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Aboa Mare director Karlsson wins Finnish maritime award

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 08 June 2018 08 June 2018

Per-Olof Karlsson, director at Aboa Mare, the Turku based institution that offers degree and continuing education for the maritime industry, has been awarded maritime theme award in Finland.

The award committee comprised of representatives of the country's shipping industry, maritime trade unions and the University of Turku.

Karlsson has worked in maritime education for 30 years with the same positive attitude in developing the field and its operations environment. “The operations in Finland’s oldest vocational institution have grown more and more diverse and reached a broader student body,’ Aboa Mare said in a statement.

Under Karlsson’s leadership, Aboa Mare has directed an ever increasingly amount of its operations to international waters and exported Finnish expertise in the form of maritime education to the Philippines, among others. The latest partnership agreement was concluded with a South Korean maritime institution.

"Collaboration with actors in the field has been easy and fruitful; solutions to problems have always been found,' Aboa mare noted.

Karlsson graduated as a sea captain in Turku in 1985 and worked on merchant vessels for several years. In 1988, he began teaching in Turku but combined teaching and his career on the seas for many years. Since 2002, he has worked as head of Aboa Mare, which is a consolidation of the Novia University of Applied Sciences and the vocational institution, Axxell.

The purpose of the maritime theme award is to give credit to a person or actor in the field that has improved the operational prerequisites in seafaring, increased the esteem of seafaring, developed collaboration or increased visibility in the field. The decision to choose Karlsson for this year’s award was unanimous.

Fincantieri delivers Viking Orion

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 08 June 2018 08 June 2018

Fincantieri, the Italian shipbuilder, has delivered the 47,800 gross ton Viking Orion to Viking Ocean Cruises, the rapidly expanding upper premium cruise shipping company, from its Ancona shipyard. The 930 passenger ship is the fifth in a series of similar ships, the first of which was delivered in 2015 and a further 10 units should be built up to 2027, the shipbuilder said in a statement.

Carnival acquires Alaskan railway, tour and retail business

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 08 June 2018 08 June 2018

Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest cruise shipping group,has through its subsidiary, Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, entered into a purchase and sale agreement to acquire TWC Enterprises Limited’s White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&YR) division, which includes White Pass’ port, railroad and retail operations in Skagway, Alaska. The transaction is scheduled to close on July 31, 2018 subject to customary closing conditions, Carnival said ion a statement.

The price was not disclosed.

In addition to the acquisition, Holland America Princess Alaska Tours also executed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), subject to review and approval, with Survey Point Holdings, Inc., an Alaskan company based in Ketchikan, and one of its affiliated companies. This MOU will create a joint venture making Survey Point the managing partner of the port, White Pass Scenic Railway and the associated retail operations that Carnival Corporation & plc is acquiring from TWC Enterprises.

As part of the new MOU and joint venture, the partners plan to make investments in the business, which will enable continued economic development and job growth in Skagway and the surrounding region, making a positive impact on the local economy and further benefitting the Alaska tourism industry. These investments will include support for expansion of docking facilities to accommodate the newest generation of cruise ships, a key to the port’s long-term success.

MSC Cruises’ Onorato warns of industry growth impact on yields - report

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 08 June 2018 08 June 2018

Yields in the cruise industry could fall in the future due to the huge orderbook of newbuildings, MSC Cruises’ CEO Gianni Onorato was reported as saying.

Asked whether occupancy levels were at risk of falling from so much growth, chief executive Gianni Onorato was cited by Travel Weekly in the UK telling delegates at the ITT Conference in Sicily: “No, we are not crazy. But in difficult times it can have an impact on yields more than occupancy. So I think this will be more of an issue than occupancy levels.”

He said that the UK market, which recorded a growth of less than 1% to 1.96 million passengers last year, had staged the weak performance due to lack of capacity, but the outlook for the future was better.

Onorato noted that the biggest challenge facing cruise lines was future proofing ships. “Knowing what guests want in 2040 when you’re building them now is very difficult to predict so we need to have a flexible mindset and be able to follow guests’ needs (in terms of technology) but at the same time maintain human contact,” Onorato was quoted as saying.

TUI Cruises to launch premium spirits and dining package

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 07 June 2018 07 June 2018

TUI Cruises, the Hamburg based premium market cruise line, will launch a package that includes premium grade spirits and extra charge restaurants on all its six ships in the course of August.

The company already operates an all inclusive concept, which covers alcoholic beverages apart from premium branded ones.

The package, which will cost €413 per person for a seven night cruise and €484 for a 11 night cruise, was tested last year. It will cover e.g. champagnes, sushi, and premium meat dishes in the grill restaurants.

It will also cover cabin service charge to allow passengers to enjoy these items in their own cabin, the company said in a statement.