Seabourn takes up option for second newbuilding at Fincantieri
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
- Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines
- Published: 01 December 2014 01 December 2014
Seabourn Cruise Line, the luxury market operator in the Carnival Corp & plc group, said it has exercised its option for a second 40,350 gross ton cruise ship to be built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri S.p.A. It will be a sister ship to the newbuild announced earlier this year and it will be delivered in 2018.
“Hospitality design icon Adam D. Tihany will also design the second new ship in its entirety, creating all indoor and outdoor guest areas, including multiple dining venues; the Spa at Seabourn; showrooms; casino and lounges; outdoor deck areas; and the innovative and popular Seabourn Square, the social hub of the ship with a club-like ambiance,” the company said.
"There has been an incredible amount of excitement and interest since we announced the order for the first ship, and we're very pleased that the demand for our brand has allowed us to add a second new ultra-luxury ship to our expanding fleet," said Richard D. Meadows, Seabourn's president. "These two new ships will offer the understated elegance we are known for, as well as new amenities, innovations and modern design features that embody the hallmarks of Seabourn."
Giuseppe Bono, Fincantieri Chief Executive Officer, stated: "When dealing with such important investments, exercising an option should never be taken for granted. We are very glad that Seabourn decided to 'double' its trust in us, especially considering that our partnership is very young and getting stronger quickly. I believe that this clearly demonstrates that new clients as well as old, such as Seabourn's parent company Carnival Corporation, and the market as a whole, consider Fincantieri as the world leader in the cutting-edge cruise line sector including the ultra-luxury segment where our partner for this project operates."
The new ships' configuration will be based on the highly popular Seabourn Odyssey-class ships, with one additional deck and new expanded public areas. Each ship will carry just 604 guests based on double occupancy in luxurious all-suite, veranda accommodations. The interior design will maintain Seabourn's high ratio of space per guest and enable highly personalized service by nearly one staff member per guest on board.
Both of the new ships will continue the fleet modernization that the line began in 2009 with the launch of Seabourn Odyssey. This award-winning new class of ship, which includes Seabourn Sojourn (2010) and Seabourn Quest (2011), has won acclaim from luxury cruisers, travel agents and journalists alike, one of whom proclaimed the design "a game-changer for the ultra-luxury cruise segment." With the addition of these two new vessels, Seabourn will have the most modern, ultra-luxury fleet in the industry.
New online cruise travel platform will be launched in China
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
- Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines
- Published: 27 November 2014 27 November 2014
WorldCruise.cn, an online travel platform aiming specifically at selling global cruise products to the Chinese market, has been founded. Alan Lam reports.
The website is currently undergoing trial and will be officially launched during the second quarter of 2015. It will become the first and the only platform of its kind in China, serving Chinese travel agents.
Once up and running, the travel agents will be issued usernames to enable them to log on to the website and search for global cruise products and reserve excursions on behalf of their customers according to live prices quoted and availabilities.
The agents will also be able to use the website to create their own cruise packages and offer them to their clients. This service is the first of its kind in the country, a brainchild of a group of international entrepreneurs, among them Dwain Wall whose departure from CLIA was recently announced.
The cruise charter market is vibrant in China. This website is also designed to allowtravel agents to charter cruise ships, either intheir entirety or in parts, for groups or other agents.
In return WorldCruise.cn will offerits clientsonline cruise sales training, helping them develop business strategies, which is badly needed among the three million travel agents in China.
All the main features of this platform can already be found on www.WorldCruise.cn
CBR Odo Commentary: Revival of second hand market good news
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
- Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines
- Published: 26 November 2014 26 November 2014
Recent revival of the second hand market for cruise ships is good news for the industry – and more so for the smaller players than the bigger ones.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holding group’s acquisition of Ocean Princess from Princess Cruises, the sale of Costa Celebration to an undisclosed buyer – perhaps HNA in China that acquired its sister ship some years ago – and Cruise & Maritime Voyage (CMV)’s acquisition of Grand Holiday from Costa Crociere have all taken place in a scope of a few weeks. Finally, Celestyal Cruises, part of the Cyprus based Louis Group, has acquired the 2002 built Ocean Explorer of 24,308 gross tons.
While CMV has not said whether it has actually bought or just chartered the 1985 built Grand Holiday that it will introduce as Magellan in March, the legal form of the deal is not the most important aspect here. That is the fact that this company is growing – it will also introduce the 550 passenger Azores in January – and that with Magellan it is ready to move to bigger tonnage than what it so far employs.
Companies like CMV and Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines prefer to use smaller ships. However, now CMV has accepted that there is virtually nothing available on the second hand market in the 600 to 1,000 passenger capacity range that it has preferred so far. Nothing remotely modern, that is, apart from luxury grade vessels that do not fit in its portfolio.
Magellan, of 46,502 gross tons, will offer 1,250 lower berths. Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines made the same move with Balmoral, of some 45,000 gross tons and 1,350 lower berths, way back in 2008.
New life on the second hand market means that downward pressure on asset prices that plagued the sector earlier this year will probably ease. It was felt in the first and second generation category in particular, embracing ships built in the 1970s and 1980s. However, the recent sale for scrap of the 1971 built Discovery by the UK based All Leisure group indicates that these first generation cruise ships only attract demolition buyers.
As the average size of cruise ships continues to grow, we think that companies like CMV, Thomson Cruises and Fred. Olsen in the UK plus Phoenix Seereisen in Germany will have to accept that renewal of their fleets will have to mean bigger ships than so far.
Tonnage will really start to become abundant in the third generation, early 1990s built sector, with the 2,000 passenger capacity, 70,000 gross ton Fantasy class of Carnival Cruise Lines as the most numerous class. We think second tier operators in the UK and in Germany should not shun ships of this size. Fleet renewal will have to be their primary interest in the not too distant future.
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