Mon 10 Nov 2008 09:40

Cruise firm sued over fuel surcharge


Attorney General files lawsuit following Economic Crimes Division investigation.



Florida’s Attorney General Bill McCollum has filed a lawsuit against cruise shipping company Imperial Majesty Cruise Line for allegedly failing to adequately disclose fuel surcharge fees.

According to the lawsuit, Imperial Majesty has collected approximately $4 million in fuel surcharges since late 2006. The company, which offers two-day cruises to the Bahamas, is also accused of falsely representing those fees as governmental taxes or fees.

An investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Economic Crimes Division determined the company’s web site informs consumers that a “fuel/security” surcharge will be added to their onboard account “…only if [they] have not paid the governmental taxes and fees at the time of booking.”

The suit alleges that many travelers first learned of the $20 to $30 surcharge when they arrived to embark on their cruise.

The lawsuit follows agreements reached this spring with cruise line companies Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises over a similar issue. The Economic Crimes Division received several hundred complaints from customers who said the aforementioned cruise lines were retroactively charging a fuel supplement after cruises had been booked and deposits had already been made.

The Attorney General's office is asking customers who sailed with Imperial Majesty in the past two years to come forward if they feel that they were either not informed of the charge at the time of booking or that the charge was misrepresented.


CEO, Fredrik Witte and CFO, Mette Rokne Hanestad. Corvus Energy raises $60m from consortium for maritime battery expansion  

Norwegian energy storage supplier secures growth capital to accelerate zero-emission shipping solutions.

Indian Register of Shipping hosts at LISW 2025. Shipping industry warned nuclear power is essential to meet 2050 net zero targets  

Experts say government backing is needed for nuclear investment.

Rendering of LNG bunkering vessel Avenir TBN. ExxonMobil enters LNG bunkering with two vessels planned for 2027  

Energy company to charter vessels from Avenir LNG and Evalend Shipping for marine fuel operations.

Logos of international maritime associations supporting IMO Net Zero Framework. Shipping associations back IMO Net-Zero Framework ahead of key vote  

Seven international associations urge governments to adopt comprehensive decarbonisation rules at IMO meeting.

Concept illustration of biofuel and renewable energy production. Study claims biofuels emit 16% more CO2 than fossil fuels they replace  

Transport & Environment report challenges biofuels as climate solution ahead of COP30.

Rendering of Green Ammonia FPSO. ABB to supply automation systems for floating green ammonia production vessel  

Technology firm signs agreement with SwitcH2 for Portuguese offshore facility producing 243,000 tonnes annually.

VPS launches VeriSphere digital platform. VPS launches Verisphere digital platform to streamline marine fuel decarbonisation tools  

New ecosystem connects multiple maritime emissions solutions through single user interface.

Wallenius Sol vessel Botnia Enabler. Wallenius Sol joins Gasum's FuelEU Maritime compliance pool as bio-LNG generator  

Partnership aims to help shipping companies meet EU carbon intensity requirements through bio-LNG pooling.

IAPH Clean Marine Fuels Working Group. IAPH launches products portal with ammonia bunker safety checklist  

Port association releases industry-first ammonia fuel checklist alongside updated tools for alternative marine fuels.

Berkel AHK Logo. Berkel AHK joins Global Ethanol Association as founding member  

German ethanol producer becomes founding member of industry association focused on marine fuel applications.





 Recommended