This Week in Cruise: Gerry Cahill Announces Retirement From Carnival; Costa Diadema Completes Construction

Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, announced his retirement, effective Nov. 30, after 20 years of service.

Cahill, 63, has been CEO of Carnival Corporation’s largest cruise brand since 2007. During his tenure as CEO, Cahill and his team launched four new ships and introduced a new class of ships, the Dream class, which included the Carnival Dream, one of the largest ships in the company’s fleet, as well as Carnival Magic and Carnival Breeze. No replacement for Cahill has been named.

“Gerry has been instrumental in taking Carnival Cruise Lines to new heights as one of the preeminent brands in the cruise industry,” said Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc. “He and his team have delivered new innovations to cruising while growing the business year after year.”

Costa Diadema, the new flagship of Costa Cruises, left Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard (Venice), where she was built, to reach Trieste. At 132,500 gross tons, more than 984 feet long, 121 feet wide and 1,862 guest cabins, Costa Diadema entailed a total investment of $694 million.

Costa Diadema left Marghera shipyard to reach Trieste, which will be the first port to welcome the ship on Oct. 31. Trieste will be also the departure port of the first cruise of Costa Diadema, the "Vernissage cruise," starting on Nov. 1, with calls at Dubrovnik, Corfù, Malta and Naples, to end on Nov. 7 in Genoa, where the Christening event will take place. Costa Diadema will be deployed in the Mediterranean Sea. From Nov. 8 until the end of 2015 Summer season.

In recognition of the cruise industry’s efforts to preserve the marine environment, the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) awarded Cruise Lines International Association with NAMEPA’s 2014 Marine Environment Protection Association Award. The award was presented to CLIA at an Annual Awards Dinner Oct. 29, during the NAMEPA Marine Environment Protection Conference in New York.

CLIA and its Member line ships have policies and procedures in place for many years to reduce the industry’s environmental footprint, such as industry-wide policies and procedures to limit the amount of garbage generated on board as well as the amount of garbage landed ashore, reducing demand on landfills, through partnerships with environmental recycling and reuse companies. Additionally, paper is reused on board for crafts projects with passengers; glass bottles are crushed on board and recycled ashore; and used cooking oil is collected on board and reused ashore as bio-diesel. Crew and passengers are actively engaged in these environmentally-friendly practices.