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MSC Cruises introduces MSC Starship Club featuring humanoid robotic bartender

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 14 February 2021 14 February 2021

MSC Cruises revealed this week details of the immersive, futuristic MSC Starship Club featuring Rob, the first-ever humanoid, robotic bartender at sea. The MSC Starship Club will be exclusively available on board the line’s newest flagship, MSC Virtuosa, when she comes into service beginning April 16 this year.

The integrated bar and entertainment experience is inspired by MSC Cruises’ vision of the spaceship of the future. MSC Starliner One is enabled by state-of-the-art technologies to create a futuristic atmosphere with 3D holograms, an immersive digital art wall and a 12-seat infinity digital interactive table, giving guests the opportunity to explore space with their own personalized galactic tour. Rob will mix and serve his signature cocktails — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — and countless personalized drinks, just like a human bartender would do, while engaging with and speaking to guests and using human-like expressions for a fully immersive bar experience. Rob’s skills and emotional responsiveness, combined with bartenders dressed as if straight out of a sci-fi movie and immersive technology, create a must-visit attraction for all ages at the MSC Starship Club.

Guests will use specifically designed vertical digital cockpits in the area to place their order. Rob will then get to work and use all of his customized robotic skills to prepare the cocktails — pouring spirits, juices and syrups; shaking, building or stirring the concoctions; and garnishing. Rob can not only prepare an impressive range of cocktails, but also speak eight languages (English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese), according to the language chosen when the guest places an order. He also has a clear personality that evolves with the surrounding setting and atmosphere, using his LED face to convey emotion so guests can enjoy his performance while sipping their cocktails.

The status of the cocktail preparation will be displayed through digital monitors and a ticker-tape-style LED strip above the robotic island while guests are immersed in the space-themed experience. The cosmic cocktails are served in custom-designed futuristic glasses for guests to collect as lasting souvenirs of the MSC Starship Club experience. Cruisers will be able to return to the club multiple times over the course of their cruise, experiencing a new interaction with Rob each time.

MSC Cruises is constantly looking to the future to continuously innovate the guest experience and seek out new ways to employ the latest technology to create something unique and elevate the onboard offering. This latest innovation uses cutting-edge robotics and digital technologies to deliver a futuristic, immersive entertainment lounge, completely re-imagining the traditional bar experience to transport guests to another world.

The MSC Starship Club has been nearly six years in the making since the first original concept, and the Company has pushed boundaries with the engineering that has gone into making this a reality. During this time, MSC Cruises has worked with leading experts from companies specializing in robotics and automation, interior design as well as entertainment and digital experience solutions to create a custom designed entertainment venue with a humanoid robot as the star.

MSC Virtuosa is the line’s newest flagship and will come into service in April 2021. Each MSC Cruises ship is unique, and MSC Virtuosa in particular will feature new experiences for guests, with the introduction of Rob being just one of them. The ship will also be highly equipped with cutting-edge technologies and environmentally conscious capabilities.

After completing a few three, four and five-night cruises in the Mediterranean, MSC Virtuosa will be deployed to Northern Europe in summer 2021 with a range of itineraries to the Norwegian fjords and Baltic capital cities.

Scenic Group adds to its upper management ranks with new hires, appointments

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 14 February 2021 14 February 2021

Scenic Group continues to enhance its senior management with the announcement of two new hires and a key appointment. Vitor Alves joins Scenic Group as its Director Hotel Operations - Ocean, Sepp Dendl will oversee the rivers as Director Hotel Operations - River, and Yordan Yordanov has come aboard in the position of Director of Technical River and Ocean Operations. These three senior management positions add to Scenic Group’s global reach and serve to enhance the operations of its state of the art fleet, covering Emerald Cruises, Scenic and Scenic Eclipse. All three report directly to Benny Weidacher, VP of Cruise Operations.

“We are thrilled and very fortunate to have so much talent joining our growing team,” explains Benny Weidacher. “We look forward to their collective expertise expanding our ability to deliver a truly 6-Star experience to our guests.”

Vitor Alves brings nearly 20 years of cruise hotel operations experience to his new position as Scenic Group’s Director Hotel Operations – Ocean. Prior to Scenic, he worked his way through the ranks at Seabourn, ending as the Deputy Director for Hotel/New-Build Expeditions Operations. Vitor’s prior work on the guest experience, employee training and productivity improvements fit well with Scenic Group’s ongoing focus on exceeding expectation of its guests and the development of its crew’s ability to consistently deliver top results. With certificates in Hotel and Hospitality Management from both Cornell University and Tourism Schools Salzburg, Vitor values innovation and how best to use it to improve the guest experiences and making personalized service a top focus on the company’s ocean fleet. One of his top priorities is to develop a new top-notch training program to ensure the never-ending growth of the employees and their ability to deliver at the highest levels. Vitor was born to the water as he hails from Portugal and, always willing to explore beyond the norms, counts scuba and sky-diving as two of his greatest passions, along with his spending as much time with his wife and daughter.

Sepp Dendl joined Scenic Group in 2019 and has been instrumental in raising the guests experience as well as in the decision to bring hotel management for the full fleet in-house. His appointment as Director Hotel Operations – River expands his purview as the company continues its global growth. “As Scenic continues the process of bringing ship management in house, I look forward to working with our crews and ship leaders to ensure the best in service and standards for all of our guests,” offered Sepp. Just a few of the focal points include streamlining the hotel management structure for faster proactive and reactive ability, assuring the variety of the numerous menus correspond with the local foods and wines of the country in which the ships are sailing, making greater use of local vendors and products, and moving the company towards their goal of ecological sustainability through the reduction of plastics, etc. Sepp’s prior experience has been with AIDA Cruises, and Viking River Cruises as well several four- and five-star hotels in Russia and Switzerland. Travel is both his job and his passion as he shares this along with skiing and his love of theater with his wife and two children.

Yordan Yordanov, who’s passion for engineering began at an early age, has risen up the ranks in his chosen profession, spending the past 10 years leading cruise engineer teams from all over the world with Pullmantur Cruises and Grimaldi Lines. Having first-hand experience in nearly every aspect of engineering puts Yordan in the unique position of being able to speak to and train his Scenic Group team as a peer and leader. He is excited to be part of the team that contributes to the industry-leading designs and technology that has been instrumental in the launch of Scenic Eclipse. Scenic Group’s absorption of its nautical operation in house, gives Yordan the opportunity to expand his skills onto the rivers and work with those crews to continue to present the best ships on the rivers. Yordan’s extensive training outside of specific engineering requirements ranges from training in Marine Environmental Awareness to Safety Training of Crew in Direct Contact with Guests to security and crisis management. His love of travel fits well with his desire to visit as many historical sites as is possible with his family.

Helsinki Shipyard lays keel of second Swan Hellenic ship

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 11 February 2021 11 February 2021

Helsinki Shipyard has laid the keel of SH Vega, the second of three expedition ships to be operated by Swan Hellenic, the Nicosia based company.

“The keel was laid in accordance with seafaring tradition and current COVID-19 restrictions, immediately receiving the outfitted and painted block 302 which had arrived at the shipyard last weekend," Swan Hellenic said in a statement

The ceremony included the customary placement of coins, with Helsinki Shipyard Project Manager Jonas Packalén, Lloyd´s Register representative Jukka Hujanen and Helsinki Shipyard Chairman Victor Olersky doing the honours.

Named after the first vessel to navigate the Arctic Northeast Passage, the elegant new ship represents the next generation of polar expedition vessels, having been designed for worldwide cruising with a strong focus on high-latitude areas.

SH Vega will feature a 5-megawatt diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system with selective catalytic reduction, 3-megawatt max. battery package and PC5 ice-strengthened hull. At 113 m, the 10,500-ton vessel has been specially designed to explore the most inaccessible and inspiring places in the world.

Providing accommodation for 152 guests in 76 spacious staterooms and suites, the vast majority with large balconies, SH Vega will be operated by an onboard team of 120.

SH Minerva, the first ship in the series, will be delivered in November 2021, while Vega is due early the following year. The third vessel, which will be somewhat larger than her sisters, is scheduled for delivery just months later, towards the end of 2022.

“New builds Minerva and Vega are designed for extreme weather conditions, from the heavy ice of the polar regions to the heat and humidity of the tropics. And they’re naturally designed to respect the sensitive ecosystems of the unspoilt regions they explore,” commented Project Manager Jonas Packalén.

Swan Hellenic CEO Andrea Zito congratulated the Helsinki team on their outstanding support: “Delivering to such a demanding schedule while maintaining the highest quality standards is a fantastic achievement. We’re honoured and thrilled to take Swan Hellenic into its next chapter with such fine ships and look forward to welcoming you on board to see what others don’t!”

Stena Line plans to order two 200 metre long battery powered ferries in 2025

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 09 February 2021 09 February 2021

Stena Line, the Swedish ferry company, said it plans to start operating two fossil-free battery powered vessels on the route between Gothenburg and Frederikshavn in Denmark no later than 2030.

This was announced by Stena Line’s CEO Niclas Mårtensson during a press conference about the industry collaboration project Tranzero Initiative, in Gothenburg on 4 February.

In an effort to speed up the transition to fossil-free fuels in the transport sector, Stena Line together with Volvo Group, Scania and the Port of Gothenburg have joined forces in the Tranzero Initiative collaboration project to bring about a significant reduction in carbon emissions linked to the largest port in the Scandinavia. The aim is to cut emissions by 70 per cent by 2030 in the Port of Gothenburg.

“We now move from vision to vessel with the battery powered vessel Stena Elektra. Within a year we will present the outline specifications and at the latest by 2025 we plan to order the first vessel. This will be a huge step towards fossil free shipping”, said Niclas Mårtensson, CEO Stena Line Group and member of the Swedish Government Electrification Commission.

Stena Elektra will be the world’s first fossil free RoPax vessel of its size and will measure approximately 200 metres and combine a passenger capacity of 1000 with 3000 lane metres freight capacity. The vessel will be built in high tensile steel to lower the weight and increase efficiency and it is estimated the vessel will run on battery power for approximately 50 nautical miles, the distance between Gothenburg and Frederikshavn.

The battery capacity will need to be approximately 60-70 MWh and the vessel will be charged in port. Stena Line also looking into combining the electrification with other alternative fossil free fuels such as fuel cells, hydrogen and bio methanol for longer reach of the vessels.

”The electrification of shipping has only just began. We see a great potential for both battery hybrids and battery powered vessels on several of our short-sea shipping routes in the future. But, it takes more than the electrical ships, we also need to develop the infrastructure and charging possibilities in the ports and terminals in the same pace and that is a reason why collaborations projects like this are so important, said Mårtensson.

Swan Hellenic extends strategic partnerships to Nordic countries

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 09 February 2021 09 February 2021

Swan Hellenic, the Nicosia based expedition cruise line, said it has extended its network of marketing partners by signing a strategic partnership agreement with Nordic Cruise GSA (NCG), to provide a direct presence in Scandinavia, including Iceland.

NCG offers the highest standards of service and knowhow, with its founder and CEO, Jesper Boas Smith having over 26 years’ experience across the travel sector, representing together with his team many of the world’s leading Cruise companies in Scandinavia, the company said in a statement

“The partnership is a strategic agreement in line with Swan Hellenic’s long-term vision and global strategic positioning and distribution model approach of establishing Swan Hellenic’s a direct presence in selected every markets worldwide to offer the close personal service to which it is committed,” it said

Swan Hellenic CEO Andrea Zito commented: “We’re truly delighted to have Jesper and his agent network on board, believing strongly in the immense potential of the Scandinavian market both now and above all in the future. It was essential for us to have a truly capable expert partner based in Copenhagen the hub of Great North.”

Smith said: “We are honoured to represent Swan Hellenic Cruises in Scandinavia and the Nordic Territories. We look forward to being a part of the Swan Hellenic family and making sure Swan Hellenic becomes a well-known, high-end brand within expedition cruising in the Nordic Area.”