On February 7, the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL), through its charitable arm, the Cruise Industry Charitable Foundation (CICF), presented Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) a donation of $25,000 for the IMO Maritime Tsunami Relief Fund.

The fund, established by the Secretary-General, coordinates all the financial and in-kind contributions put forth by the shipping industry to be distributed to UN-wide relief efforts and reconstruction in the tsunami`s aftermath.

CICF will also be donating $25,000 to the Samaritan`s Purse tsunami relief efforts which will go to delivering emergency relief aid, building permanent housing and donating fishing boats and nets to help restore the livelihood of a number of victims.

In addition, the 16 members of the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) have given combined contributions totaling more than $4.7 million to charitable organizations assisting in the relief efforts. The contributions, collected from corporate donations, crew and passengers, have aided a number of charities, including the Indonesian, International and American Red Cross; CARE; Save the Children; Habitat for Humanity; and the Salvation Army World Services Office.

Many cruise lines have also offered crew members directly affected by the tsunami free e-mail access and phone calls to family members in Southeast Asia. Crew members were offered counseling services and, in some cases, flights home to be with their families, as well.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Southeast Asia and especially those members of our cruise line family who have suffered losses, said Michael Crye, president of the ICCL. This tragedy has caused unimaginable devastation and the cruise industry has reached out to those in need.