations also are providing regional support through a joint project to control transboundary animal diseases, and experts within that project called for countries to reinforce their border controls and implement the OIEs international standards on ASF risk mitigation, according to the OIE announcement.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has numerous interlocking safeguards to keep ASF from entering the U.S., which already prohibits importation of swine products from the Dominican Republic over concerns about classical swine fever, an agency announcement states. But U.S. Customs and Border Protection is increasing inspections of travelers arriving from the Dominican Republic and will work to safely dispose of garbage from airplanes arriving from the country, the APHIS announcement states.

USDA is committed to assisting the Dominican Republic in dealing with ASF, is offering continued testing support, and will consult with them on additional steps or actions to support response and mitigation measures, the APHIS announcement states. We will also offer similar help to Haiti, which borders the Dominican Republic and is at high risk for ASF detections.

Dr. Chris Rademacher, a clinical professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine and a member of the AASV board of directors, said that, if ASF reaches the U.S., including its territories, the loss of trade markets alone could cost pork producers at least $14 billion in the first two years. He noted that the virus is hardy and resilient, and it can remain viable in meat products that are cured but not fully cooked, in garbage arriving from airplanes or cruise ships, or on the clothing or shoes of people visiting countries with infections.

There is no vaccine against the virus nor effective treatment for infected pigs, Dr. Rademacher said. The risks in the U.S. include not only spread into domestic herds but also sustained spread of the virus among feral swine populations, and he noted the ongoing outbreaks of the disease among wild boar populations in Europe.

Dr. Rademacher said he is also concerned more countries in the Caribbean could have ASF infections that remain undiagnosed without adequate surveillance. He said the Dominican Republic alone had taken up APHIS officials on a 2019 offer to provide Caribbean countries with diagnostic testing for ASF, classical swine fever, and foot-and-mouth disease.

On Aug. 6, APHIS officials also announced immediate restrictions on importing dogs from countries with African swine fever. Importers now need to affirm dogs and shipping containers are free of dirt or other organic bedding; all bedding traveling with the dogs must be thrown away at certain post-entry concentration points; dogs must have International Organization for Standardization-compliant microchips, and those chips must be verified; and dogs must be bathed at the post-entry concentration points within two days of arrival in the U.S.

The number of dogs being imported for resale from ASF-affected countries is growing, and APHIS is taking this action to continue its efforts to protect the United States swine industry against this devastating disease, the announcement states.

ASF had been considered absent from the Caribbean since 1984, when the last infections were discovered in Haiti, OIE information states. The Dominican Republic had been free of the disease since 1981. Cuba is the only other Caribbean country with a history of ASF, and the disease has been absent there since 1980.

In the Americas, Brazil also once dealt with ASF among the countrys domestic pigs, but the country has been free of the disease since 1981.

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African swine fever reaches the Caribbean - American Veterinary Medical Association

By NAN Staff Writer

News Americas, ST. JOHN, Antigua, Fri. Aug. 27, 2021: A Caribbean immigrant veteran who served his country but was then deported from the US and forced to live more than a decade away from his family, is finally back in the U.S.

U.S. Navy veteran Howard Bailey, who was born in Jamaica, was reunited this week with his family in Virginia after living 10 years in exile in Jamaica after being deported in 2010.

Thats all thanks to the work on his behalf of The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) and the Immigrant Defense Project (IDP).

Eleven years ago, I went to bed with my family and woke up to be snatched away from my home and familydragged out by ICE officers while my children watched, said Bailey. While I fought my case for two years in immigration detention someone inside said to me hey man here, hope is dead. What are you hoping for? These past 11 years I thought he was right, but today I am home, and I feel hope is alive again after so long.

Bailey served for four years in the U.S. Navy, including during Operation Desert Storm. But ICE ripped him from his family for detention and deportation based on a marijuana conviction later pardoned by the governor of Virginia and despite his lawful permanent resident status.

Bailey was one of 11 deported individuals featured in NIJCs April 2021 white paperA Chance to Come Home: A Roadmap to Bring Home the Unjustly Deported, which urged the Biden administration to adopt a centralized process to give unjustly deported individuals a meaningful chance to come home.

When I was deported, my familys entire lives went down the drain. I was the main provider, and they were left financially drainedthey could barely survive. The emotional devastation gripped my mother, my siblings, my children my deportation was a negative chain effect for every single person in my family, said Bailey. This is not something I wish on anyone I would never want to live and see any other family go through what my family went through.

Bailey recently testified from Jamaica about his experiences before a U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommitteehearingled by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla. Following that hearing, Senator Padilla sent aletterto the Department of Homeland Security urging the agency to reopen Mr. Baileys immigration proceedings and grant him humanitarian parole.

Howard Bailey fought for our country and Im proud to fight for him. Im relieved that our calls to bring him home were heard by the Biden administration and that Howard will soon be reunited with his family,said Senator Padilla. But we cannot let up the fight. There are thousands of additional veterans who deserve this same consideration. We must continue to undo the harmful immigration policies that are hurting our veterans, service members, and their families including obstacles to pathways to citizenship imposed by the Trump administration.

Bailey is one of thousands of Black and Brown immigrants unjustly deported after contact with the U.S. criminal legal system. NIJC said it is urging the Biden administration to use its discretion to bring home others like Bailey and to establish a review process to systematically consider requests for return.

While momentous, Howards homecoming should not be an exception in the U.S. immigration system, said Nayna Gupta, associate director of policy at NIJC. We urge the Biden administration to follow through on its promises to honor family unity and redress racial injustice by creating a centralized process based on existing laws to review the cases of all unjustly deported individuals so that others like Howard have a meaningful chance to come home.

For the eight years that I have represented Howard at the Immigrant Defense Project and Just Counsel, I have watched him fight for himself and others in the face of unjust laws that cruelly exiled him from his family and home, said Alisa Wellek, founding attorney at Just Counsel and former executive director of IDP. I am grateful to Howards incredible legal and advocacy team, Senator Padilla, and the Biden Administration for beginning to right this wrong and hope Howard will be the first of many who have suffered under these laws to come home.

Howards case exemplifies how the entanglement of the criminal legal and immigration systems devastates communities of color, said Jane Shim, Senior Policy Attorney at IDP. The Immigrant Defense Project will continue fighting the unjust laws that permanently separate people from their communities and supporting immigrants who are fighting to return home.

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Deported Caribbean Immigrant Veteran Back In The US 10 Years Later - Caribbean and Latin America Daily News - News Americas

Variety Cruises has announced the addition of two new itineraries aboard its small ship Panorama starting from December 2021.

The Greek cruise line is offering to spend Christmas 2021 onboard, with the one-off eight-day sailing from Barbados exploring The Grenadines including Bequia, Canouan and the Tobago Cays the French island of Martinique, Saint Lucia and Piton mountains, as well as Grenada. The sailing departs on Dec. 13, with rates starting at $1,620 per person.

The 49-guest Panorama will then sail between Panama to Costa Rica starting on Jan. 22, 2022, venturing deep into the national park to see macaws, sloths, howler monkey and dolphins together with the lines onboard naturalist. The one-way voyage spans over eight days. Prices start from $1,520. The last available sail date is on March 11, setting sail from Costa Rica.

The Caribbean is a region of the world that is magical to see from the sea Further, a Panama Canal crossing is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Weve chosen these two itineraries as perfect bucket list trips for todays modern traveler, said CEO Filippos Venetopoulos.

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Variety Cruises Announces New Panama Canal and Caribbean Itineraries - Cruise Industry News

SEVERAL Caribbean islands are set to be put on the travel red list today but most of Europe will remain OK for the final week of summer holidays.

Jamaica, St Lucia and Dominica are at risk, alongside African countries Morocco, Algeria, Nigeria and Ghana.

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Spain, France and Greece are expected to remain on the amber list, so the double-jabbed can skip quarantine on their return.

Travel consultant Paul Charles said there was a strong case to move Turkey down from red to amber.

He said yesterday: "Youre safer in Turkey, Kenya or Maldives among other current red-listed countries which should now be amber."

Meanwhile Covid data analyst Tim White warned that St Lucia is "in real peril" of being put on the red list as "the numbers keep getting worse".

Mr White also suggested that Algeria, Nigeria and Ghana could also be put on the red list thanks to spiralling cases.

And the boss of Gatwick Airport called for the Government to scrap the testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers arriving in the UK from green and amber list locations.

Chief executive Stewart Wingate said ending tests for fully vaccinated passengers is vital to help the travel industry bounce back, as we languish behind other parts of Europe.

He explained: "We believe the pent up demand will start to flow through and passenger volumes will start to recover.

"In the UK, we're at about 15-20% of our pre-pandemic passenger volumes.

"France and Germany are at about 50-60% of pre-pandemic passenger volumes.

"With that easing of travel restrictions, we should expect to see a very sharp recovery."

Ministers are finalising the latest travel changes today.

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Several Caribbean countries set to be put on travel red list today... - The Sun