Italian engineers have successfully re-floated the Costa Concordia cruise ship which ran aground off the Tuscan coast in 2012. Following a delay for poor weather, the ship was detached from rocks and moved on to a platform constructed on the sea bed.

When the Mariner of the Seas made history as the largest ocean liner to arrive in Shanghai with a home port in China it was seen as a symbol of intent. The magnificent 138,000-ton mega-ship has an impressive luxury spec sheet which includes a mini golf course, 10 pools, a rock climbing wall and an ice rink.

Close-to-home river voyages that sail East Coast waterways, the Mississippi and other heartland rivers, or the Columbia and Snake Rivers in the Pacific Northwest, are growing in popularity.

Construction on Costa Diadema is well underway in Italy with the passenger cruise ship’s fore-end block having been installed. The fore-end section that has been placed weighs a total of 392 tons, is eight meters high and has a maximum breadth of 36.11 meters.