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Official naming of Silver Moon takes place in Piraeus

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 July 2021 29 July 2021

Silversea Cruises yesterday christened Silver Moon as the newest ship in its ultra-luxury fleet, building momentum in the cruise line’s global return to service.

Held aboard the ship in the port of Piraeus, Silver Moon’s official naming ceremony was attended by many esteemed guests, including Richard D. Fain, Royal Caribbean Group, Chairman and CEO; Roberto Martinoli, President and CEO of Silversea Cruises; Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean Group, Executive Vice President and CFO; Captain Chavdar Georgiev; Luigi Matarazzo, General Manager of Fincantieri’s Merchant Ships Division; and the Honorable Minister Harry Theoharis, Greece’s Minister of Tourism, among others. Becoming the first ultra-luxury cruise ship to set sail following the pandemic, Silver Moon embarked upon her inaugural season from Athens from June 18, undertaking a series of 10-day voyages in the Greek Isles.

Following maritime traditions, Reverend Father Ioannis Patsis, Vice President of Caritas Hellas, blessed the vessel, before the ship’s Godmother, Gaia Gaja – of the renowned Italian Gaja Winery – broke a bottle of champagne on the ship’s bow. Guests viewed the event on screens throughout the ship and members of Silversea’s extended family streamed the broadcast online, as Silver Moon officially became the ninth ship in the leading ultra-luxury cruise line’s fleet.

“Witnessing the official naming of Silver Moon – the first of Silversea’s christenings as part of Royal Caribbean Group – was a very proud moment indeed,” says Richard D. Fain. “I commend Silversea’s leadership team, Captain Georgiev and Silver Moon’s crew, the team of Fincantieri, and everyone involved in the ship’s launch for their tireless efforts in bringing this long-awaited milestone to fruition.”

“This is an extraordinary milestone in the history of our cruise line,” says Roberto Martinoli. “We today christened Silver Moon as the ninth ship in our fleet, marking an evolution in 21st-century luxury travel. As the first ultra-luxury cruise ship to set sail this year, Silver Moon leads the way in the return of ultra-luxury cruising. She represents our industry’s strength and resilience. Aboard the newest addition to our fleet, our guests will re-discover the world in unrivaled comfort and whispered luxury. I extend my gratitude to the Royal Caribbean Group, Fincantieri, Captain Georgiev and the ship’s crew, as well as our teams ashore, for making this momentous occasion possible.”

From left: Roberto Martinoli, Gaia Gaja, Captain Georgiev

“It was an honor to cut the ribbon and signal the official naming of Silver Moon as the ship’s Godmother,” says Gaia Gaja. “Launching Silversea’s new S.A.L.T. program, Silver Moon embodies the core values that my family’s winery shares with this cruise line: a reverence for tradition, a commitment to unwavering quality, and a deep respect for cultural values. I look forward to journeying aboard this beautiful ship to dive deep into the Greek Isles’ celebrated culinary cultures.”

At 40,700 gross tons and with a maximum capacity of 596 guests, Silver Moon is the cruise line’s second Muse-class ship in its fast-growing fleet. Constructed by Fincantieri at its Ancona shipyard, Silver Moon is an evolution of her sister ship Silver Muse. The ship benefits from re-imagined public spaces, butler service in all suite categories, a nearly 1:1 crew-to-guest ratio, and Silversea’s hallmark small-ship intimacy.

The launch of Silver Moon also marks the debut of Silversea’s revolutionary new culinary program, Sea and Land Taste or S.A.L.T.℠. Three new onboard venues form a hub of culinary discovery for guests: in Silver Moon’s S.A.L.T. Kitchen, S.A.L.T. Lab, and S.A.L.T. Bar, guests are invited to delve deeper into each region’s cuisine and culture with regionally-inspired dishes, drinks, and demonstrations. Special S.A.L.T. shore excursions enable travelers to experience the food and drink cultures of each destination firsthand.

Cruises to and from foreign ports to England can resume

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 July 2021 29 July 2021

Cruises to and foreign ports to England can resume on 2 August, the British government said in a statement.

The move is part of a wider reopening of international travel. “From 4am 2 August 2021, passengers who are fully vaccinated in the EU with vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or in the USA with vaccines authorised by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or in the Swiss vaccination programme, will be able to travel to England without having to quarantine or take a day 8 test on arrival,” the government said

“Following the close monitoring of epidemiological evidence, gained through the restart of the domestic cruise industry earlier this year, the UK government has also confirmed the go ahead for international cruise sailings to restart from England in line with Public Health England guidance. International cruise travel advice will be amended to encourage travellers to understand the risks associated with cruise travel and take personal responsibility for their own safety abroad,” it concluded. The principal ports to benefit from the news are Southampton (picture), Portsmouth, Dover, Newcastle and Liverpool.

Domestic cruises from ports in England restarted on 17 May and several cruise lines are operating programmes of cruises in British waters as a result. There was some confusion about the rules as first due to the fact that Scottish government did not allow even domestic cruises until recently.

P&O Cruises cancels St Lucia fly cruises, assembly of Arvia begins

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 July 2021 29 July 2021

P&O Cruises, the UK focused contemporary market unit of Carnival Corporation & plc, has been forced to cancel its winter fly cruises from St Lucia, while the construction of its second Excel class ship has started in Germany.

Britannia’s fly cruises from St Lucia that had been scheduled to run from October 2021 to March 2022 due to lack of airlift capacity. “Unfortunately this means that the holiday you had booked on board Britannia can no longer go ahead. We are sorry for the disappointment this will cause,” the company was cited by Travel Weekly saying in a letter to affected passengers. Fly cruises from Barbados would proceed as planned, it added.

Meanwhile, assembly of P&O Cruises second Excel class ship Arvia, arriving December 2022, has started at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany. It will be sister ship of Iona that was completed last year, buttony entered service this summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The first component of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered ship, the floating engine room unit (FERU), has been moved into the building hall at the Meyer Werft shipyard where Arvia will be constructed.

Fabricated at the Neptun Werft the FERU, with Arvia's engines and LNG tanks within it, is 140m long, 42m wide and weighs approximately 12,000 tons, P&O Cruises said in a statement.

Viking Polaris floated out in Romania

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 28 July 2021 28 July 2021

Viking today announced its second expedition ship – the 378-guest Viking Polaris – was “floated out,” marking a major construction milestone and the first time that the new ship touches water. Scheduled to debut in summer 2022, Viking Polaris will spend its maiden season sailing voyages to the Arctic and Antarctica; its identical sister ship, Viking Octantis, was floated out last December and is set to debut in early 2022 for journeys to Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes.

“We are now one step closer to our launch of ‘the thinking person’s expedition,’ with new voyages that will allow our guests to explore the ends of the world and closer to home – in comfort,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “We are grateful for our long-standing partnership with Fincantieri, who has helped us build the world’s most beautiful ocean ships and are now helping us perfect expedition cruising. We look forward to welcoming guests on board Viking Polaris and Viking Octantis next year.”

The float out is significant because it denotes a ship moving into its final stage of construction. The float out ceremony of Viking Polaris took place yesterday, July 27; she was then moved to a nearby outfitting dock for further construction and interior build-out. After final outfitting, Viking Polaris will be delivered at Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard in Søviknes, Norway.

Esteemed explorers Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft will be honored as ceremonial godmothers to Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, respectively. Arnesen, a native Norwegian, became the first woman in the world to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole in 1994. Bancroft is the first woman to successfully ski to both poles. Arnesen and Bancroft also became the first women to ski across Antarctica in 2001. Together they co-founded Bancroft Arnesen Explore / Access Water, an initiative that aims to engage and empower more than 60 million minds to create a sustainable tomorrow.

Stena RoRo orders three more E-Flexer ropaxes

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 27 July 2021 27 July 2021

Stena RoRo, which is part of the Stena group in Sweden, has ordered three E-Flexer roro newbuildings at the CMI Jinling (Weihai) shipyard in China, taking the total of the type to be built to 12.

Five units of the class have been delivered so far and they are used by a number of ferry companies. The tenth ship will be chartered out to Marine Atlantic in Canada and Brittany Ferries will charter ships number 11 and 12.

Already so far, two variants of the type have been built, with lengths of approximately 212 m and 240 m, respectively. The now ordered vessels will also have different specifications

Ship 10 Ships 11 and 12

Length 202.9 m 194.7 m

Beam 27.8 m 27.8 m

Draft 6.45 m 6.5 m

Passengers 1,100 1,400

Lane metres 2,571 2,377 (Ship 11)

2,571 (Ship 12)

The Britany Ferries’ ships will operate between Portsmouth in the UK and Quistreham (Caen) and St. Malo in France, respectively, two of Brittany Ferries' primary routes.

“The two ships, together with three previously ordered E-Flexer class vessels, will renew and modernize Brittany Ferries' current fleet of cargo and passenger ships. The first ferry, the Galicia, was delivered in the autumn of 2020. The second will be delivered in November 2021 and the third in 2023,” Stena Roro said in a statement

Stena RoRo has executed a charter agreement with Marine Atlantic, a Canadian federal Crown corporation for ship number 10 of the E-Flewer class. It will run in eastern Canada between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Delivery from the shipyard is expected during 2024.

"Marine Atlantic is a former customer of ours," says Per Westling, managing director for Stena RoRo. "We delivered one ferry in 2000 and two more in 2010 to Marine Atlantic, all of which are still in service. We were successful in executing this new charter contract after a very competitive and extensive procurement process. We are extremely pleased to be able to continue to deliver high quality ships to this important customer”.

Large battery hybrid package, adaptable platform

The four most recently ordered ferries are equipped for LNG operation, entailing that they can run on LNG, biogas or other new fuels such as ammonia. In addition, the ships now ordered will also be equipped with a large battery hybrid package for energy consumption of 10 MWh for propulsion and maneuvering in port.

They will also be equipped with an 8 MW electric shore connection for charging the batteries which entails an environmentally friendly stay in port. The large battery capacity enables speeds up to 17.5 knots on battery power alone.

"The advanced and future-proof propulsion system developed for these vessels means that they can be operated with several different types of fuel," said Westling, adding: "This makes them well prepared for the new fuels not yet commercially available, but that will need to be developed and used in the future."

"Our focus is on adapting ship design to our customers' specific wishes and in this case, our E-Flexer platform is very well suited, as it meets the customer's requirements for an optimal hull form combined with efficient dual-fuel engines and a battery-hybrid solution to minimise emissions," he concluded.