Tallink Grupp sets up Singapore subsidiary, “has plans for activities in Asia”

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 06 September 2019 06 September 2019

Tallink Grupp AS, the listed Estonian ferry company, has set up a subsidiary in Singapore to promote existing business of the company in Asia, but the company also has plans to have foothold in the region, it said in a statement.

“We have plans for activities in Asia, which we cannot unfortunately talk about more today, but which we will shed more light on in the future as the plans progress, Paavo Nõgene, CEO of Tallink Grupp said in the statement.

Tallink Asia Pte Ltd is the group’s first subsidiary in Asia.  “The purpose of founding a subsidiary in Singapore is to simplify the development and expansion of the group’s activities in Asia. Tallink Asia Pte Ltd will be headed by Tallink Grupp’s Director of Development Operations, Mr Taavi Tiivel,” Tallink said.

"We have always been open about the fact that Tallink Grupp is continuously looking for opportunities to develop our activities and expand into new markets,“ Paavo Nõgene, CEO of Tallink Grupp said. 

Tallink has focused heavily on developing services for Asian passengers in recent years and on promoting the company’s products and services in various Asian countries. 

For example, Tallink participates annually in a number of large Asian tourism fairs, cooperates with several Asian tourism agencies, Tallink employs hosts onboard its vessels who speak different Asian languages, and the company has rolled out popular Asian payment Solutions AliPay and WeChat Pay onboard its vessels.

“Tallink has a lot to offer not only here in our Nordic home markets, but globally and there is a significant amount of interest out there in our products and services,“ Nõgene said. 

“Our colleagues have done a great job for a long time already, promoting the products and services of Tallink and the wider Baltic Sea region in Asia, thus laying a good foundation to build on from now on” he pointed out.

DFDS buys two vessels from Moby Line for Newcastle –Amsterdam service

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 06 September 2019 06 September 2019

DFDS, the Copenhagen based listed ferry and logistics group, said it has entered into an agreement with the Italian ferry company Moby Line to acquire two combined freight and passenger ferries of about 36,000 gross tons each for its overnight service between Newcastle in the UK and IJmuiden outside Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

The ships, currently known as Moby Wonder and Moby Aki, are built in 2001 and 2005, respectively and they will replace two existing cruise ferries on the route that were built in the mid-1980s. Many people use the service as a mini cruise, with a day at the destination port before an overnight crossing back.

As part of the agreement, Moby Line will in turn acquire the two passenger ferries currently operating on Amsterdam-Newcastle, King Seaways and Princess Seaways, built in 1987 and 1986, respectively.

“The new ferries are ideally suited for our Amsterdam-Newcastle route. Their modern onboard facilities and higher car-deck capacity will allow us to grow revenue by fulfilling the growing demand from high-yield car passengers. To freight customers, we will be able to offer increased capacity that can remain constant throughout the year”, said Peder Gellert Pedersen, EVP and Head of DFDS’ Ferry Division, in a statement.

The agreement is expected to be completed in the second half of October 2019. DFDS will subsequently bareboat-charter King Seaways and Princess Seaways from Moby until January and February 2020, respectively.

The acquired ferries from Moby will be refurbished to suit the Amsterdam-Newcastle route. This includes commercial and technical investments on board as well as port investments. The refurbished ferries are expected to be deployed on Amsterdam-Newcastle during the first quarter of 2020.

The freight capacity will increase around 40% on a full-year basis. The car capacity will increase around 5% on a full-year basis supported by a cabin configuration that is well suited to the requirements of holiday-makers travelling by car.

In 2018, Amsterdam-Newcastle carried more than 600,000 passengers, 122,000 passenger vehicles and 350,000 lane metres of freight. The capacity increase will provide an opportunity to accommodate further growth in trade and travel, including a large tourism flow, between UK and Continental Europe.

 

Royal Caribbean launches relief effort for Bahamas

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 04 September 2019 04 September 2019

The Bahamas has always been more than a destination for Royal Caribbean and its guests. "For more than half a century, we’ve made many friends and many memories. The Bahamas is also home to more than 500 of our colleagues who work at Perfect Day at CocoCay and the Grand Bahama Shipyard.

So in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, we’re rolling up our sleeves to help our friends, and inviting our guests to help," Royal Caribbean said in a statement.

Royal Caribbean is committing $1 million to Dorian disaster relief, and ITM – its partner in the Holistica joint venture that is developing the Grand Lucayan resort in Freeport – —is also donating an additional $100,000.

"To make sure our donations go where they can do the most good, we are collaborating with the Bahamian government and our non-profit partner, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), and a network of Bahamian charities and other local organizations, including the Bahamas Feeding Network.

We are loading all kinds of goods onto our ships— generators, water, cleaning supplies, clean sheets, towels, and more—for direct delivery to the Bahamas. The trained employee volunteers we call the GO Team are on their way to assist with relief efforts. And we’re taking special care of coworkers and their families who were affected by the storm.

And we’re matching every dollar of guest and employee donations to PADF so they can help our friends as well.

We can’t make every bad memory of Dorian go away. But we can start making things better—today. If you want to contribute please click this LINK and get started."

Istanbul's Galataport expected to open second quarter 2020

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 03 September 2019 03 September 2019

Galataport İstanbul – a global project providing access to the Karaköy coastline for the first time in 200 years, while serving as a hub for the city from tourism to arts and culture- is preparing for its 2020 Second Quarter launch.

Hosted by Doğuş Group President and CEO Ferit F. Şahenk, with the participation of Bilgili Holding President Serdar Bilgili, the Galataport İstanbul introductory meeting’s opening speech was delivered by Doğuş Group’s Deputy Chairman Hüsnü Akhan. Akhan spoke as follows: “We are now at the countdown phase of this journey, which we kicked off in 2014. We are excited for the launch of our project, which is expected to happen in the Second Quarter of 2020.”

In his speech during the meeting, Doğuş Group President and CEO Ferit F. Şahenk said: “Galataport İstanbul is a diamond for Turkey and İstanbul and marks an achievement of Doğuş Group’s mastery phase. Projected to host seven million foreign tourists, and 25 million visitors in total, per year, and with the two museums, as well as 14,000 square meters of recreational area, Galataport İstanbul will also become a new center of arts and culture.”

Serdar Bilgili, President of Bilgili Holding, one of the project’s partners,- commented: “Galataport İstanbul will be an added value to the city in various ways and, furthermore, turn into a destination that will give all a chance to ‘experience İstanbul’.”

The countdown for the Galataport İstanbul project, made possible by the partnership of Doğuş Group and Bilgili Holding, has started. Set to be a signature project that will touch all fields of life from tourism to culture, gastronomy and shopping, the project will launch during the Second Quarter of 2020. As one of the largest coastline projects on earth, Galataport İstanbul will turn into a brand-new destination.

The opening speech of the meeting was delivered by Doğuş Group’s Deputy Chairman Hüsnü Akhan. Hosted by Doğuş Group President and CEO Ferit F. Şahenk, with the participation of Bilgili Holding President Serdar Bilgili, the meeting marked the first occasion where the project’s details were shared with the public.

Doğuş Group President and CEO Ferit F. Şahenk, who spoke during the meeting said, “Galataport İstanbul is a diamond for Turkey and İstanbul and marks an achievement of Doğuş Group’s mastery phase,” and continued as follows:

“I am certain that you have never viewed İstanbul from this perspective. One of the most captivating locations of our city had been off-limits to us for so many years. With Galataport, we are embracing beautiful İstanbul form a different angle. In 2013, when bidding for the Salıpazarı Cruise Port, as it was known back then, our main goal was to open up this unique coastal line, which is an extension of the historic peninsula, to the residents of İstanbul, as well as to all visitors. As a result, this coastline that had been closed to the general public for 200 years is opening up to visitors. The doors of Galataport, which has a total investment value of $1.7 billion including the tender bid, is opening its doors in 2020.

For the first time anywhere in the world, we have constructed a cruise port, where passengers will be received underground; the customs and customs-free areas can be flexibly adjusted and 1.5 million visitors, including crew members, can be hosted in the city’s culturally and historically richest area. Positioned as a major-hub-pier, Galataport İstanbul will kick cruise tourism into higher gear in a vast area ranging from the Mediterranean Basin to the Black Sea. We will host 25 million visitors, 7 million of whom will be international tourists. Hence, the new and modern face of İstanbul will be presented in a visual setting that is unparalleled anywhere on earth, yet without losing its ties to its past.”

On the other hand, Bilgili Holding President Serdar Bilgili stressed how happy they were to be part of this project together with Doğuş Group and continued: “Galataport İstanbul is an investment that will transform the city’s social life with many new experiences it will offer to visitors. Once launched, our project will open up a part of the coastline that had been closed for two centuries and offer a sort of time travel experience to both domestic and international tourists. Therefore, Galataport İstanbul means so much more than a mere port project.”

Doğuş Group’s Deputy Chairman Hüsnü Akhan added: “Located on 1.2 kilometers of coastline, Galataport will help Karaköy regain the old spirit it once possessed when it was the city’s center of commerce. It is an honor for us to be part of this project with the cooperation between the Doğuş and Bilgili groups. Galataport İstanbul will have various functions ranging from culture and arts to gastronomy and tourism.”

A $1.7 billion investment

The project, which has a total investment value of $1.7 billion including the tender bid, covers a length of 1.2 kilometers of coastline on the Bosporus. With Galataport İstanbul, the city will enjoy a new center of living. This center will not only be harmonious with the natural setting of the area, but also house institutions of arts and culture, a world-class cruise port, a distinguished hotel chain, various brands catering to several segments, cafes, restaurants and office space. Domestic as well as international tourists and residents of İstanbul will enjoy this living space together, while the new port terminal will have unmatched features and innovative technologies with its underground design.

25 million visitors every year

The renewed historic port will be İstanbul’s naval gateway to the world. The port has been designed to serve 15,000 passengers and crew every day by joining three ships. Once the project is completed, projections call for 1.5 million cruise passengers and crew to visit İstanbul every year. Galataport İstanbul will host 25 million visitors, seven million of whom will be international guests. The economic contribution of this activity to Turkey’s tourism income is estimated at around one billion USD.

The plans of the project include roughly 250 food retail points. The total area reserved for rent by food retailers is approximately 52,000 square meters, while total office space for rent is roughly 43,000 square meters.

The Tophane Square, whose landscape design is part of the project, will once again become a major square of İstanbul. With its two museums and total recreational area of 14,000 square meters, Galataport İstanbul will turn into a new center for arts and cultural life in the city. This area will mark the first museum square of İstanbul and transform into a living center with the various activities planned to run throughout the year.

A hotel with 177 rooms operated by one of the world’s major chains

Established in 1928 and operating only out of ten major distinguished locations in the world, the Peninsula Group headquartered in Hong Kong will open its hotel in Istanbul right across the historic peninsula, befitting its name. The Peninsula Group will not only be the operator, but also the 50% owner of the Peninsula İstanbul project and thereby make a major contribution to both Galataport İstanbul and the country’s tourism industry.

Employment for 5,000 individuals

With the many operational fields and investments within, Galataport İstanbul will make major contributions to the Turkish economy as well as the tourism industry. During its busiest phase, Galataport will offer employment to 5,000 individuals including the jobs offered by the contractors. Once fully operational, upon the opening of the cruise port, the cafes and restaurants offering guests local as well as international tastes, the shops housing domestic as well international brands, the hotel, offices and the high capacity car park, the project is expected to offer employment to approximately 4,500 individuals.