Carnival won't appeal rate increase for pilots

[Jason]

Carnival Corp. won't appeal rate increase for pilots

Source: Gregory Richards, The Virginian-Pilot

Cruise line giant Carnival Corp. is not appealing a state regulatory body’s September decision approving higher rates for the Virginia Pilot Association, which guides ships between the Atlantic Ocean and the port of Hampton Roads.

Wednesday was the deadline for filing a notice of appeal to the Supreme Court of Virginia with the State Corporation Commission, the body that approved the new rates and a new method of calculating how much each ship is charged.

Carnival was the only company with the legal standing to file an appeal, commission spokesman Ken Schrad said, and no petitions were received by the required time .

Charles S. Cumming, a New York attorney representing Carnival in this case, said, “To the best of my knowledge, they’re not planning on appealing the matter any further.”

Carnival had contested the increase earlier.

Officials with Miami-based Carnival did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

The new rate-setting method is based on a ship’s volume. Cruise ships and automobile-carrying vessels face the biggest increases because their large superstructures were not considered in the previous system of determining rates, which the Pilot Association thought unfairly gave them a lower pilotage bill.

Carnival contested the increases, saying they would boost the fees the company must pay to have its ships steered into Hampton Roads by 148 percent. On Sept. 11, the commission approved the Pilot Association’s plan.

Carnival, the world’s largest cruise ship operator, owns a stable of 12 cruise lines, including Carnival Cruise Lines, which had three sailings from Norfolk this year, and Holland America Line, which will have 17 sailings by year’s end . Cruise ships belonging to two other Carnival brands – Princess and Seabourn – will stop overnight at the downtown cruise terminal later this year on voyages originating elsewhere.

J. William Cofer, president of the Pilot Association, said he didn’t expect an appeal. “The decision was pretty clear,” he said. “I wouldn’t know what they would have been appealing.”

The Pilot A ssociation testified before the commission that the changes were needed to pay expenses, including growing operating costs and to provide salary and benefit increases for its 41 pilots and retirees. The new rates are expected to boost the group’s annual revenues by about $1.1 million, or 6.3 percent.

[Jimmykaboots]

What do you mean by Pilot, an airplane pilot? or a cruise captain pilot? also what is a rate increase if you dont mind me asking.

[hazelson]

Jimmykaboots -The pilot makes sure the huge cruiseliners get in and out of port safely. He gets on board and does his thing and once the ship is in open water a boat pulls up "alongside" and he jumps onto it and heads back home. I love to watch this process - very interesting - never lost a pilot yet :grin:

And .....

WELCOME ABOARD CRUISECRAZIES!!!!!