Updated: Westerdam to sail to Cambodia instead of Thailand

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 10 February 2020 10 February 2020

Westerdam is now sailing for Sihanoukville, Cambodia, where the current cruise will end. We will arrive at 7:00 a.m. local time on Thursday, Feb. 13 and will remain in port for several days for disembarkation. Guests will be able to go ashore. All approvals have been received and we are extremely grateful to the Cambodian authorities for their support.

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Westerdam is sailing for Laem Chabang, Bangkok, Thailand, where the current cruise that departed February 1 from Hong Kong will end on Thursday, February 13. All guests will be disembarking in Bangkok for their forward flights home. This new schedule has been communicated to guests on board. Due to the coronavirus epidemic in China, many countries denied the entry of Westerdam to their ports.

All guests will receive a 100% refund for the 14-day sailing, as well as a 100% Future Cruise Credit. Complimentary internet and phone access is available for guests and crew to stay in contact with loved ones.

The ship is not in quarantine and we have no reason to believe there are any cases of coronavirus on board despite media reports.

"We have also received a letter from the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment affirming that they have full confidence in all our medical reporting and the quality of our medical staff and services on Westerdam. This assessment was done in concert with the Ministry of Health of the Netherlands," Holland America said in a statement.

"We sincerely thank our guests and crew on Westerdam — and their loved ones — for their patience during this extraordinary time."

The Feb. 15 cruise currently scheduled to embark in Yokohama has been cancelled. Booked guests and their travel advisors have been notified.

No cancellations for cruises with departure dates beyond February 15 have been announced at this time. However, we are assessing the impact of current port restrictions in Asia on cruises departing Feb. 29 or later. We will communicate details as they become finalized in the next few days.

CLIA statement on coronavirus outbreak

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 08 February 2020 08 February 2020

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the leading voice of the global cruise industry, issued on February 7 the following statement in response to recent developments concerning the 2019-novel coronavirus outbreak and its impact on the global cruise industry.

“The health and safety of cruise passengers and crew is and remains the number one priority of CLIA and its member lines, which make up over 90% of ocean-going cruise capacity worldwide.

Given the evolving nature of the ongoing 2019-novel coronavirus outbreak and based upon prevailing guidance from global health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO) CLIA Members have adopted the following enhanced protocols for ocean-going guests and crew who have recently traveled from or through China, including Hong Kong and Macau. These enhanced policies, which are in effect as of 7 February 2020, build upon those which were implemented on 31 January 2020 and continue to allow for informed decisions on a case-by-case basis whether a guest or crewmember will be permitted to board.

– CLIA Members are to deny boarding to all persons who have traveled from, visited or transited via airports in China, including Hong Kong and Macau, within 14 days before embarkation.
– CLIA Members are to deny boarding to all persons who, within 14 days before embarkation, have had close contact with, or helped care for, anyone suspected or diagnosed as having Coronavirus, or who is currently subject to health monitoring for possible exposure to Novel Coronavirus.
– CLIA Members are to conduct preboarding screening necessary to effectuate these prevention measures. Enhanced screening and initial medical support are to be provided, as needed, to any persons exhibiting symptoms of suspected Novel Coronavirus.

In coordination with cruise lines, medical experts and regulators around the world, CLIA and its member lines will continue to closely monitor for new developments related to the coronavirus and will modify these policies as necessary with the utmost consideration for the health and safety of passengers and crew. Importantly, the cruise industry is one of the most well-equipped and experienced when it comes to managing and monitoring health conditions of those onboard, with outbreak prevention and response measures in place year-round. Furthermore, ships must be fitted with onboard medical facilities, with shipboard medical professionals available around the clock, 24/7, to provide initial medical care in the event of illness and help prevent disease transmission.”

Torbjörn Liljehammar of Tallink Silja Line wins BACARDÍ Legacy Cruise Competition 2020

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 06 February 2020 06 February 2020

Torbjörn Liljehammar of Tallink Silja Line has been crowned winner of the BACARDÍ Legacy Cruise Competition 2020 for his own signature cocktail, ‘The Magellan’. Torbjörn will now represent the global Cruise channel in the BACARDÍ Legacy Cocktail Competition global finals in Miami, May 1-7 2020, competing with 40 domestic market winners from across the globe.

Zachary Sulkes International Key Account Manager (Cruise), Bacardi Global Travel Retail, commented. “We are in a new golden age for spirits with a long-term global trend for luxury cocktails. BACARDI rum is perfect for the ‘shaken and stirred’ millennial generation and so the importance of creating a professional cocktail culture in the Cruise sector is increasingly relevant.

“The standard of entries for the BACARDI Legacy Cruise Bartender of the Year 2020 has been incredible. We’ve organised similar competitions in the Cruise sector for 15 years now and, once again, I’m amazed by the growing professionalism of the participants year on year and the skills they demonstrate in creating their own unique premium cocktail recipe, led this year by Torbjörn. I’d like to thank AS Tallink and all our cruise partners for their enthusiasm and support in joining our mission to maximize the luxury potential of the Cruise cocktail market.”

Nele Nedaškovskaja, Beverage Manager, AS Tallink Duty Free is delighted with Torbjörn’s success. “This award means a lot for us and proves that everything is possible. I’m sure it will have a positive impact on our entire team of creative bartenders, motivating them to create new, amazing cocktails for the next BACARDI Legacy competition. We are immensely proud of Torbjörn, his professionalism, creativity and skills as a world class bartender and we will support him all the way to the global finals in Miami.”

The four finalists in the BACARDÍ Legacy Cruise Competition 2020 were Torbjörn Liljehammar of Tallink Silja, Antonino Pepe representing P&O Cruises Australia, Alexandra Muresan of Celebrity Cruises and Fabricio do Santos from Carnival Cruise Line.

The BACARDÍ Legacy Cruise Competition 2020 final was held at the Contemporary Museum of Art in San Juan, Puerto Rico, just a few miles from the BACARDÍ distillery, the largest premium rum distillery in the world. During the semi finals the four finalists spent time visiting the distillery and meeting the BACARDÍ Maestros de Ron as part of an itinerary giving them an insider’s guide to the BACARDÍ rum portfolio, its heritage and craft.

The Magellan created by Torbjörn Liljehammar:
50 ml BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho Rum
30 ml BLANDY’S 10YO Sercial Dry Madeira Wine
40 ml Vanilla/Apricot homemade syrup
15 ml Lemon Juice
2 dashes orange bitter

Mix BACARDI Reserva Ocho, apricot/vanilla syrup, lemon juice, Madeira wine, together in a shaker and add plenty of ice.
Shake well and double strain into a chilled glass.
Use lemon peel to zest the glass with oils and then discard.

Meyer Turku’s success has positive, growing impact on city, region and country, survey finds

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 06 February 2020 06 February 2020

Meyer Turku Oy, the Finnish cruise ship builder, is a very important local operator in the economic area of Turku and in the region of Southwest Finland. The regional impacts of the Turku shipyard extend to the whole country because three quarters of its direct supplier companies are domestic, the city of Turku said in a survey report.

The combined turnover related to the production of the yard and to the production of its direct supplier companies is about €1.9 billion which corresponds to a growth of 46 % compared to the financial statement of the year 2016.

The value of supply orders to the shipyard has grown very strongly. It has almost doubled in two years (+ 84 %). The value of the supply orders was approximately €933 million in 2018 when the corresponding figure in 2016 was approximately €508 million.

The value of domestic supply orders of Meyer Turku increased by 64% to approximately €638 million at the time in question. Correspondingly, the value of foreign supply orders increased by 150% to approximately €295 million.

“Our order books extend for the moment to the year 2025, and the amounts reflect well the growth in our production. We can expect that the growth continues also in the following years, states Deputy Yard Director of Meyer Turku, Tapani Pulli.

Despite the differences in the values of the supply orders, the amount of supplier companies has remained nearly unchanged. In 2018, the shipyard had a total of 1,246 direct supplier companies out of which 927 were domestic and 319 were of foreign origin.

“The direct supplier companies, on the other hand, have their own subcontractor network. The companies which belong to the subcontractor network represent 109 Finnish municipalities which corresponds to one third of all Finnish municipalities. Correspondingly, there are foreign subcontractors around the world,” specified Senior Researcher Tapio Karvonen from Brahea Centre at the University of Turku.

“This means that an increase in the production of the shipyard benefits the companies of all sizes and in different fields despite the territorial boundaries,”

The largest target country of the supply orders was Germany after Finland which made 72% of the value of the foreign supply orders. In domestic supply orders, the focus in the euro-weighted orders was in Southwest Finland (48 %), and specially in the nearby municipality of Kaarina (27 %). In case of domestic supplier companies, there was an even division between Uusimaa and Southwest Finland, each with a 40% slice.

“The strong growth of the proportion of Germany is explained by the fact that we have received FERU (Floating Engine Room Unit) for the cruise ships from the shipyard of Meyer in Rostock. Similarly, the large proportion of Kaarina is mainly explained by the strong growth of the cabin module factory of Piikkio Works,” explained Pulli.

Meyer Turku is the fourth largest employer in Southwest Finland after the City of Turku, the University of Turku and Valmet Automotive, a car assembly plant in the municipality of Uusikapunki. Meyer Turku is the second largest industrial employer.

The activity of the shipyard employs directly about 4,100 persons and indirectly 4,000 employers counted in annual work units. In two years, the annual work units (AWU) increased by 28% in direct employment, and by 54% in indirect employment.

The impact on the general employment is even greater but it was not possible to clarify the impact of foreign companies and secondary suppliers on the employment within the framework of the study. “A good rule of thumb for calculating the effects on the employment of the yard is the production formula where about 20% of one ship’s productions process is done by the shipyard’s own personnel and the remaining 80% by the supplier network,” Karvonen pointed out.

The regional economic impacts of employing own personnel focused 96% in Southwest Finland, and especially in Turku (88 %). As a result, most of the tax revenue effects concentrated in the municipalities in southwestern Finland

However, the biggest amount of corporation tax accrued in Uusimaa, where the Finnish capital Helsinki is located. The effects on employment are in practice almost in the same level with Southwest Finland, and the share of Uusimaa as the economic area of Meyer has increased clearly since the previous research study.

“The yard stimulates the development of the labour market in the positive direction in the Turku region and in the whole country. Strong professional skills, reliability and a special supplier network are strengths which are appreciated even in international contexts,” stated Minna Arve, Mayor of the City of Turku.

As a part of the survey, the supplier network of the yard was asked to specify the skill needs. Responses to the survey question on skill needs were received from 57 companies of different sizes and fields. Two thirds of the companies who responded to the survey has recognised needs in skills which were mostly related to HVAC and electric technology, welding and project management.

Three quarters of the 52 companies who answered to the survey question on labour shortage told that companies need more experts. According to the responses, there is mostly lack of plate-welders, HVAC and electrical designers, project managers and foremen.

“According to the forecasts, the increase in the direct personnel of Meyer Turku continues to grow in the next few years but the increase will get more stable after that. According to the forecasts, the yearly number of recruitments will remain at a high level because of the age structure of the shipyard. Especially the need for highly educated labour will be accentuated in the future. The variation related to the workload of the project work will be stabilized with the network of supplier companies and the amount of personnel in the supplier network is also likely to grow,” Karvonen summarised.

The new degree programme in technology, mechanical and material engineering beginning in autumn 2020 at the University of Turku will respond to the need of specialized personnel in the maritime industry. The own shipbuilding school of the Turku shipyard provides also a fast path to the specialization in the field by offering courses in recruiting training, additional training, complementary training and conversion training as well as individual courses, the survey report concluded.