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Fincantieri to operate new repair yard in Mexico

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 24 November 2020 24 November 2020

Today, Fincantieri signed a letter of intent (LoI) with the Ministry of Economic Development and Labour of the Yucatán State (Mexico) to participate in the design and construction of a new ship repair, conversions and maintenance yard. The facility will be located within the expansion and modernization of the Port of Progreso, the main port of the State, approx. 35 kilometers from the capital Merida. Here, a new area will be entirely dedicated to industrial activities. Fincantieri will be granted a 40-year concession for the exclusive management of the new yard.

The agreement was signed remotely by the Minister of Economic Development and Labour of Yucatán, Ernesto Herrero Novelo, and by the Director of the Fincantieri Services Division, Giorgio Rizzo, respectively in the presence of the Governor of Yucatán, Mauricio Vila Dosal and the General Manager of Fincantieri, Fabio Gallia.

The project envisages two dry docks, the largest in the Americas, able to accommodate ships up to 400 meters in length, particularly cruise ships, large cargos and Oil & Gas vessels, which need complex operations. The yard will also have a lifting platform for units up to 150 meters in length, about 1,000 meters docks, cranes, workshops, special equipment, offices, and warehouses.

Initially, the creation of the yard will be carried out by the Government of the State of Yucatán, and it will start by the first half of 2021, and end, after various steps, by 2027. Indeed, the Government will directly manage initial works through a special purpose company, that will handle the dredging, and the construction of the infrastructures and main plants. Fincantieri is to provide advice from the very beginning, to carry out the later stage, also involving other partners, building the advanced facilities, notably workshops and lifting equipment, and installing the equipment and finally starting activities. These will also include the necessary training of the staff, preemptively carried out both locally and in Italy at higher education institutes and at Fincantieri Academy.

Once the shipyard reaches full operational capacity, it will be able to support an estimated 700 full-time resources, and supply a downstream network involving up to 2,500 workers during peak times.

Mexico exports close to 400 billion dollars of goods every year, importing around 350 billion dollars. A considerable volume of this import/export is made through shipments by sea. Not to mention, the significant cruise traffic along the coasts of the United States, in the Caribbean and in the Gulf of Mexico, where there are the renowned settlements of the Maya civilization.

The new Progreso shipyard will be strategically placed to serve the merchant operators of this area, benefiting from the near Yucatán navigation channel, a natural outlet to the Atlantic Ocean. The Gulf is also a region with a strong concentration of Oil & Gas related operations, with offshore exploration, production and storage of oil and natural gas.

MSC Cruises on track for April 2021 restart in Japan

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 24 November 2020 24 November 2020

MSC Cruises has become the first international cruise line that operates in Japan to receive a health and safety certification from the country’s official maritime classification society ClassNK, a major step forward towards MSC Cruises’ operational restart in the country scheduled for April 2021.

The certification of MSC Cruises’ industry-leading health and safety protocol for Biosafety Management System (COVID-19) now paves the way for the line to open sales in December to local residents for cruises homeporting in Japan and start to work with ports in the country to prepare for the upcoming season.

Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises’ CEO, said, “We are extremely pleased to have received this certification and are now confident that we will be able to restart our Japan operation serving the local market by April 2021.”

Junichi Hirata, ClassNK’s General Manager of Innovation and Sustainability Department, said, “This is the first important step of a longer-term plan for MSC Cruises to resume Japanese cruise operations in the first half of 2021, and we will now work closely with the line towards that goal.”

Hiroya Nakano, Director-General of City of Yokohama’s Port and Harbor Bureau, agreed, “It is great news that MSC Cruises has received this certificate of approval from ClassNK for its health and safety guidelines. The Port of Yokohama is committed to cooperate accordingly for the re-starting of international cruises in spring 2021.”

Health and safety operating protocols of port authorities in Japan and MSC Cruises will also follow guidelines established by JOPA, the Japan Oceangoing Passenger Ship Association.

MSC Bellissima, which was launched in 2019, will be deployed to Japan, homeport in Yokohama to sail 6 to 9-night cruises in April, May and June 2021. She is also scheduled to operate in the country during October and November 2021.

Onorato added: “To be the first international cruise line in Japan to be awarded this key certification of compliance is a further testament to our robust and rigorous health and safety protocol which led the way for the entire global industry in August when we became the first major line to resume cruise operation in the Mediterranean.

“We have now safely and responsibly carried more than 30,000 customers in the Mediterranean and can now look forward to offering the same for our guests who live in Japan.

“Our industry-leading protocol, as well as the unique sets of data gathered through the operation of our two ships calling Italy, Greece and Malta during the past few months, is currently being reviewed by authorities in other regions where the Company’ other ships are scheduled to restart.

“We believe, therefore, that this certification — in a country where the industry was at the center of much attention very early in the pandemic — and the confirmation by authorities in Italy through their latest ministerial decree that cruising can continue, will go a long way to demonstrate the trust that we have been able to build with the protocol’s effective measures and their rigorous application for the benefit of guests, crew and the communities we serve.”

European classification society RINA last month awarded MSC Cruises with its biosafe ship additional class notation for the line’s flagship MSC Grandiosa which is currently operating in the Mediterranean Sea.

RINA had previously verified that the MSC Cruises health and safety protocol met and went beyond the high standards of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Joint Guidance, which incorporates additional health standards including those from the EU Healthy Gateways Joint Action.

The verification that the protocol was aligned with the guidance of the two key European authorities was a crucial part of the process to enable the August restart of MSC Cruises’ operations in the Mediterranean.

Carnival redeems notes in exchange for shares

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 24 November 2020 24 November 2020

Carnival Corporation & plc, the Anglo-American cruise shipping group, said that Carnival Corporation, its Panama domiciled and US listed holding company, has closed its previously announced registered direct offering of 10.4 million shares of its common stock at a price of $17.59 per share to a holder of its 5.75% Convertible Senior Notes due 2023.

“The Corporation used the proceeds from this closing to repurchase $90.8 million principal amount of its Convertible Notes in a privately negotiated transaction,” the company said in a statement.

Following the repurchase, an aggregate of $536.7 million principal amount of the convertible notes will remain outstanding.

Photo: New York Stock Exchange

P&O Cruises extends pause in operations into April 2021

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 24 November 2020 24 November 2020

P&O Cruises, the UK focused contemporary market unit in Carnival Corporation & plc group, said it has decided to extended the pause in its operations into April 2021 in response to the current uncertainty around European ports of call.

On 17 September, the company said that all its Caribbean cruises would be cancelled until the end of January 2021 and all cruises from and to Southampton are cancelled through February as well as Arcadia and Aurora, which have already been cancelled through to the end of their spring world cruises.

P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said in a statement: “With hopeful news headlines clearly we do not want to extend our pause in operations any further than absolutely necessary, but given the ever changing guidance around international travel and the varying regulations in many European ports of call we felt it prudent to cancel these additional dates.”

“In addition, as the final payments are due for these cruises very soon we felt it was the right thing to do for our guests. We are so sorry to disappoint those who were due to travel but really hope they will re-book for later in the year or for our new programme of 2022 holidays which went on sale earlier this month with strong demand, showing great confidence in cruising in the future.”

Photo: P&O Cruises took delivery of Iona from Meyer Werft in Germany earlier this autumn.

Telenor Maritime acquires Finnish tech company KNL Networks

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 23 November 2020 23 November 2020

Telenor Maritime, which is part of the Norwegian telecommunications group Telenor, said it has agreed to acquire 100% of the shares in KNL Networks, a Finnish technology company that has developed a unique system providing data access through a secure mesh network around the globe for maritime and critical communication markets.

“With this technology and Telenor Maritime’s expertise, the merchant fleet’s missing link is finally in place: a dedicated end-to-end channel for reliable, secure, and above all affordable access to business-critical information,” Telenor maritime said in a statement.

“Telenor Maritime’s vision of a greener future in the maritime industry has taken a big leap forward with the acquisition of KNL Networks” said CEO of Telenor Maritime Lars Erik Lunøe. “This affordable technology provides the industry with a unique opportunity to utilize digitized solutions, enabling them to make data-driven decisions, improve efficiency, gain competitive advantage, and work towards a greener, more sustainable future” he continued.

Constantly pursuing the elimination of the “digital divide” between the offshore and onshore industries, Telenor Mari time can now provide the same quality of experience at sea as on land to the whole maritime sector, increasing its profitability through operational excellence.

By acquiring KNL networks and combining the competences of both companies, Telenor Maritime will be able to offer end-to-end managed services for the maritime market, including global access and access management of operation-critical data and cyber security.

“This positioning is unique in the maritime sector, making Telenor Maritime the only one stop shop for digital transformation of maritime industry. We’re excited about the opportunity to join forces with Telenor Maritime and to become a part of Telenor Group – a company that has over a century of history in the field of connectivity and reputation of being a trusted partner. I am confident that together we can lead the way of digitalizing maritime and help our clients on their digital transformation journey, as well as strengthen our position as a trusted partner to our customers in the critical communication segment,” said Toni Lindén, CEO KNL Networks.