November

29/11/07

NOx tax killed off Color Line’s Bergen route

Oslo
Norway’s unique NOx tax, which discriminates against Western Norway and Northern Norway to the advantage of Eastern and Southern Norway, was one of the main reasons why Color Line decided too close down the route from Bergen via Stavanger to Hirtshals and sell Prinsesse Ragnhild, says Bergen Havn.
The basis for the way the NOx tax is calculated is that as long as only one Norwegian port is visited there is no tax In Eastern and Southern Norway cruise ships and ferries going abroad only visit one port, either Oslo or Kristiansand, and so avoid the tax. Traditionally, cruise ships visiting Western and Northern Norway call at several ports and are severely hit by the NOx tax. The Color Line route from Bergen included Stavanger and was thus taxed.

28/11/07

Windjammer cancels sailings - again

Miami
Windjammer Barefoot Cruises has canceled yet more sailings, as it awaits an audit by the Trinidad government; reports the Miami Herald. Windjammer Barefoot Cruises' ongoing financial problems have forced it to cancel still more sailings on its Legacy ship. In a message posted on a Windjammer online message board Tuesday night, Windjammer Operations Manager Danny Walsh said the company has canceled sailings on the Legacy for Saturday, Nov. 24 and Dec. 3. The Miami Beach company now aims to sail Dec. 8, but it is clearly testing the patience of some of its devoted customers -- known as Jammers. Read the full story

27/11/07

Cunard Takes Delivery of Queen Victoria

Valencia, CA -
The Italian Prime Minister, Romano
Prodi, and the Under Secretary of State, Department for Transport, Jim Fitzpatrick MP, will be present at a high profile Handover Ceremony in Venice on Saturday, November 24 when Cunard takes delivery of the new ocean liner, Queen Victoria.
The ceremony, to take place on board the new 90,000-ton vessel at the
Fincantieri Marghera shipyard, marks the completion of a ship noted for
striking interiors on a par with the "floating palaces" of the twenties and thirties. Just after 11:00 am, following speeches by Romano Prodi, the Prime Minister of Italy, and Jim Fitzpatrick, MP, Under Secretary of State,
Department for Transport, the Italian flag will be ceremonially lowered and the Red Ensign raised. And so another magnificent Cunard liner will enter the Register of British Shipping.The event, attended by an invited audience, will be given a British emphasis by the presence of the Band of the Scots Guards, flown out specially to perform on board throughout the day.
"This ceremony to mark the completion of the ship, and our acceptance of
delivery, is just the first of a number of significant events over the next few weeks - including the ship's official naming by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, in the presence of HRH The Prince of Wales, in Southampton on Monday, December 10," said Carol Marlow, president of Cunard Line.
"I'm certain the British will take this truly magnificent ship to their
hearts, as they have all the Cunard Queens." Queen Victoria is due to leave the shipyard on November 30, and sail to Southampton - where she will berth at the City Cruise Terminal at 9:30  am on Friday December 7.
She will depart on her Maiden Voyage, to a splendid firework display, at
5:00 pm on Tuesday December 11.

23/11/07

G.A.P.'s Explorer, listing in Antarctica

Antarctica
A major rescue operation involving expedition cruise ship Explorer is under way in the Antarctic Ocean this morning.The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), which is assisting the Argentinian-led rescue near the South Shetland Islands, has confirmed to Seatrade Insider that 100 passengers and 54 crew have abandoned ship and are in lifeboats awaiting rescue. Nearest ships in the area are believed to be about 90 minutes to two hours away.
According to a Sky News report at 9.00am (UK time), 154 people have abandoned ship with the master and first officer remaining on board. The 1969-built vessel is understood have hit an object and is listing at 25 degrees.
Explorer is operated by Toronto-based adventure tour operator, G.A.P. Adventures. THEIR WEBSITE IS NOT WORKING AT THE MOMENT
BBC REPORTED AND SEE PICTURE OF VESSEL LISTING

23/11/07

Cruise ship sails into storm over whitening botch

London
A woman’s teeth looked as though they had been dipped in acid after she had whitening treatment aboard a cruise ship, a dentist said yesterday.
such "servvice" is offered by Steiner leisure on over 80% of cruise ships, as they are the major Concessionaire for Wellness, Spas, Beauty Parlors of major cruise lines. This is an added value - at least for the cruise lines - who are inventing ever more ways of getting the last cent from their onboard customers. Read the Times Online report >>>>

22/11/07

New ferry for Bornholm - Poland service

Bornholm
NeKo Seaways is in the process of raising funds for a new ferry for the service between Nexø and Kolobrzeg in Poland. The new company is not only working with professional investors, but are also inviting private to invest in the size of DKK 1,000 per share. NeKo Seaways CEO Helge Rosted Hansen, has signed a contract with Greek shipyard for a ferry 64 metres long, width 11 metres and a capacity of 275 passengers and 50 private cars. The service speed will be 17 knots giving a cruising time of three and half hours from Nexø to Kolobrzeg. The ferry will be named Odin Baltica. NeKo Seaways has been testing the market for several summer seasons with charter ships and found the basis for an all year service sufficient. Sailing to Sweden will also be an option.

21/11/07

Majestic America Line Signs Vessel Management Agreement with V.Ships Leisure

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif
Ambassadors International, Inc. announced today that its subsidiaries have selected V.Ships Leisure to manage the vessel operations of Majestic America Line. Under the agreement, V.Ships Leisure will provide services which include deck, engine and hotel crew management, procurement and technical and hotel operations. The agreement is subject to United States Maritime Administration ("MARAD") approval and both companies are in the process of working with MARAD toward that goal.
The Company also announced that it is anticipating the 2007 operating losses in Majestic America Line to continue into the fourth quarter, with the fourth quarter pre-tax loss for the line being in excess of $6 million prior to any potential benefit received from insurance recoveries related to 2006 and 2007 incidents. In addition, the Company announced that due to the V.Ships management agreement, the Company will  change its operations accordingly.

16/11/07

AIS GREECE Live!

Piraeus
Using the Automatic Identification System, the AIS GR site provides live ship movements from the port of Piraeus, Greece. The area covered is generally at a range of 30-60 nautical miles from Piraeus.

14/11/07

ISPS raises fees

Oslo
A growing number of Norwegian ports rebel against the new ISPS (International Ship and Port Facility Security Code) fee of NOK 25,000 per ISPS terminal. In the 2007 budget the government decided that the Norwegian Coastal Administration’s (Kystverket) accrued cost of administering the ISPS in Norway should be borne by the ports themselves. The port are saying the extra cost will be leveled directly on the port users. Norwegian ports have been forced to invest around NOK 100 millions in ISPS fencing, cameras and guards and all of this is paid by the ports and the port users. The Oslo port director Anne Sigrid Hamran are among the rebels.

10/11/07

Mitsubishi looks to re-enter cruise ship construction market

Nagasaki
One of the world’s leading builders of commercial ships, Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, is looking at re-entering the cruise ship construction sector. The last cruise ship built by Mitsubishi was Princess Cruises’ 2,674 passenger capacity Diamond Princess in 2004. Following a disastrous fire during this vessel’s outfitting, which delayed her entering into service by over six months, the Japanese shipbuilder decided to pull out of the cruise ship market. Mitsubishi says that although it will be able to take newbuilding orders for cruise vessels from 2008, deliveries won’t happen until 2012 or later due to lack of capacity at its Nagasaki shipyard.

10/11/07

PEACE BOAT meets Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro al pueblo de Cuba

Havana
The Japanese Peace Boat that travels the world on voyages of peace will dock in at Santiago de Cuba on November 15. Around 1,000 passengers on board will be getting a first hand look at Cuban reality.
During their stay in Santiago de Cuba, visitors will get to know Cuban society better through historical tours, dance lessons, baseball training and talking with locals. This is the 16th stop of the Peace Boat in Cuba since its first voyage in 1983, despite the fact that their boat will not be able to call at any US port for three months following, as established by an extraterritorial law dictated by the US government. The Peace Boat's first voyage was organized by a group of Japanese university students as a creative response to government censorship
regarding Japan's past military aggression in the Asia-Pacific. They chartered a ship to visit neighbouring countries with the aim of learning firsthand about the war from those who experienced it and initiating people-to-people exchange.
This is Peace Boat's 59th Global Voyage for Peace with 21 stops scheduled at different ports around the world. It departed from Yokohama, Japan on September 23, 2007 and will return on January 10, 2008.
According to the Peace Boat website the 60th voyage will begin January 12, 2008 for 108 days. Spanning over 25 years and incorporating 60 Peace Voyages as of January, 2008, Peace Boat has travelled to more than 100 ports in more than 80 countries.

09/11/07

Vietnamese models float fashion’s boat

Nha Rong Wharf in Ho Chi Minh City
VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese models will strut their stuff in the
evening of November 9 with models from around the world on a Fashion TV
(FTV) cruise ship now docked at Nha Rong Wharf in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Mega-F Diamond Cruise Ship chartered by FTV is travelling around the
world to select models for a modeling broadcast that will be aired on
the international cable channel.
The cruise arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on November 6 after stops in
several Asian countries including Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.
Aboard the cruise were more than 150 models of many nationalities.
“This is the first time FTV’s five-star cruise has come to Vietnam,”
Thanh Long, director of PL Model Company, said.

06/11/07

The cruise industry is growing, but not at Port Everglades.

Port Everglades
About 3.4 million passengers came through Fort Lauderdale in the year ended Sept. 30, slightly fewer than the number five years ago. And next summer, only one large ship will sail from of the world's No. 3 cruise port, down from three this past summer.
Port officials attribute the falloff to a decline in the day-cruise business, competition from new gambling venues on land and consumer clamor for European rather than Caribbean vacations.
"The Caribbean in the last 12 months has not been as attractive as it has been in the past," said Carlos Buqueras, director of business development at Port Everglades. Cruise ships play a key role in South Florida's economy. They employ
nearly 5,000 people at Port Everglades, according to a recent study, and
nearly half of all passengers stay overnight in Fort Lauderdale. The industry also generates jobs in local businesses that supply the cruise ships.  

05/11/07

Costa Allegra - docked today in Ho Chi Minh City

HCM, Vietnam
It is the ship's second trip to Vietnam since the beginning of October.Saigontourist, Costa Crociere's local partner, supplies tourist services to the ship's international passengers and maritime services to the ship while in Vietnamese territory.Le Quang Thang, head of the Cruise Ship and Maritime Department of Saigontourist, said the country's biggest travel and tourist operator has plans to collaborate with Costa Crociere on some 50 trips in the near future.

05/11/07

Eckerö increases ownership in Birka Line

Helsinki
Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö has increased its ownership in Birka Line Abp to 84 per cent of the shares and 82 per cent of the votes. Now Eckerö has made an offer to buy the remaining shares. The offer is valid until 30 November. Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö has recently completed a share issue of 400,000 new shares targeted at current shareholders of Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö and to sellers of shares in Birka Line to Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö during spring, 2007.
Rumours had circulated widely that Louis Cruise line would buy ms Birka Paradise as replacement for Sea Diamond. But this is obviously not the case.

02/11/07

Apollo Management LP to buy Regent Seven Seas Inc.from Carlson Cos. for $1 billion

Purchase, N.Y.-based private equity firm Apollo won an auction to acquire Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based cruise operator Regent Seven Seas. Seller Carlson is a Minnetonka, Minn.-based leisure services concern. DVB Bank AG has provided debt to finance the transaction. CVC Global Capital and KSL Capital Partners are other parties who were interested in this transaction.
Seller financial advisor: Goldman Sachs

02/11/07

RCI completes record breaking UK Season

Miami/London
RCI’s 3,114 passenger capacity Navigator of the Seas sailed last week on her last cruise from the UK port of Southampton after a highly successful UK season.
During the vessel’s 2007 UK season, Navigator of the Seas has carried more than 60,000 passenger, 55,000 (92%) of which were British, a testament to the booming UK cruise market. RCI first tested the UK market in 2005 with the 1,800 passenger capacity Legend of the Seas, taking a gamble with brining in the much larger Navigator of the Seas this year, a gamble that has paid off handsomely. 2008 will see an even larger vessel homeported in Southampton for the year, the 3,600 passenger capacity Independence of the Seas, currently fitting out at Aker Yard’s Turku facility in Finland.

02/11/07

Windjammer starts operations again with one ship only

Miami
Financially-troubled tall ship cruise line Windjammer Barefoot Cruises will resume operations on 3 November this year with the 122 passenger capacity tall ship Legacy. Meanwhile the company’s three other tall ships; the 72 passenger capacity Mandalay, the 110 passenger capacity Polynesia and the 64 passenger capacity Yankee Clipper will remain laid-up until at least April 2008.
The company’s financial problems have been laid firmly at the feet of the management team, which has now been replaced, said new director Joey Burke.

01/11/07

Silversea's new baby arrived at Fincantieri

Trieste
Silversea Cruises’ new acquisition, the expedition ship World Discoverer, has arrived at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Trieste to begin its upgrade prior to entering service in the spring.
Extensive changes are planned, including the addition of spacious suites. The ship’s new name has not been decided.
Tom Russell, svp product development for Silversea, who is spearheading the establishment of the line’s new expeditionary concept, told media he aims to have the vessel out of the yard by mid-May. The exact timetable for the work is still being finalized with Fincantieri.
World Discoverer is berthed beside Silver Whisper, which is at the shipyard wrapping up a scheduled drydocking and due to sail on Saturday.

01/11/07

Most luxurious ferry ever to sail between Rosslare & France

Dublin
Proudly presents Irish Ferries their new vessel, former ms Peter Wessel. After an extensive refurbishment, she will offer a new level of Travel between France and ireland. We wish her many successful crossings!