Cruise Industry Survives Gulf Oil Spill

The entire hullabaloo over the Gulf oil spill has brought into question the fate of many industries. The cruising industry is one of the most profitable in the Gulf, and its dependence on the water makes it a likely candidate for major disruptions.

Several major ports including Galveston, Mobile, and New Orleans have already been directly impacted by the spill in some way or another. Carnival Cruise Line has the most to lose since it has ships sailing out of Galveston and Mobile, putting its ships at risk of colliding with the oil spill.

Against the odds, though, it seems cruise lines have dodged the bullet. So far no cruises have been cancelled in the Gulf, and only minor changes in departure times have been made. These changes allow the ships to traverse the oil covered areas during the day. So far the ships have been able to navigate around the oil spill while avoiding delays in port arrival. Of the nearly 700 cruises since the spill began only a handful of ships have needed to be cleaned.

Ports have reported only minor hassles in dealing with the crisis. At the Port of Mobile, the Coast Guard requires ships to anchor off coast for hull inspections. But considering ships have to wait for the harbor pilots anyway this has not meant much of a change. The Port of New Orleans uses firefighting ships to hose down any vessels that have oil on the hull, and during the process the ship continues to move in to shore.