An oil tank exploded today at Gibraltar  on the north mole that is just south of the cruise line terminal.  Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas was there but is okay and has left the terminal and pulled out to sea to be safe.

Official reports indicate two injuries, one of them serious burns. No further details yet.

UPDATE: A statement by Royal Caribbean indicates that 10 passengers have received medical treatment for injuries as a result of the explosion, however all the injuries are considered minor.

The statement also said, "Immediately after the explosion, the ship retracted the gangway and moved a safe distance from the dock.  Our Care Team is providing support and assistance to our guests onboard"

Yesterday was the first stop of Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas in Ravenna, Italy which made it's first stop at the brand new cruise terminal that Royal Caribbean has a share in.

The stop in Ravenna was the first ever for Voyager of the Seas and she will be returning again as she is scheduled to make 20 calls in the port of Romagna, which will bring almost 77,000 passengers.

To mark the occasion, on June 20 there will be an official presentation to celebrate the inaugural season at the cruise terminal.  From May to October in Ravenna will be operating three ships of the fleet for a total of 25 airports and nearly 90 thousand passengers handled.

After the devastating earthquake struck Japan earlier this year, Royal Caribbean halted all stops to the country but we're hearing now that Royal Caribbean is planning on resuming port of call service to the Asian country.

Thanks to Japan's ability to stabilize the situation, Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas will start making calls in Japan starting with Okinawa on  August 1, 2011, following its Hong Kong summer season.

Legend of the Seas will offer 11 sailings including a number of charters to various Japanese ports-of-call such as Okinawa, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Beppu, Nagasaki and Hokkaido, out from Hong Kong, Tianjin and Shanghai, from late July to early October.

These newly planned itineraries are based mostly on Legend of the Seas' original trips that were planned for this year and are areas that are not affected by the tsunami and nuclear crisis.

Royal Caribbean Regional Director of Asia Pacific thinks its time for Royal Caribbean to return to Japan, "Judging from the current situation in Japan, we are well-assured of the safety of traveling to Japan. Japan has always been an attractive tourist destination and its show of great resilience in the face of the recent crisis has given travelers the confidence to visit the country again. Travellers also understand that visiting these cities on a cruise ship is a safe and hassle-free option.”

Royal Caribbean is going to install their first solo cabins on the Radiance of the Seas. Currently under renovation in Canada, Radiance will resume cruises on Wednesday June 10.

The ship, which can accommodate 2,114 passengers, will have 15 new cabins, three of which are single rooms. Adam Goldstein, CEO of Royal Caribbean, describes this as a novelty experience.

The concept of single cabins represents a change in the logic sector, whose business model is based on the idea that we must install at least two people per cabin.

But there is a change in the pattern of passengers and cabin solo could multiply.

Norwegian Cruise Line has made a splash last year with its cabin studios, 128 rooms designed to facilitate interaction between passengers. It had thus overcome the fact that the "cruise forget the many people who enjoy traveling alone.

That could change, as highlighted in the report 2011 of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA): The number of people opting for cruises should rise, especially with many clients who embark for the first time and multi-generational groups.

The shorter routes should be preferred, according to CLIA, which would bring new customers.

Royal Caribbean held its annual shareholder meeting yesterday in Miami, Florida.  Here are the results of the 2011 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

• The shareholders..
  • elected each of Laura D.B. Laviada, Eyal M. Ofer, William K. Reilly and Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen to serve as Class III directors of Royal Caribbean for a term of three years each
  • approved on an advisory basis the compensation of the Royal Caribbean's named executive officers
  • approved a three-year frequency for holding future shareholder advisory votes on named executive officer compensation
  • ratified the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as Royal Caribbean's independent registered public accounting firm for 2011
  • rejected the shareholder proposal to hold future advisory votes on non-executive director compensation

Royal Caribbean announced today that it will open a new corporate office in Paris, France in July 2011 due to "increasing local demand and as part of the company's international growth strategy".

The head of this new office will be Frederic Martinez, who joins the cruise giant after a career in marketing, commercial and management roles for American Express and Air France-KLM.

Royal Caribbean's new corporate office will be located Blvd. Haussmann in Paris' central business district and will include sales, marketing and commercial operations personnel to serve the company's three cruise brands: Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises.  Prior to opening this new office, Royal Caribbean's presence in France was limited to an international representative office.

Cruisers sailing on Royal Caribbean in 2012 will have some new sailings to choose from from three French ports - LeHavre, Toulon and Marseille.  The European deployment is adding numerous departures and overall, Royal Caribbean International is adding 23 ports in seven additional countries to its European schedule. 

Royal Caribbean Executive Vice President Michael Bayley talked about the new office and its goals, "We know that our guests from France enjoy our brands, products and destination offerings.  Frederic is tasked with growing the business and responding to customer demand in France on issues such as enhanced product offerings during July and August, and creating fly and cruise packages for the Caribbean."

Royal Caribbean has started a promotion to create a special announcement commemorating his two years in Brazil.

"You are the star of two years of Royal Caribbean" will be the campaign running with a photo of a guest of the company.  To enter the contest, the participant must upload a photo of him or herself on board a Royal Caribbean ship to any of its social media outlets (facebook, twitter, flickr, orkut, picasa, etc.) and send a link to the email address [email protected].

The best photo wins a mini cruise on board the Vision of the Seas will be the subject of the announcement and celebration.

Royal Caribbean will once again have a cruise presence in New Orleans, Louisiana as Voyager of the Seas is set to arrive in the Port of New Orleans in November 2011 for seven-night trips to the western Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean's return to New Orleans will be its first sailing since 2007 and voyages will continue through April 2012.

Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas picked up 9 Cubans in a small boat while on their way back to Florida.  

Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said in a statement that eight men and one woman were spotted in a boat near the northern tip of Cuba at around 2pm on Saturday. The Cubans were brought on board and given food, water and medical treatment.  The United States Coast Guard picked up the Cubans after a few hours.

The rescue was announced to cruise passengers by the ship's Captain while it was happening.

A 17-year-old girl from Pennsylvannia is accusing a Royal Caribbean singer aboard Navigator of the Seas of getting her drunk and then raping her.

The girl's family filed a civil lawsuit against Royal Caribbean in federal court in Miami.  The family also reported the incident to the FBI, but no criminal charges appear to have been filed.

The girl alleges that on March 5, while onboard the Navigator of the Seas, she was listening to a band when the singer invited her to dance.  The singer later ordered several alcoholic drinks at the bar.  In the lawsuit, neither the singer nor the bartender asked to verify the girl's age.  She then says she was taken to the singers room as she was "extremely intoxicated and impaired" and when the man started engaging in sexual activity, the girl regained enough consciousness to want to leave. Once she managed to leave, she was found in the hallway crying by another Royal Caribbean employee who brought her to the medical center for examination.

Cynthia Martinez, a Royal Caribbean spokeswoman, said the incident was immediately reported to the FBI and that a team from the company offered the passenger medical care and counseling, "To date, the company is unaware of any charges being filed against anyone in this matter.  Royal Caribbean maintains strict policies governing employee interaction with guests. Due to the violation of this policy, the musician in question is no longer employed by Royal Caribbean."