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SkySea Golden Era emerges from drydock and begins Shenzhen deployment

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 16 November 2017 16 November 2017

SkySea Cruise Line, the first smart contemporary cruise line specifically developed for the Chinese market, has just announced completion of an extensive drydock on its flagship SkySea Golden Era and the start of its new homeport in Shenzhen to round out the 2017 year.

Cosco Shipyard in Zhoushan began its most extensive passenger cruise vessel drydock ever on SkySea Golden Era on October 25th and completed the job on November 11th. The drydock included routine facilities and equipment maintenance as well as a number of hotel projects including the addition of two new conference rooms built specifically for the brands focus on being the MICE leader in the market. The new SkySea Board Room located on Deck 7 can hold up to 50 guests theater style and the new SkySea Conference Room located on Deck 12 can hold up to 100 guests theater style. Both venues can serve as multi-purpose rooms complete with state of the art AV equipment and the ability to provide a variety of meeting room configurations.

In addition, the Grand Restaurant was renovated with a new Chinese look and feel and in partnership with famous international medical beauty brand PhiSkin, a new hair and beauty salon, expanded retail shops and pharmacy were added to provide a more comfortable and leisure shopping experience for guests.

The newly refurbished SkySea Golden Era made her debut on November 15th in Shenzhen, kicking off her 13-cruise season from the South China homeport. The ceremonial welcome of SkySea Golden Era was attended by Government and Port Officials, Travel Agents and Media as the VIP’s pushed the lever to begin a successful season. Golden Era will visit popular cruise destinations such as Miyakojima and Okinawa in Japan and Da Nang and Halong Bay in Vietnam while departing from Shenzhen.

Ken Muskat, CEO of SkySea Cruise Line, said the successful drydock timed with the start of our sailings from Shenzhen shows our commitment to continuing to be an industry leader offering an outstanding cruise experience to Chinese guests from North, South and East China. The “new” SkySea Golden Era will return to Shanghai on January 7th and will deliver cruise vacations from Shanghai, Xiamen, Shenzhen and Taiwan in 2018.

Hurtigruten appoints Harber as President for the Americas region

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 16 November 2017 16 November 2017

Hurtigruten, the world leader in exploration travel, has appointed William Harber as President for the Americas, based in its Seattle regional headquarters. He will relocate from Hong Kong and be responsible for Hurtigruten’s commercial growth strategy in collaboration with the company’s senior leadership team.

“Building on nearly 125 years of Norwegian polar pioneering know-how and history, Hurtigruten is revolutionizing the global adventure travel industry through new state-of-the-art hybrid expedition vessels and trailblazing itineraries. We are strongly committed to offering the Americas the world’s safest, greenest and most adventurous expedition voyages. I am confident William Harber is the right person to establish our premium offering as a first choice of adventure travel for the modern American explorer,” noted Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam.

For Hurtigruten, Harber is charged with driving sales and profitability across the U.S., Canada, Central and South America. He will broaden and deepen key travel agent relationships and open new channels for growth. He’s also tasked with increasing market share by ensuring effective brand positioning and driving sales, marketing, and communication strategies.

“I’m honored Hurtigruten has tapped me for this position and trust the many experiences I’ve gained in Asia and in my career in the cruise industry will serve me well in the role. It’s an exciting opportunity for growth at such an authentic and storied brand,” added William Harber, Hurtigruten President for the Americas. Harber’s successor in Asia-Pacific will be named after a brief transition period.

William Harber has over 20 years of experience, including 13 in the cruise industry. He was most recently Hurtigruten’s President for China & Asia-Pacific, successfully establishing the company’s regional headquarters and GSA set-up and striking a strategic partnership with Fliggy, Alibaba’s travel brand. He has served as Sr. Vice President & MD Asia for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and as Vice President, Market Development for Carnival Asia. In 2011, Harber was promoted to Vice President, Carnival Corporate Marketing, working globally across their 10 cruise brands. Harber originally joined Carnival’s Miami, FL headquarters in 2004 as a member of the Shared Services team.

Earlier in his career, Harber was a management consultant at A.T. Kearney and Director of Product Marketing for a technology start-up. He earned his MBA in Marketing Strategy from Emory’s Goizueta Business School and graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a bachelor of Industrial & Systems Engineering.

Harber succeeds Gordon Dirker who opened Hurtigruten’s Americas headquarters in Seattle, WA and set the groundwork to further expand the brand.

COP 23: Shipping industry demands a “maritime energy transition”

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 14 November 2017 14 November 2017

The shipping industry must contribute to global climate transition. The goal of shipbuilders, suppliers and shipping companies must be a “maritime energy transition”, which will make shipping CO2-neutral in the long term and completely emission-free beyond that. The participants of a podium discussion initiated by VDMA on the decarbonization of the shipping industry agreed on this point at the World Climate Change Conference (COP 23) in Bonn.

Midway through the conference, the mechanical engineering industry voiced its strong support of the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. “Delaying international climate protection efforts would only result in greater investment costs in clean technologies at a later date,” says Peter Müller-Baum, Managing Director of VDMA Engines and Systems. “That would be a huge disadvantage for the industry,” he emphasized. Müller-Baum supported the demand for a “maritime energy transition” which was initiated by VDMA, amongst others.

All participants were in agreement that the maritime industry will only be able to achieve the ambitious goals of the Paris Climate Agreement with the corresponding stipulations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO). “The artificial taxation of CO2 would most likely be the quickest way to generate momentum,” said Axel Kettman, who represents ABB Group as Vice President of the International Council on Combustion Engines (CIMAC). A charge on greenhouse gases would provide the chance to invest in emission-reducing technologies and also in synthetic, CO2-neutral fuels, he explained.

“The industry needs planning certainty in order to ensure the necessary investments”

“The industry needs planning certainty in order to ensure the necessary investments,” added Dr. Andreas Lingens, Managing Director of L’Orange, an MTU subsidiary. “The path to CO2-neutral and emission-free shipping is very complicated. The technical solutions must be developed further, and this cannot be done without a clear, legal framework,” he added.

Hermann-Josef Mammes, Head of the Research and Development Department at Meyer Werft, explains that a lot more can be done today than the law requires. His company, like many VDMA members, is a pioneer for clean technologies, however: “We can only sell what people want.” Mammes highlighted the cruise ship industry as a positive example, as many customers are increasingly opting to use clean LNG as a fuel for their ships. “However, a completely internationalized sector like the shipping industry requires internationally aligned laws,” says Mammes.

The mechanical engineering industry views itself as a key industry in terms of climate policy, as companies in this sector equip other sectors with efficient and emission-reducing technologies. The mechanical engineering industry can therefore provide an important contribution towards achieving the goal of the Paris Climate Agreement of restricting global warming to 1.5° C. It is vital in this regard that the respective requirements are expressed in a transparent and technology-neutral manner so that companies can reliably invest in climate protection.

The worldwide cruise industry will meet in Madrid on November 29 and 30 at the International Cruise Summit 2017

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 14 November 2017 14 November 2017

The International Cruise Summit will gather, in its seventh edition, the most relevant professionals of the cruise industry, who will meet in Madrid during 29 and 30 November to discuss this outstanding tourism sector that generates more than 1,300 million euros in Spain.

Officials and executives of cruise companies, port authorities, tourist destinations, tour operators, shipping agencies, travel agencies, suppliers and experts of the sector, will be present at one of the most important cruise congresses in the world.

The inauguration will be carried out by Puertos del Estado, Tourspain, and the Madrid City Council, after which, Airam Diaz Pastor, President of MedCruise will address the delegates to give them the keynote speech. During the two days, several round tables and presentations will address topics such as “The pulse of the cruise industry”, “Changes in the European passenger profile”, “Markets trends impacting on cruise ports”, or “Planning tourist destinations”, among others.

More than 300 delegates from around the world will attend this event at the NH Eurobuilding Hotel. Speakers will include Edie Rodriguez, Americas Brand Chairman and Corporate Special Advisor of the luxury company Ponant, as well as Lars Clasen, Managing Director of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. In fact, this edition is notable for the attendance of exceptional luxury companies as well as new ones; for example, Virgin Voyages, represented by Craig Milan, Vice-president Itinerary / Destination Development. TUI Cruises, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Costa Cruises, Pullmantur, Norwegian Cruise Line, Silversea, Marella Cruises, Cruise & Maritime Voyages will also be represented by senior executives.

This seventh edition contributes to enhancing Spain’s image as the second most popular European cruise tourist destination and the positioning of Madrid as a pivotal city in hosting international congresses. During 2016, 8.5 million cruise passengers visited the Spanish coast, which meant an economic benefit of more than 1,300 million euros and 28,000 jobs. Barcelona leads European ports with 2.68 million cruisers in 2016, 5.79% more than the previous year. Also noteworthy are the Balearic Islands ports, with 1.8 million cruisers, and Las Palmas, with 1.1 million.

Questioned because of their environmental impact in some cities, cruise ships face the future committed to sustainability, having already installed in the majority of the fleet, scrubbers that limit their emissions to the atmosphere, and building new ships powered by Liquefied Natural Gas, the cleanest of fossil fuels.

Champneys returns to sea with Marella Explorer spa contract

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 14 November 2017 14 November 2017

Marella Cruises, the British cruise line in the TUI group of companies, has announced an onboard partnership with the UK’s biggest and original health spa, Champneys.

Champneys operated the spa on board P&O Cruises’ 1995 built Oriana early in the career of the ship. Marella Explorer is currently sailing as Mein Schiff 1 in the fleet of Hamburg based TUI Cruises. It was built in 1996 as Galaxy of Celebrity Cruises and it will join the Marella cruises’ fleet in May next year.

“Typical of UK Champneys resorts, the luxurious spa will feature a full treatment menu, including facials, body wraps, massages, manicures, acupuncture and more, as well as a salon, wellness centre and stylish relaxation room that boasts comfortable beds complete with stunning panoramic views,” Marella Cruises said in a statenment.

Distribution and Cruise Director at TUI UK & Ireland, parent company of Marella Cruises, Helen Caron, said: “We’re delighted to announce this partnership with Champneys onboard our fantastic new addition Marella Explorer. We’re proud to be known for the friendliest service at sea and Champneys’ world-class service really mirrors this. Our ships offer holidaymakers a relaxing home from home that they can return to following a full day of exploring a destination and this new introduction onboard Marella Explorer will ensure they can fully unwind in luxury onboard.”

Stephen Purdew, Champneys co-owner said: “We are thrilled to be working with Marella Cruises from next year, offering the very best Champneys spa experience onboard Marella Explorer. We’re confident that our state-of-the-art spa will bring even more enjoyment to guests’ holidays and can’t wait to hear about their experiences.”

In addition to four resorts and a spa hotel, Champneys also operate six city spas, two colleges and a range of globally recognised products.

The ship will operate fromPalma de Mallorca in the summer of 2018 and spend the winter of 2018-19 in the Caribbean and cruise from Newcastle in the UK in the summer of 2019, Marella Cruises’ 2018-19 brochure shows.