Island's shores for Cup Match.

Meyer Agencies spokesman Stephen Paynter told The Royal Gazette that the Zenith arrived on Monday from New York with 1,637 passengers. The ship was due to shift to St. George's today and depart tomorrow.

The Dreamward arrived from New York with 1,440 passengers on Monday and berthed at Penno's Wharf. It shifted to Hamilton yesterday morning and was due to depart for New York tomorrow afternoon.

And Mr. Paynter said the Meridian arrived yesterday with 1,345 passengers and berthed at King's Wharf. It was scheduled to return to New York on Friday.

John S Darrell spokesman Saleem Talbot said the Royal Majesty berthed in St.

George's yesterday with 1,226 passengers. It is scheduled to depart on Friday for Boston.

He added that the Song of America arrived in St. George's yesterday as well.

It is set to shift with its 1,508 passengers to Hamilton today and leave for New York on Friday.

In other shipping news, there were only two container ships in port this week as the Somers Isles remained in Florida as scheduled. It will return to the Island next week. Mr. Paynter reported that the Bermuda Islander arrived on Monday with 115 containers including 15 that were refrigerated. It also off loaded a boat before sailing yesterday morning.

And Container Ship Management vice-president Robert Lewis said the Oleander arrived on Sunday with 38 refers, 116 dry containers, two 40-foot open containers, a 45-foot container of steel and two 48-foot containers of steel.

He added that an Isuzu truck and 17 cars were also off loaded from the vessel before it departed for Port Elizabeth, New Jersey yesterday morning.

And the MV Macado , a 410-foot Liberian tanker carrying paper, spent last weekend at the Island while its crew repaired its engine. The ship arrived on Friday and left on Monday, said Mr. Talbot.

He added that the US Coast Guard Eagle Class sail training cutter Eagle is set to arrive this Friday and pick up approximately 130 tiger cruisers before returning to the United States.

The 231-foot-long, three-masted vessel will berth in Hamilton at Number Five and Six Docks before departing on Monday.

A cruise line has received regulatory clearance to merge with one of its competitors, it was announced yesterday.

Royal Caribbean International finalised its bid to purchase Celebrity Cruise Lines Inc. for $1.3 billion in the largest transaction in cruise line history.

The deal is expected to close this week and will create a combined fleet of 17 ships with a capacity of nearly 30,000 berths.

The ships will sail to Bermuda, Alaska, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Canada, Europe, the Far East, Hawaii, Mexico, Panama Canal, Russia and Scandinavia.