According to the Associated Press, Greek and Cypriot officials are confirming that 26-foot waves crashed into a cruise ship off the coast of France, smashing glass windshields and killing two passengers. Another six people suffered light injuries, a Greek coast guard statement says.

The accident occurred near the Marseilles, France on Wednesday as the Cypriot-based Louis Cruise Lines vessel Louis Majesty (formally the Norwegian Majesty) was sailing from Barcelona, Spain to Genoa, Italy carrying 1,350 passengers and 580 crew. The victims were only identified as a German and an Italian man.

Louis Cruise Lines spokesman Michael Maratheftis said the ship was hit by three “abnormally high” waves up to 26 feet high that broke glass windshields in the forward section. The ship is currently sailing back to Barcelona.

Three crew members were killed when the Costa Europa slammed into the dock at Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, a Red Sea resort on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. The Europa was carrying 1,437 passengers as it collided with the pier at approximately 4:45 a.m. local time Friday morning. Bad weather and high winds are believed to be the cause of the collision.

Costa, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, confirmed the three crew member deaths along with three passengers and a crew member who were admitted to a local hospital. The company says all guests have been disembarked and have been accommodated in hotels and will have flight arrangements back home in the coming days. Costa Europa was on an 18-day regular cruise from Dubai to Savona, with 1,437 guests on board. The ship built in 1986 is 55,000 tons and entered into the Costa Crociere fleet in 2002.

ExpertCruiser is off to Dubai for the Costa Deliziosa inaugural. Dubai is quickly emerging as a cruise destination and is growing rapidly with 250,000 cruise tourists visiting the emirate during 2009 — a 37 per cent increase on the previous year. And in 2010, Dubai is expected to host 120 ship calls with over 325,000 passengers when the Dubai Cruise Terminal becomes fully operational with the Costa Deliziosa christening.

The new terminal offers the capacity to handle four ships simultaneously, is expected to give the city’s cruise industry a big boost. The terminal will be outfitted with services to make the lives of travelers easier, such as money exchange, ATMs, a post office, duty free shop, souvenir shops, gift shops, and a business center with Wi-Fi.

Stay tuned for live reports from Dubai

Carnival Corporation has signed a memorandum of agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for the construction of two 3,600-passenger cruise ships for its Princess Cruises brand. The agreement is subject to execution of a definitive contract, financing and other customary closing conditions.

The new ships – which will have an all-in cost of approximately €155,000 ($211,628 per lower berth – are scheduled to enter service in spring 2013 and spring 2014. At 139,000 tons each, the as-yet-unnamed ships will be the largest in the Princess Cruises fleet.

Additional details will be announced at a later date.