P&O, a subsidiary of Carnival
Corporation Plc and one of the world’s leading cruise operators will be
omitting Puerto Madryn, Ushuaia and Buenos Aires
from its 2013 season because of the difficulties encountered by its red ensign
vessels in Argentine ports during recent months. However the company confirms
that the vessels will continue to call in the Falkland Islands.
Arcadia
and Adonia will continue to call at the Falkland Islands
In an official release the company said that “in these last months we have been
working with the Foreign Office and our local agents to obtain reassurances
from the Argentine government that our vessels will be allowed to dock in the
country’s ports. We have been unable to secure this reassurance and the risk that
access is rejected or the vessel delayed is too high”.
“As a British cruise company we
can’t allow ourselves to be subject to any political dispute or put our
passengers and our crew in any situation in which their enjoyment is
compromised”, adds the release.
Furthermore in recent times the
red ensign has not been allowed to dock in Argentine ports or has been delayed,
in reference to the ‘Gaucho Rivero Law’ implemented in five Argentine provinces
which implies the impediment to berth, permanence, supply and logistics
operations to British vessels or flying convenience flags.
The law is targeted to vessels
from the oil industry, but it has reached the cruise vessels with several of
them desisting to call in Falklands/Malvinas Islands, whose sovereignty Argentina
claims.
Last November according to press
reports, radical activists protested against a company which sells cruise
packages which include Malvinas and the façade of the office was attacked with
Molotov bombs in the Retiro quarter of the city of Buenos
Aires.
Following the incident the UK
government summoned the Argentine ambassador in London
demanding explanations regarding the “alleged intimidation and harassment
actions” against cruise vessels that include the Malvinas in their itineraries.
“Therefore to ensure our
customer’s enjoyment of their cruise, we have taken the decision to cancel our
scheduled calls to Argentina
for the forthcoming Arcadia and
Adonia world cruises.
“Letters have been sent to
passengers today, via their travel agents where appropriate, to inform them of
the changes to their itinerary and where directly affected, the change to their
turnaround port from Buenos Aires
to Montevideo in Uruguay”
concludes the release.
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