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Meyer Turku and university team up in sustainability project

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 21 April 2016 21 April 2016

Meyer Turku Ltd, the Finnish cruise ship builder, and the University of Turku have launched a research project which aims to increase the transparency regarding responsibility and sustainability in shipbuilding.

“The purpose is to strengthen the competitiveness of the Finnish shipbuilding sector and clear the way for sustainability-related business innovations,” the shipbuilder said in a statement.

In addition to Meyer Turku and the University of Turku, the SUSTIS project (Sustainability Transparency in Shipbuilding Networks) involves some of the key companies in the shipbuilding network and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland LTD.

The aim of this two-phased project is to create new ways for the Finnish shipbuilding industry to take a leading role in sustainable shipbuilding. Instead of focusing on the sustainability in ship’s operation, SUSTIS widens the scope to the whole process of ship’s lifecycle development . In addition to ship’s materials, SUSTIS targets also economical and social issues.

In essence, this project collects vast amount of sustainability information of materials and manufacturing processes from the supply chain. The idea is to explore the usability of sustainability arguments in shipbuilding and to generate new business based on the sustainability data. This all targets in securing the competitiveness of the Finnish shipbuilding industry.

"We are looking for ways to create sustainability-based added value for our customers. This will strengthen our competitiveness and creates more jobs within the industry," said Jaana Hänninen, Environmental Manager of Meyer Turku. The aim is to examine the whole lifecycle of the ship and to locate the most important factors from every phase to diminish the ship’s sustainability effect.

"Shipowners, consumers and environmental organisations all alike are more and more interested in the sustainability and environmental responsibility and effects to the environment of the cruise travel," Hänninen continued.

With the data gathered, the cruise ship builders can be compared according to the responsibility of their actions. The project goal is also to increase transparency by identifying the important sustainability indicators relevant to marine industry and by researching how this meticulously and systematically gathered information can be transferred between the actors in the shipbuilding value chain

"It is not only about the relevant information and its gathering from different sources but also presenting it for the customer in a comprehensible format. This kind of information can be for example the origins of the raw materials, level of recycling and the energy consumption of the process. Many of these things are already known by an individual company, but the information is not delivered to the end-customers because it is rarely requested," said Project Manager Kaapo Seppälä from the Technology Research Center of the University of Turku.

The project, funded by the FinnishFunding Agency for Innovation (Tekes) is two-phased. The first phase will continue to the end of year 2016. It aims to identify the customers’ key indicators of responsibility in shipyards’ and subcontractors’ activity and to pilot the transferability of this kind of data. If the results are encouraging, the second phase of the project will commence. Thereafter there are more companies joining the project and the aim is to systematise the data gathering and to open responsibility data to an open platform.

SUSTIS (Sustainability Transparency in Shipbuilding Networks) project partners are Meyer Turku Oy, and Technology Research Center, Centre for Collaborative Research and Finland Futures Research Centre from the University of Turku,. Also participating are SSAB Europe Oy, Naval Interior Team Oy, Piikkiö Works Oy and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd.

Lutoff-Perlo takes highest honors as The Commonwealth Institute of South Florida announces Florida’s top women-led businesses

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 20 April 2016 20 April 2016

This afternoon, in celebration of the achievements of women who hold leadership positions across Florida, The Commonwealth Institute of South Florida (TCI) honored the state’s top 50 women-led businesses at its 11th annual luncheon at Jungle Island. Celebrity Cruises’ president and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, who has led the modern luxury vacation brand since late 2014, took top honors: Lutoff-Perlo and Celebrity were named the number-one woman-led business in Florida for 2016.

“For the past eleven years, we have made it our objective to understand how so many smart, committed women run their companies, overcome challenges, and celebrate success, and then pass that inspiration onto every woman in the room,” says TCI’s executive director, Laurie Kaye Davis. “This event celebrates the achievements of these women and focuses on how they are leading the charge in companies across the state. Our top honoree, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, superbly exemplifies these qualities and we are thrilled to recognize her leadership."

Lutoff-Perlo is an accomplished leader who sets the bar high as an example of what an influential businesswoman personifies. Leading the helm at Celebrity Cruises, Lutoff-Perlo has been an agent of change in helping the company to make significant strides in building a luxury brand while setting new standards on diversity in its ranks. Whether challenging assumptions about the cruise industry with a bold new advertising campaign, raising the bar on diversity and inclusiveness by hiring the first American female cruise ship captain, changing the face of the cruising experience by introducing the industry-changing Solstice Class, or rallying young women to dream differently, she is a purposeful disruptor uncompromisingly committed to her core values.

To compile the ranked list, TCI sent a survey to over 4,000 women-led businesses, providing questions that revealed the companies’ successes and how they leverage their distinct attributes to advance professionally. Kaufman Rossin & Co. collected and analyzed the information, identifying the top 50 businesses as well as top 10 non-profits.

At the event, before the lists of Florida’s top women-led businesses and non-profits were revealed, Lutoff-Perlo joined three other leaders for a dynamic panel discussion about their individual paths to success and the business climate for female executives.

AmaWaterways names Brenda Kyllo Vice President of Strategic Alliances

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 20 April 2016 20 April 2016

AmaWaterways has announced that it has expanded its senior leadership team, naming Brenda Kyllo vice president of strategic alliances. Effective immediately, Kyllo will be responsible for developing new markets for AmaWaterways, as well as expanding the company’s relationships with the travel agent community in Canada and globally.

“AmaWaterways has a long-standing relationship with Brenda and she even served as Godmother of our beautiful AmaSonata in 2014, so we could not be more excited to officially welcome her to our family,” said Kristin Karst, Executive Vice President and Co-Owner of AmaWaterways. “Brenda shares our team’s passion for quality, innovation and service. She is going to be a terrific asset as we continue to grow into the future, helping open doors for AmaWaterways and solidify our presence in emerging markets.”

A seasoned professional with more than 30 years of experience across various segments of the travel industry, Kyllo has held leadership positions for Merit Travel Group in Toronto and others. Prior to joining AmaWaterways, she served as vice president of travel for the Canadian Automobile Association’s (CAA) national office in Ottawa. She also spent 26 years with Club Med, working her way through senior positions in Australia, Singapore, France and Montreal before becoming president and general manager of Club Med Canada.

“I’ve always been drawn to customer-centric organizations operating in the upscale or luxury sectors, and have been quite impressed by AmaWaterways over the years, admiring their focus on personal service, top quality food and wine and innovative design,” said Kyllo. “Rudi Schreiner and Kristin Karst have assembled remarkable sales, marketing and operations teams in Canada, the United States and Europe, and I am excited to have the opportunity to contribute to the continued growth of their brand.”

TUI to add two more ships in UK in three years

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 20 April 2016 20 April 2016

TUI, the Anglo-German travel company that is rebranding most of its units, will add two more shops in the next three years to its Thomson Cruises fleet in the UK after the introduction of TUI Discovery this summer.

“The introduction of TUI Discovery marks a new era for our cruise business in the UK which will continue with the introduction of two more TUI ships to the fleet over the next three years,” said Nick Longman, Managing Director of TUI UK & Ireland in a statement.

TUI Discovery is the former Splendour of the Seas of Royal Caribbean International and it will be followed in the UK next year by Mein Schiff 1 from the TUI Cruises fleet in Germany.

The third ship has not yet been named, but it could be Mein Schiff 2. Both of these ships were originally built for Celebrity Cruises, which is also part of the Royal Caribbean group.

TUI Cruises in Germany is 50/50 owned by TUI itself and Royal Caribbean. The UK cruise operation of TUI is called Thomson Cruises and it is fully owned by TUI.

However, TUI Cruises owns and manages TUI Discovery, while Thomson Cruises is in charge of its commercial operations. Thomson Cruises operates five ships, most of which are second generation ships from the 1980s that feature e.g. few balcony cabins.

Three of the five ships are operated on charter and TUI has stated that it wants to replace them with owned tonnage over time.

Carnival extends time in port in Cozumel

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 19 April 2016 19 April 2016

Carnival Cruise Line has extended the length of time its ships spend in Cozumel, Mexico, on more than 750 voyages, providing guests with even more opportunities to experience and explore one of the Caribbean’s most diverse vacation destinations.

On “Cozumel Plus” itineraries, guests now have access to a variety of new excursions, many taking place on Mexico’s mainland – with unforgettable tours like swimming with whale sharks, visiting centuries-old ruins and swimming in hidden caverns, just to name a few, complementing nearly 50 existing tours already available.

Carnival is kicking off its new Cozumel Plus itineraries with a special promotion offering a $25 per person shipboard credit that can be used toward shore excursions. The shipboard credit offer is available through April 22, 2016, when booking in combination with Carnival’s Early Saver rates.

Designated by a special notation on Carnival’s web site, Cozumel Plus itineraries are operated by 17 different Carnival ships offering more than 750 four- to eight-day cruises from six U.S. homeports along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico. Carnival Cruise Line offers the greatest variety of cruises to Cozumel than any other cruise operator, providing guests with unparalleled choice and convenience in their shore excursion options.

The additional time in port has enabled Carnival’s shore excursion experts to partner with local tour operators to create one-of-a-kind excursion offerings that allow guests to fully immerse themselves in Mexican culture and participate in truly unique landside experiences.

Cozumel Plus tours are up to eight hours in duration and include everything from extended, day-long tours visiting ancient Mayan ruins, including Chichen Itza – one of the Seven Wonders of the World dating back to 750 A.D. – to snorkeling the exquisite turquoise waters of Xel-Ha, a magnificent group of lagoons connected by a series of bridges.

On other excursions, guests can explore Mexico’s famed “secret river,” subterranean caverns connected by underground waterways with stunning natural rock formations that are millions of years old or participate in a seasonal excursion of swimming in open waters with whale sharks – gentle sea creatures measuring up to 40 feet in length and weighing up to 47,000 pounds.

Of course, the additional time in port provides guests with more time to check out Cozumel’s legendary white-sand beaches, excellent fishing, snorkeling and water sports, and unique shopping and dining opportunities.

Cruises visiting Cozumel dock at Puerta Maya, Carnival’s modern three-berth facility in Cozumel which, in addition to offering easy access to the various tours via an on-site transportation center, includes a variety of retail shops, boutiques and restaurants, enhancing guests’ on-shore experience.

“With magnificent beaches and interesting landmarks and historical sites, Cozumel is the Caribbean’s premier cruising region and our ‘Cozumel Plus’ itineraries provide our guests with a seemingly endless variety of new ways to explore this fascinating destination,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “These new itineraries provide our guests with the opportunity to create wonderful vacation memories and our travel agent partners an exciting cruise option to market to their clients.”