Condo Cruise Ship
Arrives At Port Without Warning
Residen Sea - MV The World - November 10, 2006
The World, is a privately owned cruise ship. The cabins are owned by various residents, each owns their cabin, much like a condo owner. They purchase their home, then pay fees to their home owner's association. The first complaint on this cruise ship has been made public by the village of Lautoka, Fiji.
Lautoka is the second largest city of FIJI. It is in the west of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometers north of Nadi, and is the second port of entry in Fiji, after Suva. Covering an area of 1607 square kilometers, it had a population of 42,917 at the 1996 census. Incorporated as a town in 1929, Lautoka was proclaimed a city on 25 February 1977. It is governed by a 16-member city council, who elect from among themselves a Mayor. Lautoka is the only city in Fiji's Western Division
Residents of Lautoka, FIJI, who had been early risers, noted that at the crack of dawn, the cruise ship was sitting at the wharf in their port. The town had no warning that the ship was going to call at port, according to residents, and they were unprepared to receive the vessel.
Taxi drivers and vendors raced to the port to service the passengers, after local police saw the vessel in port, and notified area residents. That is where things got ugly.
Some 40 taxi drivers, called at their homes at 6am to give rush service to unannounced vessel, said they had to pay $11.25 to the Ports Authority of Fiji to park outside the entrance to the wharf. Taxi drivers normally don't mind the fee, because a cruise ship in port, brings them alot of business. Frequently they get to give tours that can results in being booked for the entire day.
Vendors, about of a dozen of them, had no idea either that the cruise ship was going to make port. The city council had not bee told, and according to town officials, nobody from the cruise ship, or it's agent told anyone in advance the ship was going to make port.
When residents saw the vessel in port, they raced to the port hoping to make a honest day's buck. But no passengers disembarked to visit the town. Instead, those who disembarked the ship, left for a pre-planned tour to Nadi. All other residents of the vessel stayed onboard
Security guards kept people out of the wharf area proper, acting as if they owned the port. Lautoka Chamber of Commerce president Natwarlal Vagh said the community had lost out. The vessel arrived around 6am, stayed berthed until 5pm, and neither the town nor business owners made a cent.
The World, built at Fosen Mekaniske Verksteder, Rissa, Norway in 2002, offered studio, one bedroom, two bedroom, and three bedroom cabins onboard at prices from $750,000 to $3.6 Million. All cabins were sold out as of June 2006. The number of passengers onboard at any given time is between 150 and 400 passengers and guests.
The vessel is 644 feet long, 98 feet wide, and has a 22 foot draft, 12 decks, and a maximum speed of 18.5 knots. It has 110 privately owned residences and 88 guest suites.
Her amenities include a jewelery store, a "World Boutique", and other shops, along with a virtual golf course, a tennis court, a jogging track, an internet café, a casino, and several restaurants.
ResidenSea Ltd, out of Oslo Norway and New York, the independent management company for The World, is responsible for all aspects of the Ship's operation including human resources, sales, marketing, planning, logistics and administration
The World has visited several small ports, that normally don't see cruise ships. On July 3, 2006 "The World" docked in Tahsis. It was the first cruise ship to visit this small remote Village on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
The World website says they visit "unique destinations". While there are some major destinations on their schedule, many of the port of calls are remote villages.
A check of the 2006 schedule, showed the port of call at Lautoka, Fiji listed before three days port of call at Savusavu, Fiji. Though it is highly unlikely anyone at Lautoka would have seen the website and the schedule.
The 2007 schedule can be found here
Management: Residen Sea
Ship: MV The World
Built: 2002
Refurbished: N/A
Registry: Bahamas
Size: 43,524 gross tons
Length: 644 feet
Passengers: 400
Crew: 250
Video: Here
