Top Headlines

European cruise industry meets in Hamburg to discuss zero-emission and sustainability

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 12 September 2019 12 September 2019

Alan Lam reporting from Hamburg

While the emphasis on a greener and more sustainable cruise industry remains unchanged, the political environment and social attitudes, especially in Europe, towards cruising have shifted. They have become much more hostile to the very idea of cruising. Part of the reason for this is due to the fact that the industry has been misrepresented by the sensational media and misunderstood by the public in general.

The sector now faces an increased urgency to made greater and faster strides in the direction of sustainability it was already travelling. The ultimate goal is the utterly uncompromising zero-emission cruising, a goal it now must attain much sooner than previously anticipated

This posts fresh and additional challenges to the industry. It also changes the existing perimeters. While the NOx and SOx emission compliances, which are local issues, can be addressed by the likes of the LNG technology, the issue of GHG emission, which is a global problem, demands an entirely different solution.

The industry has just entered the age of LNG, but this form of fossil fuel will soon become no longer compliant with the incoming environmental regulations. One of the most unpalatable outcomes of this development is that it will make ports and destinations hesitate on investing in LNG infrastructure, while LNG-powered ships are just beginning to roll off the production line. Cruise lines are now in danger of being left with a fleet of LNG-powered ships that have no bunkering facilities to support them.

The industry must therefore endeavour to hold back the speed of regulatory advancement, as it needs to operate at least one generation of LNG-powered ships to recuperate its massive investment, before letting them become defunct.

At the same time, the focus must also go beyond LNG, onto battery, hydrogen and other feasible options.

But this is an immense challenge, as using batteries to power mega cruise ships is still a tall order, not to mention all the necessary landside infrastructure investment required worldwide. Unlike the ferry industry where only one or two ports need to have the necessary supporting facilities to make the operations viable, cruise ships need a cohesive global service infrastructure development if the battery or hydrogen technology solution is to be adopted.

The industry must also be careful that in finding a solution for a problem it does not end up creating another as the result. Energy sources are still needed to charge the batteries or generate hydrogen.

CruiseBusiness.com Magazine correspondent is at the Seatrade Cruise & River Cruise Convention, attending discussion sessions and talking to industry insiders about sustainability and zero-emission cruising. A full analytical article on this topic will appear in our winter issue.

SunStone's China-built Greg Mortimer delivered 24 days ahead of schedule

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 11 September 2019 11 September 2019

SunStone Ships, the largest tonnage provider in the expedition market, announced the successful delivery of their first next-generation, Infinity-class vessel – delivery was 24 days ahead of schedule.

With a goal of marrying European design and quality with Chinese ship-building efficiency, the Infinity-class delivers cutting-edge design, innovations like X-bow technology, and significant operating efficiencies.

SunStone President and CEO, Niels-Erik Lund, commented, “We are very pleased with the quality and high building standards of China Merchants Heavy Industry, which are fully at the level of European Shipyards. A quality this high will not go unnoticed in the cruise industry. We look forward to continuing our relationships with all our partners in the Infinity-class project, and we are moving fast forward as planned at very satisfactory speed, safety and quality level”.

The vessel will be chartered out to Aurora Expeditions, a world leader in expedition cruising and has been named after Aurora Expeditions’ adventurous co-founder.

The vessel has departed China Merchants Heavy Industry, Haimen, and is on its way to Singapore for a one day stop for further supplies, then a two day stop in Cape Town to get the remaining hotel crew and supplies onboard, and from there to Ushuaia where cruising will begin in late October as planned.

Infinity-class Vessels are 104 meters long, and 18 meters wide, having a draft of 5.1 meters. They feature a passenger capacity between 130-200 and a crew capacity between 85 and 115. The Vessels are Ice Class 1A, Polar Code 6 and are being built with Safe Return to Port, Dynamic Positioning and Zero Speed Stabilizers. The Vessels are featuring the X-Bow by Ulstein Design & Solutions. They are small enough to give an exclusive atmosphere and yet large enough to yield all expected services and facilities such as a swimming pool, bar and restaurants, lounges, boutique, gym and spa.

Current Infinity-class newbuilds under way after the delivery of Greg Mortimer are; the Ocean Victory with delivery October 2020, the Ocean Explorer with delivery January 2021, the Infinity-class vessel no. 7 (TBN) with delivery September 2021, the Ocean Odyssey with delivery March 2022, the Ocean Discoverer with delivery September 2022 and the Ocean Albatros with delivery October 2022. All vessels ordered have long-term charter agreements in place.

In addition to the seven vessels already ordered, SunStone has options to build another three Infinity-class vessels.

Dame Helen Mirren christens Scenic Eclipse in New York

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 11 September 2019 11 September 2019

Heralding a new and exceptional era in ocean cruising, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours yesterday celebrated the official christening of Scenic Eclipse – the World’s First Discovery Yacht.

Having set sail on her maiden voyage from Reykjavík Iceland, Scenic Eclipse arrived at Pier 88, Manhattan Cruise Terminal, set against the world-famous backdrop of New York City.

Scenic Eclipse Godmother Dame Helen Mirren was joined by her husband, Academy Award-winning director Taylor Hackford and welcomed on board by ship’s co-owners Glen and Karen Moroney.

“It was an honour to welcome Helen and Taylor on board and to share with them our vision and passion which together with the dedication and talent of the Scenic team has created an experience which has set a brand new bench mark in discovery cruising," said Glen Moroney, Chairman and Founder, Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours.

Ensuring the event ran smoothly, master of ceremonies Claire Newell was on hand to introduce Scenic Eclipse Captain James Griffiths and NYC Ports General Manager Ken Winkler who presented the 1st Visit Plaque to Moroney.

Moroney then delivered a short speech that spoke of the creative drive and determination to deliver such a unique sailing experience and detailed the history of the build from its first moment of conception. Karen Moroney and her design team comprising Carmen Mikus (Interior Project Design) and Niksa Fiorienni (Architect) were acknowledge as the creative drive behind Scenic Eclipse.

Reflecting the ship’s stylish and exclusive ethos, the official naming ceremony was attended by over 350 global media, agents and VIPs who witnessed Dame Helen Mirren christen the ship dockside by breaking the ceremonial bottle of champagne against the hull and bestowing the traditional blessing of safekeeping over all those that sail in her.

Dame Mirren added: “I was thrilled to be invited to take on the role of Scenic Eclipse godmother, even more so now that I have stepped aboard and seen the level of design detail and technology that have gone into her creation. She is an exceptional cruising experience, and I’m honoured to have christened her. I wish her crew and guests many years of sailing adventures and discovery”.

Designed to deliver the ultimate experience of a lifetime for 228 guests, (200 in Polar regions), Scenic Eclipse takes ocean cruising to a whole new level – marrying luxury and discovery with the ultimate in safety and sustainability, giving guests the opportunity to explore above and beyond what was previously imaginable.

Scenic Eclipse has 114 all-verandah suites ranging in size from 32 m² to 247 m²; 10 dining options from Asian Fusion to French fine dining, Chef’s Table to a poolside buffet; the 550 m² Senses Spa with latest technology-equipped gym and separate yoga and Pilates studio. Two six-guest helicopters and one six-guest submarine Scenic Neptune capable of depths of nearly 200m; a state-of-the-art theatre for entertainment and lectures; indoor and outdoor plunge pools; butler service for all guests; and an almost 1:1 guest-to-staff ratio.

And then there is the technology: innovative zero-speed stabilizer fins, 50% larger than standard to provide greater stability cutting roll by more than 85%; the highest passenger ship ice class rating – Polar Class 6; redundancies in propulsion, navigation, safety systems and food refrigeration; state-of-the-art bridge systems; and a GPS dynamic positioning system allowing for stationary positioning without an anchor, reducing environmental impact and enhancing safety during Zodiac operations.

MSC group appoints Ungerer to head yet unnamed luxury brand

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 11 September 2019 11 September 2019

MSC Group said that industry veteran Michael Ungerer has joined its cruises business as CEO of MSC’s new luxury brand. He will join MSC with over 30 years of senior management experience in cruising as well as in luxury hospitality.

Ungerer will be based out of the company’s global headquarters in Geneva and will report to Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Group’s cruises business and broader passenger division. Ungerer, 53, is an Austrian citizen and holds an Executive MBA from INSEAD where he also graduated from the Independent Director Programme (IDP).

Vago commented in a statement: “I am particularly pleased to make this announcement as it marks a key step forward in the set-up of the organizational structure that will lead the development of our new luxury brand. For us, this was a natural progression of the work done across our contemporary brand MSC Cruises since its inception, including with the development of our highly-successful premium ship-within-the-ship concept MSC Yacht Club.

Earlier this year, MSC confirmed an order for four luxury cruise ships to be built by Fincantieri for a total value exceeding €2 billion. The vessels will have gross tonnage of approximately 64,000 and will feature the latest and most advanced environmental and maritime technologies available. Additionally, these super-yachts – which will introduce to the luxury segment a broad range of new guest experiences and other activities as well as feature generous ratios of public spaces - will also showcase a highly-innovative design.

The first of the four vessels will be delivered by Spring 2023. The remaining three will come into service one per year over the following three years through 2026.

MSC Magnifica to be lengthened by 23 metres in 2021 for UK market

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 10 September 2019 10 September 2019

MSC Magnifica, the 95,128 gross ton ship of MSC Cruises that entered service in 2009, will be lengthened by 23 metres in 2021 and once the work has been completed, it will operate a series of cruises from Southampton in the UK, the company said in a statement.

“The newly refurbished MSC Magnifica will undergo a transformation adding 23 meters to the ship that will deliver an additional 7,000 m2 of added space to the ship. This will result in 215 extra cabins, bringing the total number of balcony cabins to 63% of the overall ship, a new water park, a redesigned kids area, plus additional features such as two new restaurants and a new shopping area,” the company said.

MSC Magnifica is a unit of the Musica class and it currently has length of 294 metres and beam of 32 metres. The ship was built in France and it entered service in January 2009. It did not say where the work would be carried out or whether other ships of the class would also be lengthened at some point.

On the technical side, MSC Magnifica will feature two new major and important onboard environmental advances to complement a wide range of existing leading-edge environmental technologies across the company’s entire fleet: a state-of-the-art Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system and next-generation Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) system. SCR technology helps reduce nitrogen oxide into pure nitrogen and water through advanced active emissions control technology.

MSC Cruises also took the opportunity to install a state-of-the-art advanced wastewater treatment system on board that meets the highest standards and that purifies used wastewater to near tap-water quality.

The system meets the so-called ‘Baltic Standard’ and treats the wastewater to a higher standard than most waste standards available in cities around the world. To help reduce and continuously minimize emissions also while in port, the ship will be able to ‘plug in’ to the local power grid wherever such systems are available at berth.

MSC Cruises, which has its headquarters in Geneva, has stated earlier that it plans to upgrade an existing ship with an aim to operate it on the UK market. MSC Magnifica will make 24 cruises from Southampton between May and October 2021. It did not disclose where the ship would be based after that.

In 2015 the four Lirica class of ships underwent a significant renovation as part of the €130 million ‘Renaissance project’, to improve facilities and enhance the onboard experience. All ships were lengthened as part of the programme.