MSC Cruises charts course back to US

MSC Cruises, the world's fourth largest cruise shipping company, will return to the United States when MSC Divina returns to Miami in November, is aiming to carve out a niche in the market rather than become a major player, according to its CEO, CruiseCritic reports on its website.

Speaking exclusively to Cruise Critic, CEO Gianni Onorato said the line was looking to carry "a couple of hundred thousand" passengers across two Miami-based ships -- MSC Divina and new ship MSC Seaside -- by 2017/2018.

He acknowledged that the company needed to change its philosophy to succeed with Americans on its second push into the country. "We need to get there with a different proposal," Onorato said. "And we will be doing that by improving the brand, investing in the organisation and investing in the product."

When asked, Onorato said MSC was considering basing a ship out of New York "before 2022" -- when the last of the line's newbuilds are complete.

Here are some of the specific steps MSC will be taking to appeal to Americans:

Improve the brand: A TV campaign has just been launched in the U.S. which will explain what MSC stands for both literally and figuratively, i.e. 'a Mediterranean experience'.

Investment: The line is investing in its sales forces on both coasts as well as training for cruise specialist agents. It will also re-launch its website to consumers, adapting it to the U.S. market and making it easier to book.

Product: The line will be christening a brand new ship, purpose built for the U.S./Caribbean market in Miami in November 2017. The 154,000-ton, 4,140-passenger ship MSC Seaside, is designed for warm weather, with a huge amount of outdoor public space as well as terraces for all restaurants and bars. It is designed to look like a Miami condo, and appeal to a young, hip contemporary market, the report said.

FleetPro statement on cruise ship Saint Laurent incident

FleetPro Passenger Ship Management, managers of the 4,954 gross ton cruise vessel Saint Laurent, report that the ship made contact with a concrete approach wall bumper of the Westbound door of the Eisenhower Lock in Massena, part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway system, at 2115 hrs on June 18. The Bahamas Flag vessel, which was on passage from Montreal to Toronto, was carrying a total of 192 passengers and 81 crew members. The passengers are mainly of French and Swiss nationality.

As a result of the incident, 19 guests and 3 crew members suffered minor injuries and were transferred to Massena Memorial Hospital for  treatment. The shipboard doctor was available at all times.

The vessel remains in safe condition in the lock which is partially drained of water. All shipboard services are fully functional for guests on-board. A ship inspection team has been appointed by owners and managers and will attend the vessel to assess the damage, which is limited to the bow area, before any attempt is made to move the Saint Laurent out of the lock and onto a berth.

At all times, the safety of passengers and crew is the absolute priority and owners and managers wish to thank the US Coast Guard and all the local agencies and emergency services who responded in such a timely and professional manner to this unfortunate incident. The Company will carry out a full investigation onto the events leading up to the collision and cooperate fully with any official investigation.

Princess Cruises joins IMO to celebrate Day of the Seafarer on June 25

Princess Cruises is joining the International Maritime Organization in celebrating the 5th annual Day of the Seafarer on June 25, which is also a United Nations international observance day. Day of the Seafarer brings awareness to and recognizes the world’s 1.5 million seafarers to thank them for their service and contribution during their career at sea.

Around the world, there are organizations that support the well-being of seafaring crew by providing important humanitarian services that directly benefit the shipboard crew at Princess, as well as all international maritime workers. Princess Cruises actively supports these organizations located in ports of call the cruise line visits often including Seafarers’ House (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida); Seafarers UK (Southampton, England); Mission to Seafarers, (Seattle, Washington); and International Seafarer’s Center (Long Beach/Los Angeles, Calif.).
 
On every cruise, Princess raises money for charity by conducting an auction of the nautical charts, a one-of-a-kind collector’s item signed by the Captain that details the routes of the voyage. To celebrate the 2015 Day of the Seafarer, Princess guests will have the opportunity to show their support for their favorite crew members and seafarers and take home this unique keepsake from their cruise vacation. Fleetwide, through the month of July, the proceeds from each commemorative nautical chart auction will be collected on behalf of seafarers. Princess Cruises Community Foundation will match the auction proceeds up to $10,000. Both the auction proceeds and the matched funds will be donated to seafarer organizations that promote the well-being of seafarers and their families.
 
The 2015 Day of the Seafarer campaign aims to inspire young people to consider a career at sea. In support, Princess Cruises will turn to social media to celebrate its shipboard team, using the hashtag #CareerAtSea to highlight that a career at sea is a rewarding opportunity that will take you to exciting and often exotic destinations around the world.
 
Princess Cruises is showing appreciation and gratitude to seafarers everywhere and this day offers the opportunity to acknowledge the company’s nearly 18,000 shipboard crew who work aboard Princess cruise ships and come from more than 70 countries. Princess is also taking this opportunity to salute three long-serving employees who have dedicated themselves to a lifelong career at sea:
 
– Tom Beck (Coventry, United Kingdom), Newbuild Guarantee Engineer, 51 years at sea
– Alastair Calder (Genoa, Italy), Fleet Marine Inspector, 48 years at sea
– Nigel Stewart (Fortrose, Scotland), Hotel General Manager, 47 years at sea
 
“We are grateful for the commitment and dedication of our seafaring staff - they are truly what makes Princess Cruises special for our guests,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. “Because of their choosing to have a career at sea, our guests enjoy a safe, meaningful and memorable cruise vacation.”
 
In an additional show of support, the company will also donate a cruise to the Seattle branch of Mission to Seafarers and will be hosting their annual luncheon aboard Crown Princess on August 22 in the Port of Seattle.

Fred. Olsen Cruise lines’ quarter to gather in Bergen on 28 July

The four ship fleet of UK based destinational cruise operator Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines -  Balmoral, Braemar, Boudicca and Black Watch – will all be coming together in Norway’s second city, Bergen, on Tuesday 28 July 2015, for an historic joint celebration, the company said in a statement.

This ‘4Bs in Bergen’ event – named after the initial letter of each of the four Fred. Olsen ships – will be the first time ever that the fleet has converged in one place, anywhere in the world, and it is expected to be a very exciting day for both Fred. Olsen guests – of which there will be nearly 4,000 visiting that day – and the city of Bergen.

All four ships will be arriving at the Port of Bergen at 8am on 28th July 2015, and will be departing at 6pm. They will be operating on the following schedules:

•       Balmoral – eight-night L1511 ‘Norwegian Fjords’ cruise, ex Southampton on 25th July 2015 – arriving at Bontelabo Terminal from Stavanger

•       Braemar – 14-night M1521 ‘Falls, Fjords & Faroe Islands’ cruise, ex Dover on 18th July 2015 – arriving at Festningskaien Terminal from Akureyri (Iceland)

•       Boudicca – seven-night D1517 ‘Glaciers, Fjords & Waterfalls of Norway’ cruise, ex Newcastle on 26th July 2015 – arriving at Skolten North Terminal from Newcastle

•       Black Watch – nine-night W1512 ‘Cruising the Fjordland’ cruise, ex Liverpool on 23rd July 2015 – arriving at Skolten South Terminal from Flåm

Mike Rodwell, Managing Director of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said:

“This is a very special occasion for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, and we know that the city of Bergen is looking forward to welcoming our fleet on this unique day this Summer.

“We are committed to the city of Bergen on our Norwegian cruise itineraries, and we have been calling at the Port every year since 1997. In fact, the number of days that Fred. Olsen ships have spent in Bergen from 2006 to 2015 is 176 in total, and we know that the city is a highlight to many of our guests on cruises to our historic homeland.”

It is expected that the festivities on the day will include:

- Norwegian-themed marching bands, drummers and singers on the quayside

- a schedule of onboard entertainment – an afternoon show, deck party and live bands – to be co-ordinated so that all guests will have a chance to watch different shows across the different ships

- the chance to visit all four ships as they are berthed along the quayside, with complimentary drinks and canapés

- an inter-ship treasure hunt, where teams will compete against each other to complete the course around the beautiful city of Bergen in the fastest time and win a £200 gift voucher for a future Fred. Olsen cruise

- an action-packed inter-crew ‘tug o’ war’ challenge on Festningskaien, as small teams of crew from each ship battle it out, spurred on by vocal support from guests!

- a ‘water cannon’ send–off, as all four ships leave the Port in formation. Flagship Balmoral will depart first, followed by Braemar, Boudicca and Black Watch – all in size order!

Costa increases capacity in South America

For the 2015/2016 Southern Hemisphere cruise season Costa Cruceros will significantly increase its capacity for its itineraries departing from Argentina and Uruguay. Alan Lam reports.

The line will replace the current 2003-built Costa Mediterránea with the much newer and bigger unit, the 2012-built Costa Fascinosa, thus increasing the capacity by about 46%, according to Carlos Núñez, Managing Director of Costa Cruceros

Between December 2015 and February 2016 the 114,147 gross ton Costa Fascinosa will join the 114,288 gross ton Costa Pacifica in 8- and 9-night voyages from Buenos Aires and Montevideo to Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Ilhabela and Buzios. The ship will also offer the classical 3-night mini itinerary and the special Christmas and New Year cruises with firework spectaculars at Copacabana.Known as the ship of music, Costa Pacífica will be based in Brazil, offering 3- to 7-night itineraries from Santos to Rio de Janeiro, Salvador de Bahía, Ilehus, Ilhabela and back to Santos.

With this change, it means that Costa will have two ships of over 100 thousand gross ton each deployed in this market.