Norwegian Bliss becomes the largest cruise ship to transit Panama Canal

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 14 May 2018 14 May 2018

The Panama Canal today welcomed the Norwegian Bliss, the largest passenger vessel to ever transit the waterway.

“The Panama Canal is proud to welcome the Norwegian Bliss and recognizes that this distinct milestone is made possible by the Canal Expansion, as well as the experience and efforts gained in the two years since its inauguration,” said Deputy Canal Administrator Manuel Benítez.

The Norwegian Bliss left Germany’s Meyer Werft shipyard in March to begin a 15-day itinerary this month, sailing from Miami, Florida through the Panama Canal and up along the west coast of Central and North America before reaching its final destination at the Port of Los Angeles in California. The ship will then service the Alaska region until the end of the cruise season, after which it will be repositioned in the Caribbean.

“We are very proud to help the Panama Canal close out the season with the crossing of our highly-anticipated ship, Norwegian Bliss,” said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. “As she makes her way to Seattle, we are excited for this sixteenth ship in our young and modern fleet to begin welcoming guests and providing them with the stand-out service, dining, entertainment and amenities for which we are recognized.”

For the Panama Canal, May 24 marks the unofficial end to the 2017-18 cruise season when it will transit the Pacific Princess, operated by Princess Cruises, as part of a 17-day voyage from Los Angeles, California to its final destination at the port of Fort Lauderdale.

The Canal’s international trade specialist Albano Aguilar commented on the waterway’s successful season. “By the end of its cruise season, the Panama Canal will have transited a total 248 passenger ships with a total of 312,304 passengers onboard,” explained Aguilar. “Of this, a total of 20 cruises will be Neopanamax vessels, including the Caribbean Princess, Carnival Freedom, Carnival Splendor, Norwegian Bliss and Disney Wonder – all able to transit the waterway thanks to the Expansion of the Canal.”

Smaller ships such as the Safari Voyager and the Wind Star also contributed to total transits. These vessels, with itineraries of eight and 11 days, respectively, visited ports located on the west coast of the Central American isthmus. Additionally, the Panama Canal received passenger ships that were not expected to transit, such as Le Boreal and Logos Hope.

Through the end of the season, renowned cruise lines such as Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line, among others, will continue offering itineraries for complete and partial transits, the last of which include Panama City and the interoceanic route, in particular, as destinations.

Fincantieri floats out Viking Jupiter in Ancona

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 10 May 2018 10 May 2018

Viking Jupiter, the sixth ocean cruise ship which Fincantieri is building for Viking, was floated out today at the shipyard in Ancona. Interior fittings will now begin, leading the vessel to its delivery, scheduled in 2019.

The float out was introduced by the traditional and well-wishing coin ceremony, consisting, according to an ancient maritime tradition, in welding a silver dollar on the top deck of the ship. Godmother of the ceremony was Sissel Kyrkjebø, the accomplished Norwegian singer.

The ceremony was attended for the shipowner by Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking, while Fincantieri was represented by Giovanni Stecconi, director of the shipyard.

The unit will be placed in the small cruise ship segment. As its sister ships, it will have a gross tonnage of about 47,800 tons, 465 cabins with accommodation for 930 passengers.

The Viking units are all built according to the latest navigation regulations and equipped with the most modern safety systems, including the “Safe return to port”. Furthermore, they feature the most advanced technologies for energy saving and for meeting the strictest environmental regulations with energy-efficient engines and an exhaust gas cleaning system.

The first of the series, Viking Star, has been built at the shipyard in Marghera and delivered in 2015. The other units, Viking Sea, Viking Sky and Viking Sun, which joined the shipowner’s fleet in 2016 and 2017, were all built at the Ancona yard, as the fifth ship, Viking Orion, which will be completed within the next few weeks. Other 10 units, including the one launched today, will take to the sea from the Group’s Italian yards between 2019 and 2027, while recently Fincantieri’s subsidiary, VARD, signed a letter of intent for the design and construction of two special cruise vessels to be built in its Norwegian yards, thus witnessing the bond of trust between the Fincantieri Group and the shipowner.

Silver Spirit emerges from the drydock 49 feet longer

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 09 May 2018 09 May 2018

On May 3, Silversea’s Silver Spirit left Fincantieri Shipyard in Palermo 49 feet longer, following the completion of a complex lengthening and refurbishment project. Having been cut in half, lengthened with the insertion of a pre-built section, and renovated extensively, Silver Spirit was greatly enhanced and has now embarked upon her inaugural voyage, which departed amid jubilation from Civitavecchia (Rome) on May 6.

Silver Spirit’s 59-day dry dock period ran with precision and according to its schedule, with roughly 1,000 skilled workers committing approximately 450,000 hours to ensure the lengthening’s punctual completion. With the aim of amplifying guests’ onboard experience in line with the successful design of Silversea’s flagship, Silver Muse, the lengthening project has brought the ship to an exceptional standard: among other improvements, stylish décor enhancements have brought superlative comfort and a sense of spaciousness to public areas and suites; the ship’s pool deck has been enlarged; a new eight-restaurant arrangement has increased dining options, with the introduction of Spaccanapoli, Silver Note, Atlantide, and Indochine, as well as the renovation of La Terrazza; and a number of new amenities have upgraded the onboard offering, including the Arts Café, Tor’s Observation Library, the Zagara Spa, the Panorama Lounge, and the chic Dolce Vita lounge.

Silversea is celebrating Silver Spirit’s maiden voyage with a number of onboard enrichments to mark the momentous occasion in the memories of guests. Bound for Barcelona, the inaugural itinerary is the first in a varied series of European voyages. In September, Silver Spirit will cross to North America, where she will remain until November. From then, she will welcome guests in the Caribbean.

“I appreciate the complexity of this feat of engineering,” comments Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, Silversea’s Chairman. “As such, I am extremely proud of the amazing job my team and Fincantieri have done. Our beloved Silver Spirit resumes service in a condition that is even more beautiful than before.”

Meyer Turku 2017 profit climbs to €32.2 million

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 09 May 2018 09 May 2018

Meyer Turku, the privately owned Finnish builder of cruise ships, has reported a rise in 2017 net profit to €32.2 million from €26.2 million in the previous year. Revenues rose to €807.7 million from €787.5 million.

The company is in the middle of a €200 million investment programme that includes a 1,200 ton lifting capacity gantry crane.

“ These good figures help us to prepare ourselves for the years to come and to increasingly tightening international competition,” CEO Jan Meyer said in a statement.

“We will be using operating profit to finance our big investments. By these investments we are building the Turku shipyard into a modern factory to assemble ships, we train our staff and further strengthen our team of shipbuilders,” he continued.