More News

Three vaccinations will soon be needed for travel - British PM

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 05 January 2022 05 January 2022

People will soon need to have three vaccinations against the Covid-19 virus to be accepted as fully vaccinated, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on TV on Tuesday.

Many cruise lines require full vaccination against the pandemic virus as a condition of carriage. As per Tuesday, 59.8% of the UK population over the age of 12 had received their third, booster jab.

Johnson said that instead of lockdowns and other restrictive measures including discouraging travel, the government in London would resort to other ways to tackle the Omicron variant that is spreading rapidly.

However, although the numbers of both infections and hospitalisations have increased in the recent past, the numbers of deaths relating to the virus have remained stable at a low level - a significant difference from a year ago, when also deaths tracked infections higher.

It should be noted that the devolved governments in Cardiff (Wales), Edinburgh (Scotland) and Belfast (Northern Ireland) have the power to set their own rules regarding measures against the virus.

Royal Caribbean Group prices $1.0 billion note offering at 5.375%

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 05 January 2022 05 January 2022

Royal Caribbean Group, the world’s second largest cruise shipping group, said it has priced its private offering of $1,000,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 5.375% senior unsecured notes due 2027.

“The aggregate principal amount of Notes to be issued was increased to $1.0 billion. The Notes will mature on July 15, 2027. The Notes are expected to be issued on or around January 7, 2022, subject to customary closing conditions,” it said in a statement.

The amount was increased to $1,.0 billion from an originally planned $700 million.

The company intends to use the proceeds from the sale of the Notes to repay principal payments on debt maturing in 2022, including to pay fees and expenses in connection with such repayments. "Pending such uses, the Company may temporarily apply the proceeds to repay borrowings under its revolving credit facilities or other borrowings,” Royal Caribbean Group said.

SH Minerva currently on its maiden voyage

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 03 January 2022 03 January 2022

On Thursday, December 30, 2021, Swan Hellenic's new SH Minerva departed Ushuaia on its maiden cultural expedition cruise tothe Antarctic, a 9-night New Year celebration of discovery.

Cruising in the expert hands of industry veterans Captain Tuomo Leskinen and Hotel Director Philipp Reutener, SH Minerva’s first guests look forward to celebrating the New Year deep in the splendours of Antarctica. Here, they will soon be exploring the inspiring sights and wildlife of the Peninsula and milder Shetland Islands in the company of Expedition Leader Pablo Brandeman, polar expert Steve Blamires and renowned ornithologist Andy Bunten.

Internationally acclaimed chef Jörg Lehmann is bringing Swan Hellenic’s distinctive new gastronomic vision to life on board, presenting varied menus of freshly cooked delicacies that include original Italian and Asian fusion dishes, created in partnership with multi-award-winning Consultant Chefs Andrea Ribaldone and Sang Keun Oh.

Swan Hellenic CEO Andrea Zito commented: “We are immensely proud to have welcomed our first guests aboard this wonderful new ship to live unique new experiences that advance the revered Swan Hellenic tradition, taking them to see what others don’t in exceptional comfort and style.”

CLIA issues statement in response to CDC Level 4 warning against cruise travel

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 02 January 2022 02 January 2022

The decision by the CDC to raise the travel level for cruise is particularly perplexing considering that cases identified on cruise ships consistently make up a very slim minority of the total population onboard – far fewer than on land – and the majority of those cases are asymptomatic or mild in nature, posing little to no burden on medical resources onboard or onshore. No setting can be immune from this virus—however, it is also the case that cruise provides one of the highest levels of demonstrated mitigation against the virus. Cruise ships offer a highly controlled environment with science-backed measures, known testing and vaccination levels far above other venues or modes of transportation and travel, and significantly lower incidence rates than land.

While we are disappointed and disagree with the decision to single out the cruise industry – an industry that continues to go above and beyond compared to other sectors – CLIA and our ocean-going cruise line members remain committed to working collaboratively with the CDC in the interest of public health and safety.

Additional Information:

– Cruise industry protocols are unique in their approach to effectively monitor, detect, and respond to potential cases of COVID-19.
– Protocols encompass the entirety of the cruise experience, incorporating testing, vaccination, screening, sanitation, mask-wearing and other science-backed measures.
– Many of our members have announced additional measures in response to the Omicron variant, including strengthening testing, masking and other requirements, as well as encouraging booster vaccine doses for those eligible.
– Over 100 cruise ships have returned to U.S. waters, carrying nearly more than one million people from a U.S. port since late June 2021.
– The cruise industry is the only industry in the U.S. travel and tourism sector that is requiring both vaccinations and testing for crew and guests.
– Vaccination rates onboard a cruise ship typically are upwards of 95 percent—significantly higher than the overall U.S. population which is hovering at 62 percent.
– In the U.S. alone, the cruise industry administers nearly 10 million tests per week—21x the rate of testing in the United States.
– The latest data show that, even with higher rates of testing, the cruise industry continues to achieve significantly lower rates of occurrence of COVID-19—33 percent lower than onshore.
– According to the CDC’s color-coding system, a cruise ship may be determined to be “yellow” – and, therefore, subject to CDC observation – if a threshold of 0.10 percent or more passengers (i.e., 7 out of 6,500) have tested positive in the last seven days, or if even just one crewmember tests positive.

Meyer shipyards deliver two cruise ships in December

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 02 January 2022 02 January 2022

Meyer Werft handed over the AIDAcosma to AIDA Cruises just before Christmas, successfully delivering a new cruise ship for the fourth time since the pandemic began.

"I would like to thank everyone involved for their dedication and commitment on board, at the shipyard and from the home office. We have proven once again that we can build and deliver first-class ships despite the difficult circumstances caused by the Corona pandemic. WithMeyer Turku's Costa Toscana, it is even the second ship that we as Meyer Group deliver to Carnival Corporation within less than three weeks," says Managing Director Jan Meyer.

The AIDAcosma is already the ninth ship Meyer Werft has built for AIDA Cruises. Like its sister ship AIDAnova, the ship features low-emission LNG propulsion. In 2018, the AIDAnova was the world's first cruise ship with this innovative propulsion system.

Various effects of the pandemic have also caused challenges on board the AIDAcosma in recent weeks. "Overall, however, we managed these well until the end. The progress of the completion and the sea trials went well, so that we again delivered a ship in high Meyer quality, which our customers know from us," explains Project Manager Jochen Busch.

Meyer Werft's order book now includes eight cruise ships for international customers until 2025, as well as an apartment ship for Ocean Residences, the construction of which is still subject to financing. "In 2022, we will deliver two more large ships, the Disney Wish for Disney Cruise Line and the Arvia for P&O Cruises. In the following years, it will be one large and one small newbuilding each. This is significantly less than we had planned before the outbreak of the pandemic," says Managing Director Thomas Weigend.