A Fond Farewell to North Sulawesi Aggressor

I received the following in an email update from the Aggressor Fleet. Anybody know if they're moving the boat to a new destination?:

Aggressor Fleet bids farewell to the North Sulawesi Aggressor. Low guest occupancy has lead to a difficult decision to cease operating in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Throughout Aggressor Fleets 25 year history we have had several yachts such as the Antilles Aggressor and the Red Sea Aggressor that for various reasons suspended operations. Not all destinations prove successful or have long life spans but Aggressor Fleet has become the largest live-aboard company in the world by seeking out potentially viable diving locations for our guests as the areas and times dictate. Divers who are booked on the North Sulawesi Aggressor will receive refunds or they will have the option to transfer their reservations to another Aggressor dive vacation.

We will miss our friends in North Sulawesi and the incredible diving this region offers.

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I wish they'd put this boat back in Truk Lagoon.

I called HQ in Layfayette, LA this afternoon to ask on the status of her captain (Niall Lawlor) and they claimed they didn't know the status or future of the boat or Niall because "it's all handled by our franchisee in the Pacific".

The captain's logs show the boat just had a substantial refit in June, 2008.
http://www.aggressor.com/capt_archive.php?vessel_id=15&page=2

I wonder if Aggressor will make their customers whole on the airfares that these people already booked and cannot use without a substantial change fee??

With the decaying economy worldwide, I'm expect to see more problems in the liveaboard industry. Hopefully we'll start to see some substantial discounts to keep the boats full and running.

divengolf:

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Hopefully we'll start to see some substantial discounts to keep the boats full and running.

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Not likely.

With packaged tours, the operators buy blocks of hotel and air travel in advance at a discount. If they can't sell at full value, then selling it for any amount of money allows them to recoup all or at least some of what they've already paid.

Companies like Aggressor that are independent franchises selling through central booking offices don't do that because booking passengers at a loss only costs them more than not filling the slot. They only do it in very limited ways as a marketing tool because they really can't afford to book passengers at a loss and it is a disincentive for customers to book at full fare.

What you will see is remote and expensive locations closing or scaling back as the individual franchises become unprofitable. That and moderate discounts in cheap to get to places where there is direct competition.

darkstar:

What you will see is remote and expensive locations closing or scaling back as the individual franchises become unprofitable. That and moderate discounts in cheap to get to places where there is direct competition.

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Hope that you're right. I'm planning on Fiji in Sept. Both Aggressor and Nai'a operate there. Maybe there's a deal out there to be had. Compared to many Pacific destinations, the airfare to Fiji is pretty reasonable. But not as cheap as flying to Cairns. Go figure.

BTW: I just posted that Undersea Explorer is shutting down. The Port Douglas, QLD boat, not the op in Florida.

darkstar:

Companies like Aggressor that are independent franchises selling through central booking offices don't do that because booking passengers at a loss only costs them more than not filling the slot. They only do it in very limited ways as a marketing tool because they really can't afford to book passengers at a loss and it is a disincentive for customers to book at full fare.

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I've been told that for the better Carribean boats (Aggressor, PH, Explorer) on average half a boat of full fare passengers is breakeven. Some will go out with as few as four passengers. So from an financial standpoint, it would make sense to cut prices near the sailing date to fill the last 4-6 slots. Of course that's what the big cruise ships do. I've gotten some good deals booking a month or less before sailing, but I'm retired and real flexible. I'm a single diver and try to do 3-4 trips a year.

As you say, the down side is the disincentive to book early. But most people who plan these trips must arrange vacation long in advance and don't want to be left out, so they book early. It will be an interesting couple of years in the liveaboard industry.