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AIDAprima to leave Hamburg for the Mediterranean winter 2017-18, AIDAcara to operate world cruise

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 16 September 2016 16 September 2016

AIDAprima, the largest ship in the fleet of AIDA Cruises, the German contemporary market unit in the Carnival Corporation & plc group, will be repositioned from Hamburg to the Mediterranean in the winter of 2017-18 and AIDAcara will operate the company’s first world cruise that same winter, the company said in a statement..

From November 2017, AIDAprima will tour the islands of the Canaries & Madeira. With this cruise option, AIDA is following the wishes of many guests to also be able to experience the youngest member of the fleet at other popular AIDA destinations.

The ports of departure and destination for the 7-day cruises on AIDAprima are Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Tenerife). In addition to Gran Canaria and Tenerife, AIDAprima will also call at Madeira, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote.

Before this, AIDAprima will cruise from Hamburg up to the end of October on destination for 7-day round trips London (from Southampton), Paris (from Le Havre), Brussels (from Zeebrugge) and Amsterdam. “The ice-skating season will be opened on board on 12 November, 2016. The sports weather deck on AIDAprima will then be transformed into a winter world, including mulled wine, also with a non-alcoholic variety,” the company said.

On 17 October, 2017, AIDAcara will start the copany’s first world cruise from Hamburg that will take it to 41 ports in 23 countries on 5 continents over a period of 116 days before returning on 10 February 2018.

From Hamburg, AIDAcara will set course for South America. Dream destinations such as Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego are just a few of the stops before traveling from Valparaiso (Chile) to the Easter Islands. The cruise then continues to Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora in the South Sea paradise of French Polynesia. Auckland (New Zealand), Sydney (Australia), “The Great Barrier Reef, Bali, Singapore and the Maldives will make every explorer’s heart skip a beat,” the company stated.

"Mauritius, Seychelles & Madagascar" programme on AIDAaura, will also be calling at Réunion Island. “On all four islands, AIDAaura guests will have time enough to discover the impressive flora and fauna as well as the different cultures on extensive onshore excursions as the ship will moor overnight in Mahé (Seychelles), Saint-Denis (Réunion) and Port Louis (Mauritius),” AIDA Cruises said. In Madagascar, AIDAaura will call at three different ports, Nosy Be, Antsiranana and Toamasina. The port of departure and destination for this 14-day cruise is Mauritius. Seven departure dates can be selected between November 2017 and February 2018.

Following the successful launch of AIDAprima, AIDA Cruises will welcome her identical sister ship, AIDAperla, as the 12th member of the fleet and from1 September 2017, it will set course for the Mediterranean on four different routes. The ports of departure and destination for the 7-day "Pearls of the Mediterranean 1 & 2" cruises are the capital of the Germans favorite island, Palma de Mallorca, and Barcelona. On these cruises, AIDAperla will visit the island of Corsica, Florence/Livorno and Rome/Civitavecchia in addition to Mallorca and Barcelona

Lovers of culture will be thrilled by the "Pearls of the Mediterranean 3 & 4" cruises. In addition to Florence/Livorno and Rome/ Civitavecchia, these also take guests to Marseille, where AIDAperla will moor overnight. The ports of departure and destination for this cruise are also Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona.

From September 2017, AIDAbella guests will be able to discover the Mediterranean on 10 or 11-day cruises between Palma de Mallorca and Venice, also calling at Cagliari/Sardinia, Palermo/Sicily, Valetta/Malta, Corfu and Croatia (Dubrovnik & Split), for example.

From 22 October 2017 AIDAbella will cast off to take her guests on two 7-day and one 10-day Adriatic cruise from Venice. On 15 November 2017, AIDAbella will set course for Bangkok via Dubai. During the 2017-18 winter season, the Thai capital will be the port of departure and destination for the 14-day "Thailand, Malaysia & Singapore 1+2" cruises.

After the end of the current Southeast Asia season, AIDAbella will travel from Shanghai back to Europe in the coming spring, taking three exceptional routes. "From China to Singapore" in 16 days (04.03-04.19.2017), calling metropolises such as Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh and Singapore as well as the exotic beaches on Hainan in China and the Vietnamese coastal city of Da Nang. An AIDA premiere is the fabulous Ha Long Bay in Northern Vietnam.

The journey continues for a further 18 days "From Singapore to Dubai" (04.19-05.07.2017), with the stops including Malaysia, the Maldives, India and Oman.

TUI appoints Richard Sofer Managing Director of Thomson Cruises

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 September 2016 15 September 2016

TUI UK & Ireland, part of the Anglo-German travel group TUI AG, has appointment Richard Sofer is the new Managing Director of its Thomson Cruises unit. He will start with immediate effect in his new position, the company said in a statement.

Sofer joins from GLH Hotels, with his most recent role being Chief Executive of Thistle & every hotels.

Reporting to TUI UK and Ireland’s Distribution and Cruise Director Helen Caron, Sofer will drive the performance of the Thomson Cruise business and deliver the modernisation plan, which will see three ships join the fleet in the next three years.

“Richard will lead the cruise team during the next stage of our modernisation strategy, with a focus on continually improving the customer experience delivering tailored and contemporary end-to-end experiences for our customers,” Caron said.

Roberto Martinoli appointed CEO of Silversea Cruises

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 13 September 2016 13 September 2016

Silversea Cruises, the Monaco based luxury cruise line, has announced the appointment of Roberto Martinoli as Chief Executive, effective from 19 September.

Martinoli, Board Member of Silversea since 2013, becomes CEO after an extensive, and successful career in the cruise and shipping industry, “Roberto is a dedicated professional with a long track record of driving great companies to even higher heights. I am certain that he will be instrumental in pushing Silversea Cruises to consistently deliver unrivalled levels of luxury, service and business performance,” said Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, Executive Chairman of Silversea Cruises.

“I have known Manfredi for many years as a peer and a colleague, I have worked closely with the Silversea team in my role as a Board member for the past 4 years, and I am excited to have been given the opportunity to further develop my relationship with this fantastic brand as it enters this new phase of growth,” said Martinoli.

Based in the company’s headquarters in Monaco, he will report directly to Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, Executive Chairman of Silversea Cruises. Martinoli replaces Enzo Visone as CEO.

Australian chef Mark Best to have restaurant on Genting Dream

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 13 September 2016 13 September 2016

Internationally-acclaimed Australian chef Mark Best brings culinary artistry to the table for diners of Genting Dream, the first vessel of Genting Hong Kong’s new Asia-Pacific focused premium market line Dream Cruises, with the announcement of his first restaurant at sea.

“With menus featuring contemporary Western cuisine, ‘Bistro’ promises Dream Cruises guests an inspired dining experience from a chef who has garnered international recognition for an uncompromising approach that has propelled him to the forefront of the culinary world,” the company said in a statement.

A recognised champion and advocate of the highest-quality Australian, farm-grown and reared produce, Chef Best promises an amalgam of Western and Asian-inspired ingredients and flavours. Bistro’s menu will focus on small producer-sourced Australian beef, lamb, river fish and the freshest seafood.

“Chef Best is universally recognised for his critically-acclaimed Sydney-based restaurant ‘Marque’, followed by further success with Pei Modern in Melbourne and Sydney. His cooking is world-renowned and he is among a distinguished few to achieve 19/20 in the Good Food Guide, an independent, anonymous and unbiased annual restaurant guide published by the Sydney Morning Herald,” Dream Cruises said.

The 219-seat ‘Bistro’ restaurant, which includes a 54-seat ‘Grill’ outdoor seating area and a select 8-seat ‘Chef’s Table’ in a private room, will serve a selection of Chef Best’s inspired Western dishes, together with the finest selection of wines. Guests will enjoy the opportunity to sample delectable wine pairing menus, a widely-acclaimed signature feature of Chef Best’s restaurants.

SMM closed with upbeat note

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 12 September 2016 12 September 2016

The 27th SMM exhibition closed in Hamburg on 9 September on an upbeat note despite the difficult trading conditions that many sectors of the shipping and wider maritime sectors are facing, the organisers said in a closing report.

“The overwhelming turnout is proof of a general sense of anticipation that was palpable during the four days of the fair, as well,” said Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH., in the report.

Uwe Beckmeyer, Parliamentary Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, and Federal Government Coordinator for the Maritime Industry, emphasised the importance of SMM as an innovation driver: “SMM is a very special platform. The world loves to gather here for this event,” he said.

Digitalisation had been chosen as one of the main topics for SMM 2016. “SMM is the first maritime trade fair globally to turn the spotlight on “Industry 4.0”. This theme harbours enormous potential for the shipping industry,” said Dr Alexander Nürnberg, Chairman of the Board of the Marine Equipment and Systems working group at the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA), and Managing Director of MacGregor Hatlapa.

Another major topic addressed by this year’s event was Green Propulsion. The fair organisers had erected a dedicated, 3,500 square metre exhibition hall to feature relevant products and services. “This special hall provided an optimal setting for us to showcase our competencies as a specialist for hybrid and fully electric propulsion systems," said Andreas Baumüller, Managing Director of Baumüller Group. The new hall had been completely booked several weeks ahead of the beginning of the fair.

“What hasn’t changed is that business deals are made between people. Here at SMM everything is very personal, walking distances are short, and you can look your partner in the eyes,” said Manfred Urban, Managing Director of Mecklenburger Metallguss GmbH.

This year again, many business deals were signed at the exhibition stands. To give a few examples, Meyer Werft signed a billion-dollar contract for three LNG-powered cruise ships with Carnival Corporation & plc.

Siemens will equip the first cruise ship of the British shipowning company Saga Cruises with the SISHIP eSiPOD propulsion system. MTU will supply four gas engines for two new, 70-metre aluminium catamarans of the Dutch owner Doeksen, the report concluded.