Arkhangelsk Oblast
he Norwegian tourist industry is shows growing interest in the tourism potential of Arkhangelsk Oblast. Last week the world-renowned Norwegian company Hurtigruten together with the Arkhangelsk oblast regional administration organized a seminar –presentation for local tour operators. The ultimate goal of this cooperation is to promote Norway as a brand and attract Russian tourists to Norway.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has cancelled the inaugural cruise of its latest ship, Balmoral, due to depart for the Canary Islands this week.
The decision was taken due to technical issues which have arisen following an extensive refit.
Managing director Mike Rodwell said: "Naturally, we are extremely disappointed that we had to take this difficult decision and have apologised to the customers affected by it.
"The complex lengthening and refurbishment work onboard has been ongoing since we took delivery of the ship in November 2007 and we were confident that the vessel would be ready for service in good time.
"However, a number of unforeseen technical issues have emerged in the past week and these have led to this unfortunate decision being taken". Celebrity Cruises’ new Celebrity Solstice, currently fitting out at MEYER WERFT , will feature real grass on her top deck when she enters service in December this year. Known as the Lawn Club, this deck will offer passengers bocce ball, croquet and golf putting, as well as areas to have a picnic. The deck will feature venues such as Patio on the Lawn, the Lawn Club Shop, Sunset Bar and the Hot Glass Show.
Growing real grass on a cruise ship requires considerable effort. Celebrity Cruises worked with design company Wilson Butler Architects to create the entire club area, then engaged a team of landscape architects and irrigation specialists along with turf and soil scientists from the University of Florida. Together they tested a variety of grasses to determine which can withstand the winds, sun, shade and temperature variations that will affect the grass and soil as the ship sails in the Caribbean this winter. The Lawn Club covers an area of 2,130m² (22,927ft²), or just over half an acre. Not true is that Celebrity has bought NZ sheep to shore the growing grass, true is that Douglas Ward will inspect and rate it! Fore!! Antarctica
The Royael Navy ship HMS Endurance, has located the sunken mv Explorer. The Endurance was conducting hydrographic survey and mapping work as part of UK's responsibilities under the Arctic Treaty, when it discovered the sunken ship.
The vessel lies in depth of about 1.200 meters. A small oil slick was observed, the vessel lying on its side however, seems otherwise intact.
Monaco
The luxury Super Yacht once owned by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Ocean Breeze, is up for a sale for offers in the region of US $34m. Originally built as Qadissiyat Saddam by Denmark’s Helsingor Vaerft in 1981 the 269ft long vessel is currently lying off Nice. The vessel’s sale is being handled by London-based brokers Nigel Burgess. She has the potential of being converted into a small, luxury cruise ship.
Seoul
The Korea Development Bank has urged the country’s shipbuilders to explore the construction of cruise ships to ward off growing competition from China. In a report the bank, which provides re-fund guarantees for yards, has stressed that cruise ship newbuildings could be the new growth driver for Korean shipyards. It has warned that China’s rapid expansion of yards and technological capability could mean severe competition for large tankers and container ships in which Korean yards have an edge at present. The report also points out that yards are flush with cash from the current shipbuilding boom and have the resources to invest in R&D. Shipbuilding sources, however, told Fairplay that a “prudent” approach would be taken towards the cruise ship sector in which European yards have a clear lead. Hyundai, Samsung and Daewoo, have the capability as they have already built ferries. Samsung has even finalised a design for 85,000gt cruise ships. At present offshore construction is seen as a more lucrative diversification option
because of the high value of floating structures. Source : Fairplay Copenhagen
DFDS has signed up with Italian Grimaldi Holdings S.A. for the purchase of a newbuilt ro-pax ferry for delivery in May 2009. The ship is the fifth in a series of eight identical vessels ordered by Grimaldi at the Italian shipbuilder Nuovi Cantieri Apuania. Upon delivery the new ferry, with a capacity of 600 passengers and 2,500 lanemetres on the cargo decks, will be deployed on the Kiel–Klaipeda run. The investment is around DKK 600 million. The ship will relieve the Lisco Optima, which will be used on other services in the Baltic. The Apuania vessel will measure 200 metres in length and 27 in beam and be powered to a service speed of 23 knots. DFDS already have five Italian built ro-ro’s in the fleet: Tor Selandia, Tor Britannia, Tor Suecia, Tor Futura and the ro-pax Lisco Optima. Rostock
Scandlines achieved an increase of the number of cars and passengers on its 13 routes in 2007. All told the number of passengers reached 20.5 million and 4.5 million private cars. That was an overall increase of 3.5 per cent and 3.7 per cent.
Scientists in Hamburg recently simulated the sinking of the Estonia, the 1994 Baltic Sea ferry disaster that killed 852 people. They discovered that the vessel was traveling much too fast in stormy seas and that the crew's attempts to save the ship by turning it actually caused it to capsize.
1:00 a.m. ship time -- shortly before the ferry suddenly heaved to one side -- is the time that a computer simulation of the disaster begins. A group of Hamburg researchers are hoping to unravel the last secrets of the terrible night of Sept. 28, 1994. It was the night when the Estonia capsized in rough seas while en route from the Estonian capital of Tallinn to Stockholm. Only 137 of the 989 passengers and crew on board survived the disaster. More >>>>>
Spiegel Online
The EU Commission is currently looking into South Korean STX Corporation’s purchase of 30.2 per cent of Aker Yards, while Italy, France and Norway would support a merger of Aker Yards and Italian state owned Fincantieri. The move is designed to prevent STX to obtain crucial expertise in the building of cruise ships. Aker Yards also owns 75 per cent of French company Chantier de L’Atlantique, according to TradeWinds. The Commission is looking into the STX purchase’s effect on competition in the narrow cruise ship segment in the market. STX also has a declared intention of building cruise ships themselves. A possible blocking of STX’s virtual control of Aker Yards would thus prevent a new competitor in the market LondonThe British cruise market is experiencing an unprecedented boom – and the pace looks set to continue in 2008. Cruising proved to be a huge growth area for the travel industry last year. Never before has there been such a huge variety of ships, themes, ports and price points. More than 1.35 million took to the seas in 2007, according to Passenger Shipping Association (PSA), an 11 percent growth on the previous year. Forecasts for 2008 show that the trend for growth continues, with anticipated numbers of cruise travellers reaching 1.55 million, a 14 percent rise on last year – and many will be first timers. Miami
Regent Seven Seas Cruise Line's President Mark Conroy sated, that guests on upcoming cruises will be asked to participate in what he calls "build your own cruise ship" contest. Such moving and incredibly exciting questions await the guests. A few samples "what name shall the vessel have" and "what kind of food do you like", but also input as to which itineraries and cabin amenities, are welcome. Whether RSSC will reimburse the guests for their work, could not be learned from Mark, as we did not get any response to you inquiry. In recent years the Danube has become one of Europe's leading tourist destinations.
Interest in the countries of southeastern Europe and unhindered navigation along the entire river down to the Danube delta have given a major boost to tourism in the region and resulted in steadily rising cruise ship and passenger numbers.
While in 2003, seventy-five cruise ships plied the Danube between Passau and Budapest, in 2007 a total of 101 different liners docked in Vienna and Passau, which are the two most important ports of departure for cruises. Next year additional ships - including a number of brand-new vessels - are to cruise this most European of rivers. The Danube currently takes a thirty percent share of the global river cruise market. Source >> Danube Tourist Commission Eilat, IsraelMS Ameda is the first passenger ship to call at the port of Eilat after a period of two years, during which no passenger ships called at the port. MS Ameda called at the port of Eilat last week with 650 passengers and 350 staff on board. The Port of Eilat is the only Israeli port on the Red Sea located at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. It has significant economic and strategic importance. The Port of Eilat was opened in 1957 and is today mainly used for trading with Far East countries as it allows Israeli shipping to reach the Indian Ocean without having to sail through the Suez Canal.
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