Top Headlines

Compagnie du Ponant orders new cruise ship

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 16 July 2013 16 July 2013

French cruise line and five-star expedition specialist, Compagnie du Ponant has commissioned another new yacht from the Italian Fincantieri shipyard.

Due to launch in spring 2015, this latest vessel joins a fleet of four cruise yachts, all flying the French flag: Le Ponant (32 staterooms), Le Boreal, L'Austral and Le Soleal (132 staterooms and suites). She will cruise up and down the shores of Alaska in summer and those of Australia and New Zealand in winter.

Like her sister ships, the vessel will qualify for the Cleanship label and embody the concept of Yacht Cruises as conceived by Compagnie du Ponant - namely a carefully thought-out design, attentive service and gourmet cuisine, enhanced by the comfort of state-of-the-art facilities.

This latest commission sends out a strong positive signal, further confirmation of the relevance of Compagnie du Ponant's investment and international development strategy, positioning the cruise line (which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year) at the exclusive end of the market. The market leader in the French-speaking luxury cruise markets (France, Switzerland and Belgium) and worldwide number one in the polar cruise market (both Arctic and Antarctic), Compagnie du Ponant carries 20,000 passengers a year, with a revenue of more than €85 million in 2012.

For Compagnie du Ponant this order is another step towards the future that proves the efficacy of our business model, stresses CEO Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée. It is a business model fully supported by Bridgepoint, which bought Compagnie du Ponant in September 2012 and has confirmed its confidence in the product by investing in this new ship.

After the excellent work achieved on the previous three yachts, the Fincantieri shipyard has been entrusted with building this fourth sister ship. French interior architect Jean-Philippe Nuel will be responsible for the sleek, modern and sophisticated design that has contributed so much to the success of Le Boreal, L'Austral and Le Soleal.

Specifically tailored to what our passengers seek, these intimate ships with their innovative design allow us to explore exceptional destinations in the most extreme regions, while enjoying a level of comfort that is second-to-none: a five star expedition and tailor-made service as conceived by Compagnie du Ponant, concludes Véronique Saadé, deputy executive vice president.

Norwegian Cruise Line confirms order for second Breakaway Plus vessel

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 16 July 2013 16 July 2013

Norwegian Cruise Line announced today that it has confirmed an order for a second Breakaway Plus cruise ship with Meyer Werft GmbH of Papenburg, Germany for delivery in spring 2017. Along with the first Breakaway Plus ship, which is scheduled for delivery in October 2015, these two new vessels will be the largest in the line's fleet at approximately 163,000 gross tons and 4,200 passenger berths each and will be similar in design and innovation to the line's current Breakaway class, the first of which, Norwegian Breakaway, launched in New York in early May.

The combined contract cost of the two Breakaway Plus class ships is approximately €1.4 billion. The company has export credit financing in place that provides financing for 80 percent of the contract price.

"The incredible response we've received from guests, travel agents and media regarding Norwegian Breakaway only reinforced our decision to add a second Breakaway Plus vessel to our fleet," said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line's chief executive officer. "With groundbreaking elements, yet to be announced, and an additional deck to incorporate further innovations, our two Breakaway Plus ships will provide guests even more ways to experience all that the new Norwegian has to offer."

Meyer Werft delivered Norwegian Breakaway, the first of Norwegian's two new 146,600 gross ton, 4,000-passenger Breakaway class vessels on April 25, 2013; and will deliver Norwegian Getaway, in mid-January 2014.

"We're very pleased to build all these innovative ships for Norwegian Cruise Line," said Bernard Meyer, managing partner of Meyer Werft."

Fincantieri to build ultra-luxury ship for Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 10 July 2013 10 July 2013

Fincantieri has received an order from Regent Seven Seas Cruises for the construction of a super luxury cruise ship.

The new ship will be called Seven Seas Explorer. She will be assigned to Sestri Ponente (Genoa) shipyard and her delivery is scheduled in summer 2016.

The contract is worth approximately USD 450 million. SACE (Italy's export credit agency) has made a significant contribution to finalizing this deal thanks to its provision of export guarantees to the banking system, allowing Fincantieri to present the cruise line with a satisfactory package of technical, commercial and financial proposals.

With its 54,000 gross tonnes and 223 metres in length, Seven Seas Explorer will be the flagship of the fleet, with accommodation for 738 passengers in 369 spacious suites. The new ship will be built using the very latest in environmental protection technologies. The interiors will be particularly sophisticated, with every attention paid to passenger comfort. The renowned studies of Tillberg Design AB, RTKL Associates and I-Crave will be in charge of interior design.

Commenting on the announcement, Fincantieri CEO Giuseppe Bono said: "I am extremely pleased with this new order, which is all the more important because it establishes our global leadership in this sector and strengthens our presence in the luxury segment with the addition of another prestigious brand to our client list, also thanks to the fundamental synergy created by the country through agencies designated to promote Fincantieri exports".

Frank Del Rio, chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings, commented: "This new ship order represents an exciting time of growth for our company as we build the next generation of cruise ships for the world’s most inclusive luxury cruise line,” said Frank Del Rio, Prestige Cruise Holdings Chairman and CEO. "Seven Seas Explorer will be the most luxurious cruise ship ever built boasting one of the highest space ratios and staff-to-guest ratios ever seen in the modern era of cruising enabling us to deliver the highly personalized service and extraordinary experience that is the hallmark of the Regent brand".

Oceania Cruises announces its inaugural World Cruise

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 08 July 2013 08 July 2013

Oceania Cruises announced today its first ever Around the World in 180 Days cruise, a star-studded, port-intensive 180-day voyage aboard the 684-guest Insignia, setting sail round-trip from Miami on January 10, 2015.

This extraordinary once-in-a-lifetime voyage visits five continents, 44 countries and 89 ports of call and will feature 11 overnight calls plus 4 two-night calls in Cape Town, South Africa; Yangon, Myanmar (Burma); Singapore, Singapore; and Shanghai, China.

Insignia’s 180-day journey begins by visiting boutique ports in the Caribbean then steers south to South America and east to Africa before heading to India, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific and Hawaii before returning via the Panama Canal to Miami on July 8, 2015.

"As the leading specialist in destination cruising, we wanted to create a unique port-intensive voyage that reflects the dreams of the true explorer, rather than speed across the seas racing to the next convenient port as is the norm in a typical 100- to 110-day world cruise," said Kunal S. Kamlani, the line’s president. "By eliminating the 100-day time constraint, we freed ourselves to conceive a remarkable dream voyage designed to visit the world’s most fascinating destinations."

In addition to crossing the equator four times and sailing through all 24 time zones, the Around the World in 180 Days cruise will traverse three oceans and 10 seas, call on 45 islands and offer the chance to visit 47 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Of the 89 ports visited on this extraordinary cruise, 13 are new to Oceania Cruises, including Corinto, Nicaragua; El Guamache (Isla Margarita), Venezuela; Langkawi, Malaysia; Santa Marta, Colombia; and Xiamen, China.

Guests will also enjoy a one-night pre-cruise luxury hotel stay in Miami and free exclusive shoreside events in Walvis Bay, Namibia; Myanmar; Bangkok; Beijing and Honolulu.

Bookings for the Around the World in 180 Days cruise open at 8 a.m. EST on July 17, 2013, and feature two-for-one cruise fares, free FIRST CLASS round-trip airfare and free pre-paid gratuities. Additionally, guests will receive a free visa package including entry visas for 16 countries, unlimited Internet and laundry service, luggage delivery, round-trip transfers and free onboard medical service, a first for the industry.

"We expect that many of our Around the World guests will be experienced cruisers and therefore will be over the age of 60," Kamlani added. "In order to eliminate the stress of worrying about everyday medical issues, we have included free onboard medical service for our Around the World guests for the duration of the cruise."

Guests must book by 9 p.m. EST on September 17, 2013, to receive early booking fares beginning at $39,999 per person.

Around the World guests will cruise aboard the Insignia, an elegant mid-size ship. Insignia is spacious enough to offer every modern comfort and amenity of larger ships, yet small enough to call on secluded bays and chic, seaside hamlets not accessible to most vessels. Gourmet cuisine crafted by acclaimed master chef Jacques Pépin is served in four open-seating restaurants, all at no additional charge. The ship features spacious, modern accommodations and a state-of-the-art fitness center, casino, boutique, large pool and the Canyon Ranch SpaClub.

Scandlines and STX Finland sign Letter of Intent

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 03 July 2013 03 July 2013

Scandlines and STX Finland Oy have today signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for building two new ferries for the route Rostock (Germany) – Gedser (Denmark) for delivery in spring 2015. The project will bring some 1000 man-years of work for STX Finland and its subcontracting network.

The ferries will be double ended and construction will allow the ferries to be used on the route Puttgarden (Germany) - Rødby (Denmark) as well. Each ferry will have a capacity of 1,300 passengers and 72 trucks or 382 cars. The ferries will be operating on environmentally friendly LNG instead of traditional heavy fuel, thus reducing emissions to the air significantly. Nitrogen emissions, CO2 and particulates are reduced remarkably and sulphur emissions are practically zero.

Over the summer, Scandlines and STX Finland Oy will undertake negotiations under the LOI in order to reach a final contract.