Star Clippers to Implement Fuel Surcharge

Star Clippers will implement a fuel surcharge on new bookings starting Dec. 17, 2007. The assessment will be $8 per person per day to a maximum of $100 per person on any sailing for guests from the United States, Canada and Latin America.

The surcharge will be assessed on all three of the line's tall ships on all sailings through April 2009. "After discussing the situation of increased fuel costs with our tour operators and travel agent partners, we have concluded the fairest and least disruptive method of assessing the surcharge would be only on new reservations made on or after Dec. 17," said Jack Chatham, Star Clippers' vice president of marketing and sales for North and Latin America. While Star Clippers' ships operate mostly under sail, they do require high-quality fuel to run generators to supply electricity and provide climate control on board. Despite being some of the most fuel-efficient vessels in the cruise industry, the ships periodically have to supplement their sail power with the engines to fulfill itineraries.