Cruise West sinks

Embattled Seattle-based small-ship operator Cruise West has announced that it will cease operations effective today.

The cruise line issued a statement saying that over the last 12 months it  had tried a number of options to continue sailing, including investment,  the sale of assets and sale of the company, but these have ultimately
proved unsuccessful.

Chairman Dick West said he was “absolutely heartbroken that this family  legacy has come to an end…We have done absolutely everything to maintain  operations, but with limited resources and the current tight financial  market, we simply cannot continue”.

All future cruises have been cancelled except a 22 Sep Danube departure.

The company is continuing to recommend that customers who have bookings and haven’t yet travelled should claim on travel insurance or apply for a  credit card chargeback.

More information in Monday’s Travel Daily.