DFDS makes an offer for part of SCOP Seafrance

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 25 June 2015 25 June 2015

After taking the necessary time to consider the interests of all stakeholders, DFDS confirms that it filed an offer yesterday to the administrators of SCOP Seafrance. If accepted, this offer is expected to result in 202 jobs for SCOP Seafrance employees.

It would also mean that DFDS would operate three vessels between Calais and Dover: One of the current ships on the route plus the newly chartered vessels Rodin and Berlioz.

DFDS would thereafter employ 1000 French staff, hereof 650 in Calais, and operate nine ships, including five under the French flag, on four routes from France.

Niels Smedegaard, CEO of DFDS, commented: "Given the overcapacity in the market, DFDS had originally planned to operate two ships on the route in order to adapt the capacity to the market situation. However, following our dialogue with various stakeholders, we have decided to make an offer for part of SCOP Seafrance, and thus attempt to save more than 200 jobs by operating three ships instead. DFDS has been in the French ferry market for 15 years, and in recent years with ships under the French flag and with French crews. We are very pleased with the loyalty, skills and commitment of our crews, including the many former employees of Seafrance, and we are committed to continue developing a sustainable and long-term business in France that can benefit all of our employees, customers, and partners in the Calais region."

West Indies Cruise Line – a new cruise brand has emerged in the Caribbean

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 25 June 2015 25 June 2015

West Indies Cruise Line, a niche player, will enter the cruise market tussle in the coming Caribbean season. Alan Lam reports.

Perhaps as a sign of the continuing buoyancy of the Caribbean cruise market, starting 31 July 2015, the newly formed cruise line will offer weekly voyages from Port of Spain on 2- & 5-night voyages to Barbados, Grenada, Isla Margarita, and Tobago, using the 1972-built small cruise vessel Adriana, which only has a capacity of 264 lower berths.

Managed by the London-based Pacific Naval Register, the predominantly Ukrainian-crewed ship flies the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is currently owned by Sergei Ponyatovsky, a Russian businessman who is the president of Inflot Worldwide.

Adriana has been deployed in the Black Sea in the last five years. Owing to the continuing tense geopolitical situation in the region, its operator has been forced to transfer the vessel to the Caribbean.

Interestingly, despite being the ultimate home of ocean cruising, this is the first time a cruise line will be based on a Caribbean island.

According to Henry Yaniz, the president of West Indies Cruise Line, the product will intintially be sold locally in Trinidad, Barbados and Granada. He believes that the demand will be strong, as it operates under the "Caribbean without visa" scheme. By operating exclusively within the Caribbean territories, its customers will not need to apply for US visas in order to start their cruises from Florida.

First South Pacific Cruise Forum to take place in Tahiti

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 24 June 2015 24 June 2015

PRESS RELEASE – SOUTH PACIFIC CRUISE FORUM

Only just 5 years ago, the South Pacific insular countries decided to gather into a regional organisation: the South Pacific Cruise Alliance, to create and promote a cruising area with a strong and remarkable identity.

This ‘maritime continent’ is located in a large triangle connecting Fiji, New Zealand and Tahiti.

In 2015, it will welcome more than 50 cruise ships, 454 different cruises, 486 000 passengers, 2 668 calls for more than a hundred possible ports of calls. The region is at the beginning of a new growth with new itineraries and new cruise ships calling, while preserving its own innate qualities; protected and secluded areas, a safe and secure navigation, a warm and friendly welcome, genuine shore experiences, true, authentic and strong cultures, easy lifestyles, with a traceability and environment concern always prevailing.

Less than 2 hours from Australia, 6 from Hawaii, 8 from Los Angeles, 10 from China and Japan, the South Pacific is ideally placed in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, served by direct flights from the most important source markets.

On October 16th & 17th 2015, in Tahiti, will be organised the very first South Pacific Cruise Forum, intended to bring the Tourism Ministers of the region, the destination managers (NTOs), the Ports and Airports Authorities, the cruise shipping companies, airlines, tour operators, suppliers and other private actors of each destination together. These 2 days of high-level meetings, discussions and conferences (in English) will help highlight the main development, structuring, and consistency or coherence strategies of the cruise sector in the whole South Pacific region.

The aim is to strengthen and extend the visibility of the region and help the cruise ship-owners to include the destinations in their commercial and operational plans for the next decade.

Mein Schiff 5 keel laying and Mein Schiff 6 steel cut at Meyer Turku

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 23 June 2015 23 June 2015

On 23 June 2015, the keel of Mein Schiff 5 was laid at Meyer Turku shipyard’s drydock. Before the keel-laying ceremony, the start of production of the sister ship Mein Schiff 6 took place in the shipyard’s construction hall.

The production of the cruise ship Mein Schiff 6 was officially launched when TUI Cruises CEO Wybcke Meyer started the plasma cutting machine in the production hall of Meyer Turku shipyard. Another important event was also celebrated at the shipyard on the same day, as the next milestone in the building process of the Mein Schiff 5 took place. The hull construction of the Mein Schiff 5 began by lowering the keel block into the shipyard’s drydock. Following old traditions of the shipyard in this event some coins were placed under the keel block to bring luck for the ship. Representatives of TUI Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Meyer Turku and the classification society Det Norske Veritas, invited guests, and members of the press joined these events.

Mein Schiff 5 and Mein Schiff 6 will be delivered in 2016 and 2017. Like their sister ships (Mein Schiff 3 and Mein Schiff 4), they will be approximately 294 meters long, have 15 decks with around 1,253 staterooms and the capacity to carry approximately 2,506 passengers. 90 percent of the cabins are outside cabins and 82 percent have a balcony. Both ships are being constructed to the latest technological standards using innovative and environmentally-friendly technologies. They are especially energy-efficient and consume around 30 percent less energy than comparable cruise liners. Thanks to the advanced exhaust cleaning system that uses a scrubber and catalytic converter, sulphur emissions can be reduced by approximately 99 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions by around 75 percent.

“This growth presents us with the opportunity to further strengthen our position with one of the most modern fleets on the German market. With six ships in the medium term, we are aiming at a market share in excess of 25 percent,” says Wybcke Meier, TUI Cruises’ CEO.

“The construction of a ship is for the shipyard a great team effort in which we work closely with our customers and subcontractors. For such a big and custom-designed project brought to reality by so many contributors with their effort and skilled work, it is a nice tradition that we pause and appreciate the moment when the hardware part of the construction of a new ship is actually starting – as for Mein Schiff 6 today. We are also happy that we are in schedule with Mein Schiff 5 and can celebrate the keel laying for Mein Schiff 5 as planned today,” says Jan Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku Oy.