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Reorganised Lloyd Werft "well booked into October" after successful 2013

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 04 April 2014 04 April 2014

The Lloyd Werft group in Bremerhaven, Germany, is well booked into October and the reorganisation of the business of what were previously three separate companies into one has worked well, said Rüdiger Pallentin and Carsten J. Haake, joint chairmen of Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven AG in a statement.

"We are already well-booked until October," Rüdiger Pallentin said. In that, however, it is not just the actual number of ships which called for repair and overhaul at Lloyd Werft that has determined the positive situation. Rather it is the intrinsic value content of the contracts themselves that has contributed most to increased Lloyd Werft profits. The first year of a new work division concept within the Kaiserhafen shipyard alliance has also brought further positive results.

Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven, German Dry Docks and MWB Motorenwerke Bremerhaven – out of the three formerly competing facilities a single shipbuilding family has now emerged, whose members complement each other in terms of work, specialisations and capabilities. Rüdiger Pallentin is satisfied with 2013 results as far as Lloyd Werft is concerned and is happy with "the very good work load" in the yard’s hub skill sectors of shipbuilding, pipe-work and engineering. He also has praise for the Kaiserhafen alliance which has, he says, had "a positive effect" on the jobs of about 600 employees in the three companies and has ensured that all six dry and floating docks at Lloyd Werft and German Dry Docks have been well occupied and remain in demand.

Pallentin says the "cross-company utilization" of employees has also been one of the positive results of the new Kaiserhafen shipyard alliance in Bremerhaven. As part of that, Lloyd Werft and its currently 330 employees intend in future to "concentrate even more" on the oil and gas business, he reveals. "We will further expand this very innovative, labour intensive and also challenging sector of specialised shipbuilding and intensify our efforts to acquire new orders", he says. Part of this intensification will also involve "expanding and underscoring" co-operation with the MWB Motorenwerke Bremerhaven to further strengthen the utilisation of that company’s engine expertise.

Despite the satisfactory 2013 review and the positive outlook at the start of the New Year, Lloyd Werft as yet still sees no sign whatsoever of the long-hoped-for silver lining on the German shipbuilding horizon. "Even though we are quite satisfied with our results and with short-term prospects, unfortunately that does not mean that a turning point is in sight.

"So we need to do even more to bring orders into the yard and to hone our profile using traditional competencies like innovation, know-how, flexibility and engineering skills", says Pallentin. He believes these are the main tasks facing Bremerhaven’s Kaiserhafen in the near future.

Nearly 160 years of shipbuilding have laid the foundation for Lloyd Werft’s new priorities. The repair and conversion of cruise ships, an internationally acclaimed brand feature of the yard for many years, will continue to be part of the profile. Above all however the future will be stamped by the dedicated expansion of the yard’s ability to build or convert special ships for the oil and gas business, by entering the deep-sea construction market with the building of a new pipe-layer, or by introducing new skills in the repair or completion of offshore installation vessels for wind farms.

One long-term contract is the complicated conversion currently of two former offshore platform supply ships into specialised vessels designed to revitalise low-performance oil sources. Rüdiger Pallentin says the conversions of "Island Centurion" and "Island Captain", each 93 m long and 20 m wide "demand high levels of competence – and that’s just the way we like it".

Lloyd Werft hopes to diversify its profile even further with the 33,000 gross ton, 199.4 m long and 32.2 m wide "Ceona Amazon". The hull of that new ship is being built elsewhere for the yard, something that has now become routine procedure at Lloyd Werft. It is being towed to Bremerhaven in a few weeks time for completion.

Lloyd Werft is meanwhile following a similar path with a 139 m long, 38 m wide offshore installation jack-up vessel built at Sietas Werft in Hamburg and now being completed in Bremerhaven. The newbuilding is being fitted with its four legs at a berth specially built for the job. It is work which the yard has already carried out on other offshore installation vessels and which serves to reinforce Lloyd Werft’s intention to remain part of the offshore business sector in the future.

2013 was also a good year for cruise liners. Lloyd Werft has made positive headlines with such ships often enough in the past, pointing up its traditional know-how, flexibility and deadline reliability. Skills such as these are of enormous importance to operators on a cruise shipping market dominated by tight schedules, the company said.

Tillberg Design of Sweden celebrates 50 years of successful design enterprise this year.

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 04 April 2014 04 April 2014

Tillberg Design, the Swedish interior design specialist company, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

"Robert Tillberg made his breakthrough in 1964 with the interiors for Swedish America Line's flagship Kungsholm, which led to a number of prestigious projects during the early years of the cruise industry. About half the current design team have worked directly under Robert Tillberg, and eagerly keeps up his passion for design, reliable service and endless creativity," the company said in a statement.

"The rapidly growing reference list boasts approximately 150 different marine design projects - large and small. Tillberg Design of Sweden is thereby firmly established as one of the worlds leading names in it's field of cruise ship, ferry and yacht design, but is also rapidly gaining ground in designing for the hotel, leisure and retail industry. The company has a solid and highly experienced management core, paired with a wealth of new and fresh design talents."

"The management wishes to extend a heartfelt Thank You to all clients, associates and friends for all the years that have passed, and for all the exciting ongoing prospects that makes the future of our business look brighter than ever!"

Fitness convention on Mein Schiff 3 in June 2015

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 03 April 2014 03 April 2014

Mein Schiff 3, first of the two 99,300 gross ton newbuildings of TUI Cruises, the Hamburg based premium market cruise shipping company, will host a fitness convention in June next year, the company said in a statement.

The programme will consist of presentations on aerobics, step, dance, functional training and Pilates plus body art. In addition, aquatic activities will take place in the ship’s 25 metre pool.

The cruise will run from 7 to 14 June 2015 and as a highlight, the female boxing champion Regina Halmich will demonstrate Fit-Bo training.

Princess appoints Anthony Kaufman Senior Vice President of Asia Operations

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 02 April 2014 02 April 2014

Anthony Kaufman has been appointed by Carnival plc to the new position of senior vice president, Asia operations for the Princess Cruises brand. In this newly created role, Kaufman will oversee multiple sales and marketing teams throughout Asia that are focused on growing the Princess brand throughout the region and supporting the brand’s itineraries in China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore. In addition, he will continue to develop Princess Cruises’ strong relationships with government authorities, industry associations and business partners in the region. He will also facilitate coordination with the many operating departments that support Princess’ growing Asia deployment.

Previously Princess’ senior vice president of commercial affairs, Kaufman will now focus on the company’s new program to base ships in both the Japan and China cruise markets. In Japan, the Princess brand is entering its second year with two ships based in three homeports. New this year, one Princess ship will be based in Shanghai to introduce a brand-new premium “Princess Class” cruise experience to the China vacation market, and will then move to homeport in Singapore to offer a series of cruises in the Southeast Asia region.

“Tony’s appointment will provide a single point of focus as we continue to expand in Asia,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. “He brings to this role more than 20 years of experience with Princess, and his extensive commercial experience, coupled with his strong relationship and leadership skills, will harness the great work happening across our growing Asia teams.”

Kaufman’s background includes a variety of positions at Princess including onboard revenue, shore operations, supply chain, newbuild contracting, and legal, among others. He joined Princess in 1993 as assistant general counsel and director of business affairs. In 2000, Kaufman was appointed general counsel of Princess’ then-parent company, P&O Princess Cruises plc, based in London. In 2003, he returned to Princess Cruises’ headquarters in California to take on his role in commercial affairs.

Kaufman will be based in the company’s Santa Clarita, California headquarters office.

He holds a B.A. degree in communication studies from UCLA and a law degree, cum laude, from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles, where he was an editor of the Loyola Law Review.

MSC Cruises takes first payment via Paypal in UK

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 02 April 2014 02 April 2014

MSC Cruises, the Geneva based cruise company, said it today took its first deposit using the online payment system Paypal.

"The system will now make it even easier to book cruises as holidaymakers can speed through the booking process in just a few clicks. At checkout, guests will be redirected to the Paypal website where they will be able to complete their reservation quickly and securely," the company's London office said in a statement.

Paypal safely stores all personal and financial information behind a single, secure login. It safeguards card and bank details, enabling users to pay online without having to enter sensitive financial information each time.

Giles Hawke, Executive Director the UK, Ireland and Australia commented, “This is great news for MSC Cruises asit is now even easier to book with us. MSC Cruises are constantly looking at ways to make life easier for our customers and we recognisethat people’s buying habits are changing. A number of customers have come to trust PayPal as a secure way of transacting on line and we are certain that this new way of paying will appeal tothose regular internet shoppers.”