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Fincantieri cuts steel for Windstar's $250 million Star Plus Initiative

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 03 April 2019 03 April 2019

At Fincantieri’s shipyard “Arsenale Triestino San Marco”, in Trieste, Italy, John Gunner, Vice President of Expansion Projects for Seattle-based Windstar Cruises, pushed the button which activated the torch to make the first cut in the new steel that will become the first of three new ships sections as part of Windstar’s $250 Million Star Plus Initiative.

The $250 Million Star Plus Initiative is the most complex and comprehensive small ship lengthening, engine replacement, and renovation project undertaken in cruising. Windstar will take half of its entire fleet – Star Breeze, Star Legend, and Star Pride – and renovate each ship in succession. The work on the first of the three ships begins on Star Breeze in October 2019 and shall end with the departure of the Star Pride from the yard in November 2020. This steel cutting marks the beginning of true project construction. The popular ships will be cut in half to allow the installation of a new stepped mid-body section that will lengthen each vessel by approximately 25 meters. The total capacity of the “new” expanded ships will be 312 guests, and additional staff will be hired in order to maintain the line’s impressive 1.5 to 1 guest to service staff ratio.

The new sections will be built in Trieste and then will be transported south by barge to the Fincantieri yard in Palermo Sicily, Italy to be inserted into the Windstar ships along with the new engines. The timeline requires the new sections to be fabricated from April through September, shipped in October, and then inserted into Star Breeze so that she can be completed in time for her arrival for re-inaugural activities at the port of Miami on March 19, 2020.

The extension and modernization project is being performed by the Ship Repair & Conversion part of the Services Division of Fincantieri, one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups and number one for diversification and innovation that has built 89 cruise ships from 1990 to today with 54 new ships currently being designed or built in the group’s yards. The company also has a deeply rooted experience in cruise ship conversion, which consolidates its leadership in this highly specialized naval transformation sector.

The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry in New York, led by Ray Chung, Director of Design, has been tasked with creating modern and inviting design aesthetics for the new public spaces and 50 new suites. In addition to new suites, there will be a new pool area, restaurants, a spa & wellness center, and enhanced “living room deck space.”

Gunner pointed out, “This is not about just cutting a ship in half and making it bigger. We are replacing the engines and ‘back of house’ too, so that these ships deliver on their promise of visiting smaller ports and special waterways of the world with a softer environmental footprint for generations to come”.

Andrew Toso, Vice President Ship Repair and Conversion of the Fincantieri Services Division, stated, “The considerable experience gained with major naval projects undertaken over recent years, and the Windstar program that we are officially starting, consolidates Fincantieri’s position as the reference point worldwide for this kind of highly sophisticated and complex operations. We are very proud that Windstar, a prestigious new client for our company, has chosen us for these strategic works which will require an extremely high level of engineering competence and project management“.

Reservations can be made for cruises aboard the post-Star Plus Initiative Star Breeze and Star Legend, including Star Breeze’s Colors of Key West & Central America 10-day voyage from Miami to Colón, Panama on March 20, 2020;sailing from Miami will be a first for the Seattle-based company.

A-ROSA signs contract with Concordia Damen for river cruise vessel

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 03 April 2019 03 April 2019

River Cruise specialist A-ROSA has signed a contract with Concordia Damen for a newbuild River Cruise Vessel. The new ship, which will be delivered spring 2021, will operate in the northern Rhine region, including trips from Cologne to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Bruges. The innovative River Cruise vessel will take A-ROSA’s city trip concept to the next level of leisure and sustainability.

“With this we will usher in a new era of travel that offers the perfect blend of experience and relaxation. With a length of 135 metres, a width of 17.7 metres and a fourth deck, it offers more space, not only to meet the expectations of our clients, but to exceed them. With Concordia Damen we have found the ideal partner for this project because it is a traditional, and at the same time, innovative shipyard that stands for quality and reliability,” said Jörg Eichler, managing director of A-ROSA.

In total, the vessel will present 140 cabins, including two-person cabins (21m2) with a balcony and separate living and sleeping areas.

To cater for the entire family, the vessel will feature a number of generous family cabins, 28m2. On the sun deck, next to a large, adult swimming pool, will be a smaller, children’s pool with shallow water. The design also features a separate children’s eating area in the restaurant so young guests can dine with their friends.

For adult guests, in addition to a high quality restaurant serving five course meals, there will be a spa and wellness area with sauna, whirlpool, ice grotto, heat bench and treatment rooms.

The staff receive their own generously spaced cabins along with, for the first time, their own rest and relaxation area where they can unwind before and after working hours.

Concordia Damen Managing Director Simon Provoost said, “Concordia Damen has invested time and energy into the river cruise market since the beginning of our joint venture and we are delighted that this has led to a contract with A-ROSA. Our work on innovations such as zero emissions battery propulsion, hull optimisation and air lubrication finds a natural resonance with such a forward thinking client. We fully understand A-ROSA’s philosophy in building this new type of river cruise vessel with increased passenger entertainment and we are looking forward to applying our knowledge and skills to the challenges presented. I’d like to extend my gratitude to A-ROSA for placing their trust in Concordia Damen to build this vessel and to assure them we will be putting every effort into realising a successful project for them.”

SVP sales & marketing Damen Cruise Andrea Trevisan said, “We are extremely happy to be welcoming a prestigious client like A-ROSA with the first River Cruise contract by the Damen Shipyards Group. The contract is another example of the cohesive proposition of Damen Cruise to the industry with newbuilding of both ocean and river-going cruise ships and its dedicated maintenance and upgrade services.”

Concordia Damen is grateful to A-ROSA for the trust it has placed in the yard and is looking forward to putting its energy into the realisation of a successful project.

Kongsberg completes Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine acquisition

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 02 April 2019 02 April 2019

Following European Commission approval, Kongsberg Maritime parent company Kongsberg Gruppen has today completed the acquisition of Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine (RRCM). Officially part of Kongsberg Maritime, RRCM will operate under the Kongsberg brand and the Kongsberg Maritime legal entity.

Kongsberg Gruppen announced its intention to acquire RRCM, an established and trusted global supplier of maritime technology and engineering products, in July 2018. With the unification of Kongsberg Maritime and RRCM, Kongsberg is represented in 40 countries, has more than 11,000 employees and an annual turnover of more than NOK 22 billion. A fleet of more than 30,000 vessels depends on the organisation’s combined expertise.

“I have looked forward to this day for a long time. Together we are now well positioned in the market and our ambition is to lead the development of the future maritime industry globally in close cooperation with customers and partners. We shall be the ocean space expert. We have spent a long-time planning and preparing, now the work of ensuring a successful integration begins,” says Geir Håøy, CEO of Kongsberg.

With RRCM, Kongsberg Maritime expands its global presence and customer proximity, supporting, empowering more sustainable, safe and secure marine operations for all vessel types through cutting-edge operational technology including automation, navigation and control systems. RRCM’s expertise also strengthens Kongsberg’s leadership in maritime digitalisation, ship intelligence and enabling technologies for autonomous vessels.

“Our goal is to further develop our track record of innovation and dedication in helping our customers meet the evolving challenges of the maritime industry be it through cutting-edge autonomy and digital solutions or highly reliable power and propulsion systems,” said Bård Bjørløw, EVP Global Sales and Marketing, Kongsberg Maritime.

“As we continue to create new future-proof answers to today’s challenges, we’re confident that that integration possibilities of the next generation of The Full Picture will unlock new efficiencies and contribute to sustainability," adds Bård Bjørløw.

“I am looking forward to welcoming 3,600 highly skilled new colleagues. Together we will work for a fast and smooth integration of people, cultures, products, solutions and innovative work. Through world-class technology, customer focus, the power to innovate and the willingness to change, we will deliver the results we have promised,” adds President of Kongsberg Maritime Egil Haugsdal.

Meyer Werft and Saga Cruises cuts steel for Spirit of Adventure

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 March 2019 29 March 2019

Construction work has begun at Meyer Werft in Papenburg on the second new ship for the British shipping company Saga Cruises. On March 27, the shipyard started its steel-cutting process for Spirit of Adventure. The second new build for Saga Cruises is to be delivered in summer 2020.

The teams of Saga Cruises and Meyer Werft pressed the start button on the computer-operated cutting machine that will process the first sheets of steel for the new ship. This marked the start of the ship’s production.

Like her sister ship Spirit of Discovery, Spirit of Adventure will be constructed in Building Dock I. It also means three cruise ships will now be delivered to various customers in 2019 and 2020 by Meyer Werft.

The Spirit of Adventure is the second ship for the successful British cruise line. The ships each have an overall length of 236 metres, a width of 31.2 metres and a tonnage measurement of 58,250 gross tons. 999 passengers can be accommodated.

The new ships will be tailored to the British market with a completely new design to make them stand out in every port, and their interior design and technology will set new standards.

Low oil pressure likely cause of Viking Sky engine failure -NMA

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 27 March 2019 27 March 2019

Low oil pressure has emerged as the likely cause behind an engine failure on Viking Ocean Cruises’ 2017 built Viking Sky on Saturday off the coast of Norway, Sjofartsdirektoratet (the Norwegian Maritime Authority - NMA) said in a statement.

“For the present, our conclusion is that the engine failure was directly caused by low oil pressure. The level of lubricating oil in the tanks was within set limits, however relatively low, when the vessel started to cross Hustadvika,” NMA said.

“The tanks were provided with level alarms, however these had not been triggered at this time. The heavy seas in Hustadvika probably caused movements in the tanks so large that the supply to the lubricating oil pumps stopped. This triggered an alarm indicating a low level of lubrication oil, which in turn shortly thereafter caused an automatic shutdown of the engines,” NMA said.

The NMA said it has drawn up a general safety notice about ensuring a continuous supply of lubricating oil to engines and other critical systems in poor weather conditions. “This should be done in cooperation with the engine supplier and, moreover, be included in the ship’s risk assessments in the safety management system,” it noted.

Viking Ocean Cruises said in the same statement: “We welcome the prompt and efficient investigation carried out by the NMA and we fully understand and acknowledge their findings. We have inspected the levels on all our sister ships and are now revising our procedures to ensure that this issue could not be repeated. We will continue to work with our partners and the regulatory bodies in supporting them with the ongoing investigations.”

NMA said it is in a continuous dialogue with the company and classification society, and this cooperation has been successful. “We will follow up the ongoing work to rectify damages on vessels. Furthermore, we will continue the constructive dialogue with the classification society, company and the Accident Investigation Board Norway in order to reveal underlying causes and identify appropriate measures,” it said.

The 47,842 gross ton Viking Sky is under technical management of Wilhelmsen Ship Management, which is part of Wilh. Wilhelmsen Holding ASA group in Norway, the last named company says on its website.