Teams of Royal Caribbean employees from Miami, Wichita, Seattle and Anchorage painted cottages, planted gardens, removed trash, prepared meals and participated in several other volunteer projects during G.I.V.E. Day, the company's ninth annual community service event.

The brochure is also the first to display the new visual identityfor P&O Cruises, featuring the new 'rising sun' logoas well as a new look cover and layout, which will be carried through to subsequent cruise brochures.

Philip Price, head of brand marketing, P&O Cruises, said the previewbrochure is the company's response to the trend for passengers,particularly those who have cruised before, to book their cruise holidaysearlier.'Publishing a preview brochure means we can get the new cruise itineraries to market earlier and at the same time reward our frequent and past passengers with the best value, early booking discounts.'

The programme features 100 cruises visiting 162 ports in 56 countries, on board P&O Cruises five ships. Seven new ports include Grand Turk in the Turks and CaicosIslands, Savannah in the US and Valencia in Spain, as well aslesser-known ports in the Baltic region, such asVaasa in Finland and Klaipeda in Lithuania.

Itinerary innovations include: a 29-night 'American Adventure' cruise on board Artemis, travelling toVigo in Spain, Orlando, Savannah, Charleston, Baltimore, Norfolk, New York City,Newport, Boston, Bar Harbour and Madeira; an 18-night 'Arctic Explorer' cruise on board Artemis, travelling toIreland, Greenland and Lapland; a 12-night 'Winter Wonderland Christmas Markets' cruise to Amsterdam,Oslo, Copenhagen (overnight), Gothenburg, Hamburg (overnight) and Bruges,priced from £899 per person.

Inventory from the brochure goes on sale from April 4.The main first edition brochure is available in June.

Four MaK 12 M 43 C engines plus two MaK 8 M 43 C are to provide a total of 64,000 kW for propulsion and on-board electrical power. In addition to this firm order, thecontract includes an option involving another 12 MaK marine engines to power two more vessels.

The 86,000gt Signature-class ship enters servicein summer 2008 offering accommodation for up to 2,611passengers, making HAL's 14th ship the largest everconstructed for the company.

According to Leif Gross, sales director global cruise projects with Caterpillar Marine, the customer was finally convinced 'with a unique combination of well-proven engine reliability, tailor-made lead times and innovative emissions reduction technology.'

Each MaK M 43 C engine will be fitted with Flexible Camshaft Technology (FCT) to guarantee invisible smoke and nitrogen oxide emissions below current International MaritimeOrganization regulations, he added.

In 2005 Caterpillar won two firm contracts for 4x MaK 9 M 43 C with a total output of 36,000 kW to powerAIDA Cruises' Sphinx class, plus an option on a further four units.In the last 25 years, Caterpillar and itspredecessor Krupp MaK, counted more than50 cruise vessels and cruise ferries in their marine propulsionreference list.

Talking exclusively to Seatrade Insider, Portsmouth Commercial Port's port manager, Martin Putman, said that Portsmouth 'is currently evaluating three different alternatives for a new cruise ship berth, within the existing ferry port and outside the facility, but still within the confines of Portsmouth Harbour. The port is also in discussion with two unnamed cruise ship operators about a partnership deal to operate the new facility.'

Depending on which option the port decides to take the earliest the new cruise berth/terminal will be open is 2008 and it will have a minimum length of 200mtr. Dredging work on a new 10mtr approach channel to Portsmouth will be undertaken shortly. This work is being undertaken primarily to allow the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers access to the Naval Base, but will also be a major boost to the commercial port in its bid to attract larger cruise ships.

Meanwhile, Portsmouth is also to build a new passenger terminal for its ferry operations, with opening scheduled for within the next five years.

Cruise ships calling at Portsmouth, a member of The Channel Cruise Group, are accommodated at present at the Continental Ferry Port, which offers five berths capable of handling vessels up to a maximum length of 175mtr and a maximum draught of 7mtr, although arrangements can be made for longer vessels to be accommodated. These arrangements will come into play on May 11 when the largest cruise ship yet to berth in Portsmouth calls, Phoenix Reisen's 28,078gt, 205mtr long Albatros. The port can accommodate larger vessels, but only at an anchorage in the Solent.

The problem Portsmouth has at present in accommodating cruise ships is that they have to be fitted in between the port's regular ferry customers Brittany Ferries, Condor Ferries and P&O Ferries, with daily sailings by Brittany Ferries and Condor Ferries to France and the Channel Islands and a thrice-weekly to Northern Spain. From May 2007 a new passenger freight service begin to Northern Spain.

2006 will see a total of 10 cruise ship calls. Besides Albatros, visitors include Explorer, Paloma I and Delphin during May, Sea Cloud II, Hanseatic and Clipper Adventurer in June, with the season ending in August with the visit of World Discoverer and C. Columbus.

RCI & Celebrity Cruises have also recently appointed Intercruises in the UK as their port agents for all calls in combination with the passenger ground handling contract, resulting in over 40 combined transit and turnaround calls in various UK ports this year.

Last weekend Intercruises handled Hurtigren's Midnatsol in London, offering ground services and excursions to over 600 passengers on an overnight call.

With its head office in Barcelona the company has also expanded its turnaround operations in Oslo, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Istanbul and Athens complementing its existingportfolio of turnaround operations in the ports of Barcelona, Palma, Dover, Harwich, Southampton and Rouen.

Operations director Mark Robinson comments 'things are moving along fast and on track', adding, 'more and more destinationswill develop and appear over the coming months as we are looking at various partnerships and acquisitions worldwide within our group.'

On the shore excursion side Intercruises is now offering extended coverage of tours in the Greek Isles and Turkey (including Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Skiathos,Crete, Corfu and Kos), through the acquisition of an existing local specialist ground handler (Meridian Travel) in Greece and shortly will be strengthening its position in the Carribbean and South America. A recent purchase inHawaii of a prominent incoming tour operator means that it will soon be offering ground services and tours in the region.

The company recently moved its offices in Barcelona due to the increased business and is now located in the port within the World Trade Center Buildings.

The Raiso-based company, which undertook the design of the conversion of the easyCruise's first ship easyCruise One, has produced the tender project development design for the new easyCruise ships, which has been circulated to a number of yards worldwide.

Delta-Marin's design features a nine-deck vessel with small dimensions. The 7,500gt ship measures 100mtr x 18mtr x 4.75mtr and has a capacity of 504 passengers in 224 cabins. Propulsion is provided by a diesel-electric system with podded drives. The 224 passenger cabins are spread over five decks, comprising 34 outside twin-bedded suites, 108 standard twin outside cabins, 52 standard twin inside cabins, 28 inside four-berth cabins and two outside disabled cabins. A total of 144 cabins are outside - 64.3% of the vessel's capacity. Crew will be accommodated in 40 cabins, offering 85 berths.

The limited public areas are centred around Deck 8, the uppermost deck of the vessel, which features a full spa, treatment rooms, sauna, steam room, hot tubs, etc, with a sun deck aft, whilst Deck 6 houses a dance floor and main restaurant with inside and outside seating. Deck 5 includes cabins plus reception area, shop, coffee shop and internet café.

Industry sources said that to build a ship conforming to Delta-Marin's design would cost $80m. easyCruise, however, wants the ships built for much less. The easyGroup boss told delegates at last November's Seatrade Europe in Hamburg he was waiting for yards to come back with a price tag 40% of the going rate. Justified, he said, due to the fact his requirements are unlike existing cruise ships: fewer public areas, less furniture, etc.

' STNR shares shot up to $41.90 in early trading today after closing at $40.20 on Thursday.

3-10 on the Carnival Valor from Miami.

Joining Dickinson once again will be three-star Michelin chef and winemaker Georges Blanc, whose 'Signature Selection' menu items are available on Carnival ships fleetwide.

Last year's inaugural Presidential Wine Club Cruise drew several hundred wine enthusiasts. Carnival has set aside 300 cabins for wine cruise participants on the Carnival Valor, who will be invited to various events, seminars, tastings and food pairings.

Double-occupancy cruise rates begin at $599 per person for Presidential Wine Club members. Information: www.presidentialwineclub.com.

$100,000 will go to the World Wildlife Fund in support of its Smart Gear initiative, which aims to reduce the bycatch of endangered marine species by encouraging innovative fishing technologies.

Other recipients are Audubon of Florida ($25,000 to develop a satellite tracking project); Charles Darwin Foundation/The Galápagos Conservancy ($100,000 to study the viability of sustainable sea cucumber harvesting); The Conservation Fund ($120,000 to buy land in Alaska for habitat conservation); Conservation International ($100,000 to study biodiversity in the Caribbean and create a public awareness campaign); and the Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment ($50,000 to fund the film 'Healthy Oceans, Healthy Humans').

Further recipients are Island Dolphin Care in Key Largo, Fla. ($35,000 to replace a hurricane-damaged touch tank at a facility serving ill and special-needs children); Miami's MAST Academy ($30,000 to equip a mobile meteorological laboratory); The Nature Conservancy of the Florida Keys ($50,000 to support the Florida Reef Resiliency Project); Shake-a-Leg Miami ($100,000 to help fund an eco-island project for disabled and disadvantaged youth); and the University of Miami ($50,000 for two graduate fellowships at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science).

The ship will be based in Palma for its inaugural Med season whilst the original Ocean Village will be homeported in Crete operating Eastern Med itineraries throughout summer 2007.

Nearly 60% of Ocean Village passengers to date have never cruised previously, resulting in over 100,000 people taking their first cruise with the Carnival UK brand. The new ship more than doubles Ocean Village's capacity and has 198 cabins with private balconies (more than any other ship of its class) and a 14,000 sq ft spa and gym complex.

The spa will offer tooth-whitening, Oxyjet facials and other treatments and therapies as well as a gym with floor-to-ceiling ocean views and a separate mirror-walled room for aerobics, spinning, Pilates and yoga sessions. The new ship also features two Jacuzzis, two pools, a theatre, casino and children's centre.

Sailing out of Palma (Majorca) between May and October 2007, Ocean Village Two will offer two Western Mediterranean itineraries: 'Marinas and Medinas' sails from Palma to Tunis, Naples, Florence and Pisa, Monte Carlo (from Villefranche) and Ajaccio (Corsica) whilst 'Villas and Vineyards' heads from Palma to Tunis, Rome, Genoa, St Raphael and Barcelona.

Next summer the original Ocean Village ship will introduce two new island-hopping itineraries in the Eastern Mediterranean, based on the island of Crete. 'Temples and Tavernas' calls in Heraklion, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Cephalonia, Katakolon (for Olympia) and Athens. The 'Olives and Ouzo' option sails from Heraklion for Limassol (Cyprus), Rhodes, Ephesus, Mykonos and Santorini.

'We're doubling our capacity and opening up the Eastern Med to people who connect with Ocean Village's informal, upbeat take on holidays afloat. With a new ship and new itineraries, Ocean Village is set to open up the sights of the Eastern and Western Mediterranean and bring even more choice to the casual cruising market, ' said Peter Shanks, md of Ocean Village.