February

AGA Gas AB and Viking Line Abp have signed an agreement on delivery of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Viking Line’s new cruise ship with its environmental profile that is a forerunner within shipping.
“AGA’s and Viking Line’s investment means major environmental gains in comparison to traditional maritime fuel”, says Jan Bäckvall, Head of Europe North in Linde and responsible for AGA". “For Baltic shipping, this can be the primary solution in the future”. 
Viking Line’s new vessel, revently named VIKING GRACE - will operate on the stretch Stockholm-Åbo from January 2013. The vessel is being manufactured at the STX boatyard in Åbo and has a capacity of 2,800 passengers, as well as large space for vehicles. The vessel will be powered by LNG that will be stored in purpose-built tanks. more...

Atlanta
Sixthman, a destination event company, and Norwegian Cruise Line, the industry leader in innovative cruise experiences, have aligned to create a strategic relationship that will allow them to develop and deliver high quality music-and-entertainment-based experiences for guests at sea. Norwegian is uniquely positioned to collaborate with Sixthman, given its rich history of innovation in bringing brand name onboard entertainment to cruising, including Blue Man Group, Legends in Concert, Cirque Dreams™ & Dinner and Howl at the Moon, among others, all of which have taken to the sea aboard Norwegian Epic. With this partnership, Norwegian and Sixthman will continue to solidify a leadership position in bringing new forms of entertainment to cruisers. more...

Hyacinth and Richard prepare for their luxury stay on the QE2.
Yet traffic, a muddy field and too much luggage result in a disastrous start to a holiday that only gets much worse for Hyacinth when she has reason to believe Onslow and Daisy have stowed-away and are also onboard the luxury cruise. Guest starring Lord Lichfield as himself.
(Part 1 of 6) - Episode 32 -- Title -- "Sea Fever"  - Original airdate 26 December 1993 -- Duration 60 minutes

Venice, Italy
Prompted by the increasingly vocal concerns of preservation groups and environmentalists, officials in Venice have put forward a plan to reroute cruise ships away from the city center by dredging a new channel from the Lagoon of Venice directly into the busy Marittima passenger terminal.
Such a move would mean that cruise passengers no longer would sail into or out of the San Marco Basin and the scenic Giudecca Canal, within shouting distance of venerable landmarks such as the Piazza San Marco and St. Mark’s Basilica. An agreement was reached in December between the Venice Port Authority and the city of Venice to study the creation of the channel, which could be completed within 18 months. The proposal gained a new urgency following the Costa Concordia accident on Jan. 13. More than 20 major cruise lines visit the city each year. In 2011, cruise ships brought 1.7 million cruise passengers into Venice. This year, close to 200 cruises are scheduled to begin in Venice.

Florida
Nearly two years after applying for a license to run a ferry between Port Everglades and Cuba, a Fort Lauderdale company still awaits government approval. 
Havana Ferry Partners wonders why it can't get the go-ahead, when the Obama administration has authorized about a dozen U.S. airports to offer more charter flight to Cuba. 
"Are they just burying this in a file?," asked Leonard Moecklin Sr., Havana Ferry's managing partner. 
At least three more companies are eyeing Cuba ferry services through travel licenses allowed as exceptions to Washington's 50-year-old embargo against the communist-led island. 
Orlando's United Caribbean Lines and Paris' Unishipping applied years back. Balearia, the Spanish company that operates a new Port Everglades-Bahamas ferry, is interested. 
The U.S. Treasury office that oversees the embargo does not comment on specific licenses, an official wrote in an e-mail. 
Havana Ferry is so frustrated that it's pushing for one-time permission to carry passengers to Cuba for Pope Benedict XVI's visit scheduled for March 26-28.

Two U.S.-based cruise lines are poised to test the waters of interporting, a practice historically offered by European lines that enables passengers to choose from multiple embarkation ports. Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and Royal Caribbean International (RCI) will soon offer this option on certain ships, and Italy-based MSC Cruises will expand the practice to the Caribbean.
Their plans would be less noteworthy had it not been for the Costa Concordia accident, which occurred after more than 600 passengers boarded the 3,200-passenger ship in Civitavecchia, Italy, the port for Rome. Others had boarded earlier in Barcelona. more...

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is set to abolish the five percent discount for guests who book cruises direct via the company’s website. The end of the discount will be effective with the publication of the Fred. Olsen Cruises Worldwide 2013 Preview Brochure, which is due out at the end of February 2012. The discount will be removed on all cruises within this brochure and in all future brochures. 
"This decision demonstrates our on-going commitment to the trade, whilst continuing to give our customers the widest possible range of options for booking their cruise holidays with Fred. Olsen."

Ft.Lauderdale/Port Everglades
As Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas departed Port Everglades, Florida last week, the hydrodynamic response of the ship as it interacted with the surrounding tidal areas left beach-goers puzzled, and for those who were in the water, perhaps even a bit worried as they were sucked toward the channel…
- VIDEO -

Port Klang
SuperStar Aquarius Hainan residents will soon be able to cruise with greater ease onboard SuperStar Aquarius to visit popular tourist destinations Danang and Halong Bay in Vietnam. Starting from Feb 6, Hainan residents with valid ID card can simply apply for the Cross Border Pass and take the vessel’s 3D2N Sanya-Halong Bay; and Sanya-Danang itineraries. The new entry arrangement with the Chinese and Vietnamese authorities adds convenience to passengers to enjoy Sanya’s beach paradise, Halong Bay’s awe-inspiring limestone karsts & islands, and Danang’s historical & heritage sites.
SuperStar Virgo Passengers of Star Cruises have many reasons to celebrate the return of SuperStar Virgo after her recently-finished US $25-million transformation. For 12 years, the grand lady SuperStar Virgo has been crafting indelible holiday memories for hundreds of thousands of passengers from around the world. They invariably fell in love with the vessel, be it the fun, the food, the cabin, the service, the entertainment, the onboard activities or mostly the whole experience. more...

Isola Giglio - Livecam - 
Only when most of the tanks have been emptied of diesel and heavy fuel oil can salvage experts take the next step - either to refloat the ship and tow it away, or to start cutting it up where it lies. 
Costa said today that it does not know how long the operation might take. " We are currently evaluating possible solutions to remove the Costa Concordia from Isola del Giglio. We are totally committed to supporting the authorities and the people involved in the rescue operation and debunkering the ship. We cannot speculate about the future of the vessel until these operations are complete." a Costa spokesman said. The company did, however, confirm that Concordia's itineraries would be taken over in the first instance by the smaller Costa Romantica, which carries about 1,500 passengers and was built in 1993. The ship is currently in the final stages of refurbishment in a shipyard in Genoa and will emerge in Februar, to be re-named NeoRomantica. - VIDEO - " In around 20 days the Costa Neo Romantica will leave the dry dock and will begin its cruise, (running from March 24 to May 21), using the itinerary of the Costa Concordia," said the spokesperson. "From May 21 to November 2012 the itinerary of Costa Concordia will be offered on the Costa Magica."