the Island.

Both the Song of America and the Royal Majesty will leave Bermuda for the last time until next summer when they sail tomorrow.

They arrived with a total of 2,082 passengers on board, although the total number of cruise ship passengers was boosted this week with a couple of stop-overs by other ships.

The Costa Victoria stopped over for a day at Dockyard earlier this week and the Royal Princess visited Bermuda for a day on Monday with 1,156 passengers.

Numbers would have even higher but a planned one-day visit today by the cruise ship Maasdam , which is carrying 1,250 passengers, was called off.

The ship was due to make a stop in Dockyard on her way from the Azores to Florida she decided to head directly to America because of bad weather.

In other shipping movements, the oil tanker Iver Explorer is expected to arrive in Bermuda today to deliver oil for Esso and earlier in the week the US research vessel Westward arrived at Penno's Wharf to take on supplies.

The 110-foot tug Boator is still in Bermuda after coming to the Island when a tow rope attached to a barge she was taking to Rotterdam, Holland, snapped.

She came into Bermuda where she is awaiting the arrival of a new rope before setting sail again, possibly on Monday, to relocate the barge.

Harbour Radio said there had been sightings of the barge 220 miles south-east of Bermuda.

Last week the Greek ship Meraklis briefly called into Bermuda after its bosun suffered a broken foot. He was treated at hospital and repatriated to Greece earlier this week.

Bermuda's container ships arrived on schedule with the Somers Isles bringing in a total of 82 containers, a van, a fork lift truck and eight bundles of steel on Sunday.

The Bermuda Islander arrived from New Jersey on Monday with a total of 101 containers, as well as eight horses.

And the Oleander arrived with a total of 150 containers as well as several trailers and 12 cars.