The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) today announced that it is expanding its cruise passenger database, adding seven brands to the ten cruise lines on which it has previously reported data. Five of the seven brands added operate in the luxury segment of the industry (Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, SeaDream Yacht Club, Silversea Cruises, Windstar Cruises and The Yachts of Seabourn). The other two lines are a new entrant to the market (Oceania Cruises) and a European line that has recently announced plans to increase its presence in the U.S. market (MSC Italian Cruises).

Each cruise that begins or ends at a U.S. port is included in the database with a record that contains cruise line, vessel name, number of passengers carried, sailing date and departure port, destination, cruise length and ship capacity. The new coverage begins with first quarter 2004 data, but MARAD has revised the 2003 database to incorporate the added cruise lines. The revised 2003 dataset will be distributed to customers that have previously received the data.

Cruises by the seven added brands amounted to 7 percent of the total number of cruises in 2003, but only about one percent of the total number of passengers.