Gemini (L) and Ocean Pearl (R) Docked in Gibraltar Oct. 7, 2011 (click for larger)

On my previous post about Happy Cruises I just received the below comment, possibly from a crew member or a former crew member. Obviously there is no way to prove either, but if it is true, its interesting none the less:

Crewmember
October 7th, 2011 at 4:27 am

How long will it take to send the Gemini crew back to their home after paying their due salary and ticket. we worked so hard on the ship, gave our best to the company and the guest and is this the way we are treated? Why are we kept at the port rather than sending us back home. This is leading us and our family member to tension and depression.Will the company compensate us for the mental agony we and our family going thru?

(Photo Credit: Flickr user TonyGib via Creative Commons license)

(Exclusive Quote Credit courtesy of ???)

ISP,The Owner of the Ocean Pearl and Gemini, have released a statement in the wake of negative press from crew onboard. They state that the Vessels are alongside Gibraltar. They chartered 2 Airbus a320’s to fly the crew to London to repatriate them there.

Someone’s lying here.

Nils-Erik Lund, managing director of ISP told Cruise Business Online:

All crewmembers are being treated well, and there is more than sufficient food onboard. There are no health issues onboard.

UPDATE: AIS tracking would confirm that the vessels are indeed in the Iberian port. They arrived Saturday October 1.

Deceno worked in the ship’s restaurant. He is 32 years old and comes form Trujillo. It was also reported that another crewmember wrote to his sister, stating, among others, that the crew had not been fed and there had been a big brawl onboard. Yesterday, El Comercio reported that the Peruvian Foreign Ministry had stated there were 14 Peruvians working onboard Gemini and they were being treated well. The Honorary Peruvian Consul in Málaga, Alfonso Galán, received communication from another Peruvian crewmember, Marco Antonio Maestre Dupeyrat, stating that the crewmembers were all in good health and there was sufficient provision onboard.

In the wake of the abrupt end to Happy Cruises, current vacationers and crew members are left in limbo. Some were left at random ports, crew were told to stay onboard for no pay. The whole situation is a mess. Cruise Law has a report via CNNiReport, supposedly from a crewmember o/b the vessel. CruiseBusiness has a report on the passengers.

International Shipping Partners of Miami, vessel owners, issued the below statement:

On Monday, September 26, ISP was unexpectedly informed that Happy Cruises, charterers of the cruise vessels M/V GEMINI and the M/V OCEAN PEARL, would cease operation and cancel all remaining cruises for the 2011 season.

Based on this, the GEMINI and the OCEAN PEARL have been untimely redelivered by the charterers and are therefore immediately available for sale or charter. The two vessels were in full operation in the Mediterranean; are fully classed; SOLAS-approved and ready for trading.

I say Quasi since they still are pursuing operations to stay afloat (pun intended). Happy Cruises operates 3 ships on time charter from ship owners ISP of Miami. The Spanish line apparently is looking for a large, fast, cash infusion to make ends meet. Given Spain’s current economy being one of the worst hit in the EU, its going to be incredibly difficult.

Reports also have Happy Cruises officials trying to rework the current charter parties with ISP.

Their website also is down. http://www.happycruises.es/en/cruises.html

According to their Chairman, Dick West, apparently not. Rumors broke out during the weekend that the troubled small-ship line was sold and all cruises cancelled. Then it was rumored by uber-cruise-site CruiseCritic, that only the Spirit of Oceanus was impacted as she apparently was sold. The 100 guest expedition ship is currently on the longest cruise ever. The Oceanus will arrive in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. It will be interesting to follow this situation ad see what happens with the guests on the cruise.

Dick West stated:

[The rumors are]vastly exaggerated…a formal statement would be released later today or tomorrow.”

Cruise New Daily reports:

Also, according to the grapevine, Dietmar Wertanzl has left his position as president and CEO of Cruise West.

Ambassadors sold its Travel and Events division to Lakeview Equity Partners, LLC, a Milwaukee Equity Fund. It appears to me that they are trying to liquidate some slack in the company, and focus on their core operations.