Top Headlines

MSC Cruises suspends calls at Turkish ports after Istanbul terrorist attack on 17 January

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 20 January 2016 20 January 2016

MSC Cruises, the Swiss-based world’s fourth largest cruise line announced today that it has decided to suspend its calls in Turkish ports until further notice.

The decision will impact MSC Magnifica’s itinerary as the ship will be based out of Venice, Italy as of 26 March. "The weekly calls in the cities of Istanbul and Izmir from 29 March 2016 will, for the time being, be replaced by calls in the Greek capital – Athens – and on Mykonos, one of the most popular and glamorous Greek isles," MSC Cruises said.

“This decision was taken by the Company amid growing concerns by guests as a result of the recent tragic events in Istanbul,” the company said in a statement. Ten people were killed at the suicide bomb attack on 17 January.

48th MedCruise General Assembly to be held in Odessa

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 19 January 2016 19 January 2016

Alan Lam reports

The next MedCruise General Assembly will be held on 22-25 June 2016 in Odessa, Ukraine.

This will be the 48th edition of the assembly, which will be the occasion to celebrate of the 20 years of the organisation.

During the four-day gathering, which is held twice a year and at six-monthly intervals, MedCruise port and associated member representatives, together with the press and other cruise industry guests will discuss issues and the latest developments in the sector, as well as debating the implications and prospects of cruising in the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas.

In line with the MedCruise tradition, the assembly will offer opportunities for B2B meetings, local excursions and interactive workshops with cruise line executives.

MedCruise is also known for its excellent research and cruise market reports. At each assembly the latest sets of performance figures and forecasts are presented and scrutinised.

One of the main aims of this extensive cruise industry association, as with others, is to explore growth opportunities through promoting cooperation.

As before, Cruise Business Review will be attending and reporting directly from it.

Scenic orders luxury yacht cruise ship at Uljanik in Croatia

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 17 January 2016 17 January 2016

Scenic, the Australian river cruise specialist, says it is entering the ocean cruise market with the launch of ultra-luxury Scenic Eclipse in August 2018.

The 16,000 gross ton vessel that will be built at the Uljanik shipyard in Croatia, will be 165 metres in length. It will have two main engine rooms in two separate fire zones and the same arrangement is repeated it vital functions, such as food storage and preparation and navigation.

The all-suite ship, which looks more like a billionaire's yacht than a cruise ship, will have an ice-strengthened hull, twin helicopters, an aft marina with a fleet of Zodiacs and a seven-person submarine. The cabins will range in size from 32 sqm to an owner suite of 233 sqm, the company said in a video presentation.

Scenic has an option on a second sister vessel, which would launch in June 2019.

Scenic is describing the vessel as the "world's first discovery yacht;" it will have the highest ice-class rating -- 1A Super -- allowing it to operate deep into the Arctic and Antarctica, where it will spend three months of the year.

The passenger numbers will be limited to 200 during polar expeditions, allowing several landings per day for passengers. The helicopters, which will carry an extra charge to hire, will allow passengers to get closer to the wildlife than by boat. The same with the submarine, which will also carry an additional charge. Otherwise, the vessel will be all-inclusive of tips, shore excursions, all dining venues, scuba diving and snorkeling, all drinks and Wi-Fi, CruiseCritic reports.

The ship will have an almost 1:1 staff to passenger-to-crew ratio and each suite will have a butler. Other features include:

six restaurants, including pan-Asian, French Italian and a steakhouse

four bars and lounges;

a 240-seat theater;

a heated pool with a retractable roof;

a 450 sqm spa with indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis and plunge pools;

a gym with separate yoga and Pilates studio;

The ship will also have "zero speed stabiliser fins," which are 50% larger than typical on a ship of this size, which allow it to navigate in rougher conditions than other ships of its size and which will also work when the ship is stationary. Such stabilisers are only fitted in the largest megayachts, the company said in a video presentation.

Karen Moroney, the wife of the owner of the line, Glen Moroney, will design the interiors.Scenic Eclipse's maiden voyage begins 31 August, 2018, from Istanbul to Venice. Then it sails to Canada via Iceland and onto the Arctic, before heading to the British Isles, across the Atlantic to the Caribbean, including Cuba, then down the Chilean fjords and onto Antarctica, CruiseCritic reports on its website.

Fire hits AIDAprima at Nagasaki shipyard - reports

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 12 January 2016 12 January 2016

A fire broke out on board AIDAprima, the first of two 124,500 gross ton newbuildings AIDA Cruises in Germany has on order at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at Nagasaki,German media reports say.

The fire started late in the evening of 11 January on deck 7 near the Theatrium and destroyed some 15 square metres of it before the fire could be put out. Shipyard workers were evacuated from the vessel that was being fitted out at the time of the incident, the reports said, descdibing the damage as light.

Carnival adds newbuildings for P&O Cruises Australia and Princess after Costa Asia deal

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 31 December 2015 31 December 2015

Fincantieri, the Italian shipbuilder, has signed a memorandum of agreement with Carnival Corporation & plc for the construction of four new cruise ships of an overall value of about €2.5 billion euros. “The final contracts, subject to several conditions, including satisfactory shipowner financing, are expected to be executed in 2016,” the shipbuilder said in a statement.

Two ships will be built for the Costa Asia brand, as unveiled on 30 December (see separate article), one for P&O Cruises Australia and one for Princess Cruises. The four units will all be built at the shipyards in Monfalcone and Marghera, with deliveries scheduled in 2019 and 2020. “Once entered into service in their respective fleets, they will serve growing cruise markets, including China, Australia and others,” the company said.

The newbuilding for P&O Cruises Australia will be the first such vessel to enter service with the Sydney based company. It currently operates five vessels, all second hand transfers, with a sixth due from Princess cruises in 2017.

Each unit will be designed and developed specifically for the brand and for its reference guests. The 135,500 gross ton Costa Asia and P&O Cruises' ships will carry 4,200 passengers. Princess Cruises’ new 143,700 gross ton ship will carry 3,560 passengers and will be its fourth Royal Princess class vessel.

Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, stated: “The signing of this agreement happens during a real and beyond all expectations boom of the cruise sector. This announcement confirms, once again, the effectiveness of our strategy: with these projects, based on those of the prototype units acquired in extremely challenging conditions, we ensure our group not only continuity and development, but also a new-found profitability in this segment”.

“We will deliver on our fleet enhancement plan with the construction of these four new ships, that are consistent with our long-term strategy of measured capacity growth over time,” said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.

“These ships will be great additions to our fleet that support our goal to exceed guest expectations and create great vacation memories for each guest onboard our ships. These strategic investments in new ships that wow our guests are an important part of our measured growth strategy, which includes replacing less efficient ships with newer, larger and more efficient vessels over a very specific period of time,” he said in the statement.