SunStone contracts Infinity ship number six, sees further four contracted by end May
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
- Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines
- Published: 15 April 2019 15 April 2019
SunStone Ships, the Miami based cruise ship tonnage provider, said it has signed an agreement to build the sixth Infinity class expedition cruise ship at China Merchants Heavy Industries; yard in Haimen in China.
“The sixth vessel now ordered already has a long-term charter agreement in place, and this vessel will be delivered September 2021. In addition to the six vessels already ordered, SunStone is in negotiations for four additional vessels where it is expected that Infinity Vessel No. 7 will be signed within May and the remaining three options will be signed within 2019,’ SunStone said in a statement.
The vessels are designed by Ulstein in Norway and feature their X-Bow design that enhances seakeeping wqualities. The latest contract came five months after Sunstone had contracted ships number four and five.
The ships 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. and facilities such as a swimming pool, bar and restaurants, lounges, boutique, gym and spa.
UK cruise market just exceeded 2.0 million passengers in 2018
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
- Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines
- Published: 15 April 2019 15 April 2019
The number of ocean cruises taken by UK and Irish passengers increased by two percent to 2,009,000 in 2018 and thus exceeded the two million mark for the first time, figures released by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) show.
The market had recorded 1.96 million passengers in 2017 and 1.95 million in the previous year. The UK and Ireland market became the second one after Germany to reach 2.0 million passengers. In 2010, senior Carnival UK officials forecast that the 2.0 million mark would be reached by 2020, which eventually did happen two years earlier.
Andy Harmer, CLIA UK & Ireland director, said: “2018 was an impressive year for the UK and Ireland cruise industry. Surpassing the two million mark is a significant milestone, as it illustrates how cruise has become a major player within the UK and Irish travel sector.”
“As only the second European market to reach over two million cruises and the fourth globally, this figure demonstrates the continued strength of cruising as a mainstream holiday choice in the UK and Ireland and is a testament to the industry’s resilience to economic and political changes, ” he said a statement.
European cruise market growth accelerated to 3.3% to 7.17 million passengers in 2018
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
- Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines
- Published: 15 April 2019 15 April 2019
The European ocean cruise passenger market grew by 3.3% to 7.17 million in 2018, marking an acceleration of expansion from 2.0% in 2017 on the previous year,. Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) figures show.
Strong growth was seen in cruise passengers travelling to the Eastern Mediterranean, up 8.5% to 746,000 passengers, which illustrates a beginning of a return to confidence in the region. Other areas seeing significant growth, from a smaller base, include the Canary Islands, up 9.6% and the Baltics, up 9.0%
The central and western Mediterranean region remains the number one destination for European cruise passengers, and saw growth up by 1.2%, equivalent to 2.27 million passengers. Northern Europe was up 4.8% in 2018, to 1.43 million passengers, CLIA said in a statement.
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