Tobacco.org

BYRNE: Navy and Marines to extinguish the smoking lamp aboard ship?  

Now the Navy is moving to end the "epidemic" of smoking in the ranks of the Navy and Marine Corps. This makes the smoking police very happy, witness the press release from the American Lung Association. It said,

“The American Lung Association commends Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus for taking important steps to confront the military’s tobacco epidemic. The 21st Century Sailor and Marine initiative will help Sailors and Marines quit tobacco, promote tobacco-free environments and put in place environmental changes that will reduce tobacco use throughout the Navy and Marine Corps. This is an unprecedented investment in the comprehensive health of Sailors, Marines and their families.

I can see it now: You have to go out on deck to grab a smoke because everywhere inside the ship will be declared a "smoke-free" environment. I'm no longer a smoker, but I--as a former Navy officer--can't imagine a smokeless ship. Or forcing the smokers onto the weather deck during a gale.

Here's the association's full press release:

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Russian Submarine Fire Took Hundreds of Workers a Day to Extinguish 

MOSCOW -- The authorities in Russia marshaled more than 400 firefighters and 170 emergency workers to extinguish a fire on Friday that had raged for almost a day on the hull of a nuclear submarine in dry dock near the northern port of Murmansk. . . .

President Dmitri A. Medvedev ordered investigators to uncover the cause of the fire and told military officials to ensure that the vessel could return to service. . . .

This time, new information emerged at a rapid clip. The fire seemed to have originated on wooden scaffolding that surrounded the vessel while it was in dry dock, possibly in the course of welding work, and spread to an area of 1,600 square feet. There were also questions about smoking.

“A disaster is caused by people,” Capt. Igor Kurdin, the vessel’s former commander, told television crews. “Somebody smoked, and I am absolutely sure that it wasn’t a submariner but the factory crew that works there. A submariner would never do that.”

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• Cruise lines tighten tobacco rules  

Several cruise lines have further limited smoking on ships, leaving a few designated areas as the last refuge to light up at sea.

Princess Cruises' guests won't be allowed to smoke in staterooms or on balconies starting with sailings on Monday. Three other lines recently tightened their smoking rules or will join Princess in doing so next week.

Cruising and e-cigarettes

Cruise lines are stepping up their efforts to snuff out smoking on ships due to changing guest preferences and fewer smokers aboard ships. But policies vary on where to ban or permit e-cigarette users. Some lump them with traditional tobacco cigarette smokers, while others give them free rein in policies that recently took effect or will soon. This is posing a quandary for e-cigarette users who want to take a cruise and remain smoke-free.

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2012 Cruise Trends: Cruise Critic Reports on New Smoking Policies, Hot Destinations, the Gulf's Cruise Revival and Increases to Onboard Fees 

Smoking is Being Stubbed Out: New policies to cut back smoking onboard cruise ships go into effect in January on several lines. Based on feedback from the Cruise Critic community, whose members are becoming increasingly upset by smoke-filled vessels, lines are clearly responding to pressure from their customers. It's good news if you don't smoke, great news if you want to quit, but bad news for ardent smokers.

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BARRETT: When will cruise ships stop cashing in on smokers and let us breathe easy?  

Conniving at the continuation of smoking is completely unacceptable. With a growing move towards the banning of smoking in any public space (including New York's outdoor space), all travel companies including hotels, car hire companies, villa renters and car hire companies should institute a ban forthwith.

Alas, I fear, it will come too late for the man in his underpants next door who has just had to suspend temporarily all smoking activity as he deals with an awful coughing fit.

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LETTERS: BC Ferries lax on smokers  

Turnbull describe smoking on ferries as an "unsavoury" activity (Coast Reporter, SCRD briefs, Oct. 14).

Picking your nose in public is unsavoury. Smoking is a health danger to anyone in range of the carcinogens that cigarette smoke distributes into the air.

I often see smoking on the ferry's top deck where improvised ashtrays lie on the tables. One smoker told me that when deck passengers are sparse, on early ferries or in bad weather: "This is our area. Always has been."

A staff member told me, "It's hard for us to stop them smoking."

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Norwegian cruise line latest to ban smoking 

Norwegian Cruise Line's announcement last month that it will prohibit smoking in all staterooms starting in January is the latest sign that smoking and cruising aren't going to be a good mix in the future.

Norwegian, which sails the Sun out of Florida's Port Canaveral from October through April, said beginning in January guests will no longer be able to smoke cigarettes in their staterooms. They may smoke cigarettes on their balconies. Cigar and pipe smoking in staterooms and on balconies will be banned.

Also, smoking will be banned in all other public interior spaces on Norwegian ships including bars, restaurants, restrooms, staircases and landings.

"A lot of passengers in general are saying they just don't want smoke-filled cabins,"

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Woman survives cruiseship plunge 

A WOMAN is "lucky to be alive" following a dramatic rescue that saw her plucked from the sea 20 miles from Ravenscar after falling over the side of a large passenger ferry.

At around 8.45pm on Monday evening the DFDS vessel Princess Seaways, travelling between Newcastle and Amsterdam, contacted Humber Coastguard to say that a female passenger had been lost overboard.

Friends say that the 23-year-old, of Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, fell from the ferry while trying to light a cigarette from one of the rails.

She was in the water for approximately 30 minutes

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Woman falls from passenger ferry into North Sea 

A woman has been rescued after falling overboard from a passenger ferry that was travelling from Newcastle to the Netherlands on Monday evening.

The woman, who is in her 20s, fell into the North Sea after reportedly going for a cigarette on deck.

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• Half of cruisers want smoking onboard ‘totally banned’ 

New research from an independent cruise comparison website has revealed that 48% of cruisers want smoking onboard cruise ships 'totally banned' whilst a further 11% want smokers to be assigned a 'designated' smoking area onboard the liner.

As part of ongoing research in to the holiday habits of British cruisers, an independent cruise comparison website conducted a study of 1,271 cruisers to discover the attitudes they had towards smoking cigarettes onboard cruise ships.

The study, conducted by CruiseCompare.co.uk, initially asked the respondents if they smoked cigarettes, to which almost a third, 32%, answered 'yes'. A further 19% of the respondents admitted that they were 'social smokers', meaning they only smoked occasionally when in a social environment. The remaining half, 49%, stated that they did not smoke at all. The total number of respondents were asked about their attitudes towards smoking when onboard a cruise liner. According to the results, almost half, 48%, stated that smoking onboard a cruise ship should be 'totally banned'. When asked to explain further, the majority, 37%, said they felt this way because of the 'health implications of passive smoking'. 22% felt it was 'too dangerous' to have lit cigarettes on a cruise liner.

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Cruise lines tighten rules on smoking aboard ships 

Norwegian's actions come as other major cruise companies also take a harder line toward smoking. Most of the changes stem from the growing ranks of non-smoking passengers who don't want to deal with second-hand smoke on their cruise or stay in cabins with hints of prior tobacco use.

Effective Dec. 1, for example, Carnival Cruise Lines is banning smoking in all of its staterooms, though guests can smoke on the balconies. Cigars will be allowed in shipboard jazz clubs. Carnival operates two ships -- soon to be three -- out of Port Canaveral.

Disney Cruise Line, which will be operating its two newest ships out of Port Canaveral, has always taken a hard line toward smokers.

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• Russia prepares for a total smoking ban  

By the end of the year, the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development will submit a bill to the State Duma that could introduce serious complications into the lives of Russian smokers. Cigarettes will become more expensive, they will only be sold in large stores and smokers will be able to light up without considering the people around them in their own apartments and on the street. Experts maintain that the new standards conform to the framework of the WHO Convention on Tobacco Control, which was signed by 157 countries, and they hope to reduce the number of smokers in Russia.

Smokers are driven into their homes

Beginning in 2014, a total smoking ban may be imposed in long-distance trains and cruise ships. The ministry's press service reported on this Friday evening, as well as on other measures to curb smoking, having laid out the content of a new bill on protecting public health against the harmful effects of tobacco use.

Smoking rooms in airports will be abolished. . . .

Starting in 2015, smoking will be prohibited in restaurants, cafes, night clubs and hotels.

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• Cruise lines putting out more “no smoking” signs  

Smokers will soon have fewer places to light up at sea as cruise lines crack down on smoking in cabins, balconies and other public areas.

Norwegian Cruise Line this week became the latest cruise operator to announce a policy change, announcing that smoking will be banned inside cabins on all 11 ships starting in January. Passengers can still smoke on balconies, in casinos, in cigar lounges and in designated areas outside.

“It got to the point where we were getting enough of a feel from our guests saying, ‘We’re sensitive to the smell, secondhand smoke is becoming more of an issue and we think you as part of the industry need to step back and reevaluate things,’” said Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Kevin Sheehan. “We’re sensitive to what our guest are looking for.”

Similar announcements in June by Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America and Princess Cruises made the move easier, Sheehan said.

Don Walker, co-owner and founder of Delray Beach-based cruise agency iCruise.com, said he’s glad to hear the news as someone who sells cruise vacations — and as an ex-smoker.

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Norwegian Cruise Line to ban smoking in staterooms on all ships 

Norwegian Cruise Line is the latest cruise company to ban smoking in staterooms on all 11 ships in its fleet starting next year.

"We've been looking at this for a while based on feedback from guests," says AnneMarie Mathews, vice president of public relations. Mathews says the company received complaints from passengers about smoky smells in staterooms -- something she says is "challenging" to remove.

Under new rules that go into effect in January, passengers who have a stateroom with a balcony will be allowed to smoke cigarettes but not cigars or pipes. The cruise line earlier had limited smoking to casinos and other designated areas of ships but banned it from bars, restaurants and restrooms as well as outdoor areas such as a children's pool and the jogging track.

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• Frequently Asked Questions: What about smoking on the ship? 

We want you to be comfortable on board, so public areas throughout all NCL ships are smoke free. If you smoke cigarettes, you can do so in your stateroom, on your balcony, in the casino or Cigar Bar (where available). If you prefer pipes or cigars, you can smoke in the Cigar Bar or designated smoking lounge. Also, you can smoke cigarettes, pipes and cigars outside on open decks (just not around food venues, sport decks, kids' pool areas and other designated non-smoking areas). Cigar and pipe smoking inside your stateroom or on your balcony is prohibited.

Effective January 2012, guests setting sail on a Norwegian cruise vacation are no longer permitted to smoke cigarettes in their staterooms. Guests who are in a balcony stateroom will be permitted to smoke on the outside balcony; however, cigar and pipe smoking in staterooms and on balconies is prohibited. Ashtrays will be available for use upon request through housekeeping staff.

In an effort to diminish the presence of smoke indoors, cigarette smoking is only permitted in the casino, where ashtrays and appropriate signage will be displayed. Smoking is prohibited in all other public interior venues including all bars, restaurants, conference rooms, corridors, restrooms, staircases and landings. Guests may utilize the enclosed cigar bars on board Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Dawn and Norwegian Spirit for cigarette, cigar and pipe smoking.

In addition, the policy allows guests to smoke cigarettes, cigars and pipes in outdoor public guest spaces and open decks, where designated by the appropriate signage. Smoking is not permitted near outdoor venues which serve food, in open spaces such as the jogging track, sport complex, children's pool and in The Haven outdoor areas.

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