Iona Registered in Southampton

[eddie11]

Interesting to see SOUTHAMPTON beneath IONA on her rear end in the float out pictures

 

Will Iona be the only British registered ship in the fleet, or have I missed others?  What are the implications of this?  Will it impact on passengers in any way in the normal run of things?  

[pete14]

47 minutes ago, eddie11 said:

Interesting to see SOUTHAMPTON beneath IONA on her rear end in the float out pictures

 

Will Iona be the only British registered ship in the fleet, or have I missed others?  What are the implications of this?  Will it impact on passengers in any way in the normal run of things?  

I think Britannia is also registered in Southampton.

[john watson]

A couple of reasons a cruise line chooses to register a ship in a specific country are, who you anticipate will name the ship and marriage laws within that country where these are available on board.

 

Regards John

[AndyMichelle]

Yep, Britannia is also registered in Southampton. 

There was another thread discussing getting married onboard and it seems like you can't on these 2, although some are attending a wedding on Iona, so who knows... 

Andy 

[jeanlyon]

That's interesting.  I think one of the problems with getting married on the other ships is because they are registered in Bermuda, you can't do same sex marriage, because it's against Bermuda law.  I'm surprised you can't get married on Britannia and Iona.

 

Ah, just checked and you can get married on any ship except Britannia.  Wonder why?

Edited February 16, 2020 by jeanlyon

[daiB]

50 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Yep, Britannia is also registered in Southampton. 

There was another thread discussing getting married onboard and it seems like you can't on these 2, although some are attending a wedding on Iona, so who knows... 

Andy 

Andy, it is my understanding that you cannot get married on a British registered ship. So not on Iona or Britannia. All the rest of the fleet are registered in the Bermuda who do allow marriages  at sea.

 

Dai

Edited February 16, 2020 by daiB

[jeanlyon]

Just found this

 

"A P&O spokeswoman explained: 'Britannia will be registered in the UK which means that unfortunately we are not able to conduct weddings on board. There is a room called The Ivory Suite which can be used for vow renewals"

 

So you're right Dai, that would now include Iona.  How odd.  I would have thought as these huge ships attract a younger clientele, they would do more weddings.

[Denarius]

When the majority of P&Os fleet was re-registered in Hamilton Bermuda it was understood that this was to enable them to get a slice of the lucrative weddings at sea market. Ships registered in the UK cannot hold weddings onboard, only renewal of vows. So it appeared curious that Britannia was UK registered, although it was suggested at the time that the ship's name made this politically imperative. Does the latter also apply to Iona? I would have thought not.

[jeanlyon]

Just found out that the law banning same sex marriage in Bahamas/bermuda was repealed so it's now OK.

[AndyMichelle]

25 minutes ago, daiB said:

Andy, it is my understanding that you cannot get married on a British registered ship. So not on Iona or Britannia. All the rest of the fleet are registered in the Bermuda who do allow marriages  at sea.

 

Dai

Yes, that's my understanding Dai, but others have posted that they are attending a wedding on Iona.. 

I guess it's not a legal ceremony or something. 

Andy 

[BrianI]

P&O do what they call a “Commitment Ceremony” which has all the bells and whistles of a full wedding but is not legally binding but can be done on any ship.

  https://www.pocruises.com/ceremonies-at-sea/ceremonies

Seems a bit pointless to me.

 

Brian

Edited February 16, 2020 by BrianI

[AndyMichelle]

28 minutes ago, BrianI said:

P&O do what they call a “Commitment Ceremony” which has all the bells and whistles of a full wedding but is not legally binding but can be done on any ship.

  https://www.pocruises.com/ceremonies-at-sea/ceremonies

Seems a bit pointless to me.

 

Brian

Thanks Brian, that makes sense. 

Andy 

[jeanlyon]

Can't see the point of that, but then I can't see that Renewal of Vows is anything but a money making exercise for the cruise companies.  After all, if you make a vow, you don't need to renew it?  It's for life!

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

My understanding is the prohibition on marriages at sea dates back to a scandal on a Cunard liner. There was a case of bigamy. The scandal surrounding the companies involvement was enough to introduce the prohibition. 
 

Best wishes, Stephen.

[terrierjohn]

6 minutes ago, stephen@stoneyard.co.uk said:

My understanding is the prohibition on marriages at sea dates back to a scandal on a Cunard liner. There was a case of bigamy. The scandal surrounding the companies involvement was enough to introduce the prohibition. 
 

Best wishes, Stephen.

Sounds a bit like an Agatha Christie crime novel plot.

[eddie11]

Thanks for the wedding info; I’ll bear it in mind for future reference 😄

 

There must be a wider rationale for choosing the British registration though?  Doesn’t it mean tighter regulation?  The expression “Flag of convenience” come from shipping lines registering in eg Panama, rather than the country of their administrative HQ

 

... and that’s as much as I know.  I’m intrigued as to why Iona and Britannia are treated differently to the rest of the fleet and what benefits and problems arise.

[jeanlyon]

Yes I agree.  I thought being registered in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Marshall Islands was something to do with tax?  Or, as I just read online, it is to circumvent British employment law.

Edited February 17, 2020 by jeanlyon

[terrierjohn]

9 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Yes I agree.  I thought being registered in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Marshall Islands was something to do with tax?  Or, as I just read online, it is to circumvent British employment law.

I doubt that Britania's hotel wages are any different to those on the other ships, so clearly it can't be the latter  especially if Iona remains registered in the UK.

[molecrochip]

It’s not employment law. Most non UK nationals are employed through local agencies based in their respective country.

Edited February 17, 2020 by molecrochip

[Son of Anarchy]

A few years ago (pre Britannia days) we were told by a senior officer that a major reason for registering the ships in Hamilton was so that they could get into the marriage at sea market.

 

I don't doubt that there may have been other considerations, but have no knowledge of what they may be.

 

Does seem odd that PandO haven't registered Britannia & Iona in Britain.  It will be interesting to see where Iona 2 will be registered.

[Britboys]

24 minutes ago, Son of Anarchy said:

A few years ago (pre Britannia days) we were told by a senior officer that a major reason for registering the ships in Hamilton was so that they could get into the marriage at sea market.

 

I don't doubt that there may have been other considerations, but have no knowledge of what they may be.

 

Does seem odd that PandO haven't registered Britannia & Iona in Britain.  It will be interesting to see where Iona 2 will be registered.

Britannia and Iona are registered in Britain - its all the other ships that aren't.  Maybe P&O/Carnival are doing it to emphasise the 'British-ness' of the line to the new customers they are trying to attract.

[Son of Anarchy]

39 minutes ago, Son of Anarchy said:

Does seem odd that PandO haven't registered Britannia & Iona in Britain.  It will be interesting to see where Iona 2 will be registered.

 

Oops, should have read are registered in Britain. D'Oh moment.  More to come no doubt!

[AndyMichelle]

12 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Britannia and Iona are registered in Britain - its all the other ships that aren't.  Maybe P&O/Carnival are doing it to emphasise the 'British-ness' of the line to the new customers they are trying to attract.

They did make a fair fuss about Britannia being British on board, but mainly about it being the 'only' one. 

Not such a selling point now. 

Andy 

[Britboys]

For info, I have just found this on the P&O website:

 

 

Why are the ships registered in Bermuda?

Answer

This registry has been chosen so that we can offer our passengers a "Weddings at Sea package", a service that is not possible on ships registered in the UK.

Please note that as Britannia and Iona are registered in the UK we will not be conducting weddings on board.

The demands of the Bermudan registry are as strict as those of the UK. The British Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the UK regulatory body, provides day to day advice and guidance to the Bermudan registry and monitors its performance in common with the registries of all United Kingdom Overseas Territories.