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Crystal Cruises to base two newbuildings to Danube from France, expand size

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 July 2016 29 July 2016

Following the successful launch of its first luxury river yacht, Crystal Mozart, Crystal River Cruises, which is part of the Genting Hong Kong group, has announced it will increase its presence in the Danube, Main and Rhine Rivers, deploying four of its planned new build river yachts in the region over the next two years.

The redesign and subsequent redeployment of Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel translates to more options, space and onboard amenities for travelers, as the river yachts will be increased in size from 110 meters to 135 meters, the maximum size permissible on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. The increased length allows for the addition of a swimming pool with a sliding glass roof and more of the ship’s larger suites, which range in size up to 759 square feet.

The new design places the ships as part of the line’s 106-guest Rhine-class series currently comprising Crystal Bach and Crystal Mahler, which are due to enter service June 18 and August 29, 2017, respectively. Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel will be set for maiden voyages in April, 2018 and May, 2018 respectively with detailed itineraries to be announced shortly.

“Based on guest feedback lauding the itineraries planned in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Amsterdam and Holland, the company has elected to delay its entrance into the French river cruise market, choosing instead to prioritize its offerings in the German/Austrian region in order to meet travelers’ demand for those experiences,” the company said in a statement.

The shift in focus means redesigning and enlarging the two Paris-Class river yachts, Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel, as Rhine-Class river yachts, and redeploying them east in 2018.Previously, Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel were to travel along the Seine, Rhone and Dordogne Rivers in France beginning in June and August, 2017 respectively.

“Unlike an ocean-going ship that can accommodate a change in itinerary with short notice, a river ship operates within more confined parameters and is unable to reroute easily,” said Crystal’s CEO and president, Edie Rodriguez.

MV Werften signs contracts with Deltamarin, Foreship and Elomatic to design Global Class ships

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 July 2016 29 July 2016

MV Werften, the German shipbuilding group owned by Genting Hong Kong, said it has signed contracts for the basic and detailed design of the 200,001 gross ton “Global Class” cruise ships for Star Cruises, also part of the Genting Hong Kong group, with its engineering partners Elomatic Oy and Deltamarin Ltd

After completing the purchase of the MV Werften shipyards in April, the general arrangement plans for the “Global Class” cruise ships were completed with Foreship Oy in June. All the three partner companies are based in Finland.

“We are delighted to work together with Foreship, Elomatic and Deltamarin on a series of these innovative ships designed from the ground up for the Asian cruise market” says Tan Sri KT Lim, Chairman of the Genting Group.

Star Cruises’ new “Global Class” mega cruise vessels will be over 340 metres long, 45 metres wide and measure 200,001 gross tons. The construction of these ships will be an important boost for the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the entire European cruise shipbuilding industry, especially when other shipbuilding sectors have slowed dramatically. Steel cutting for the first vessel is expected to begin in late 2017 and delivery is scheduled for 2020, the shipbuilder said in a statement.

MSC Cruises plans to place ships under British flag, enter tonnage tax – report

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 July 2016 29 July 2016

MSC Cruises, the world’s fourth largest cruise shipping group, is planning to place vessels under the British flag and enter them in the country’s tonnage tax, a move that would require it to manage and operate them from Britain, Lloyds List reports on its website.

The publication cited Guy Platten, CEO of the UK Chamber of Shipping, who had given a presentation to the All-Party Parliamentary Maritime and Ports Group in London.

“MSC Cruises is already in the process of doing so. I’ve had a recent conversation with another major shipping line which is considering moving its ships into the flag and tonnage tax. There are rumours of others too,” he was quoted as saying.

In addition to some vessels of the Carnival group, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd (RCCL), the world’s second largest cruise shipping group that operates 14 of its ships under companies which have elected to be subject to the United Kingdom tonnage tax regime. None of them fly the British flag, however.

“Companies subject to UK tonnage tax pay a corporate tax on a notional profit determined with reference to the net tonnage of qualifying vessels. The requirements for a company to qualify for the UK tonnage tax regime include being subject to United Kingdom corporate income tax, operating qualifying ships, which are strategically and commercially managed in the United Kingdom, and fulfilling a seafarer training requirement,” RCCL said in its 2015 annual report.

“Failure to meet any of these requirements could cause us to lose the benefit of the tonnage tax regime which will have a material effect on our results of operations,” the company pointed out.

MSC Cruises currently operates its fleet under the flag of Panama. The Lloyds List report said the company is building new UK head office in Uxbridge west of London to cater for its expanding activities in the country.

Higher ticket prices and cheaper fuel lift Fred. Olsen Cruise Line’s profit

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 25 July 2016 25 July 2016

A substantial fall in fuel costs combined with higher ticket prices has helped Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, the UK based destinational operator of four cruise ships, to increase profits in both the second quarter and the first half the year, parent company Bonheur ASA said in a statement.

In the second quarter, the cruise line’s net profit rose to NOK67 million from NOk23 million in the same period last year. Revenues rose to NOK550 million from nOK502 million.

In the first six months of the year, the company made a net profit of NOK83 million compared to NOK18 million a year earlier. Revenues rose to nOK1.05 billion from NOK10.1 billion.

“Net ticket income per diem was 5% higher compared to the corresponding quarter last year. The average spot price of fuel oil in the quarter was 26% lower than in second quarter 2015,” Bonheur said, adding that the number of passenger days totaled 286 447 (275 458) for the quarter.

Bonheur, which is headquartered and listed in Oslo, did not give a guidance regarding the expected future performance of the Ipswich based cruise company. It did not have any news about an investment plan that Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines said last month it was going to unveil in the near future.

The Costa Crociere Foundation launches six new social betterment and marine environmental projects

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 23 July 2016 23 July 2016

The Costa Crociere Foundation has concluded the annual selection process reserved for Italian non-profit organizations and has chosen six new social betterment and marine environmental protection projects for funding.

During the period of the call for proposals - from January 18 through February 14 - around 240 projects were submitted by non-profit organizations and associations working in either of the Foundation's areas of interest. The selection criteria used by the Foundation’s Advisory Board and Board of Directors prioritized candidate projects capable of satisfying the individual's basic needs, offering initiatives directed at women and at "NEETs" - young people who are Not (engaged) in Education, Employment or Training - and introducing best practices associated with the "circular economy" applied to the sea.

The projects in question are managed by associations and organizations operating all over Italy. Thanks to the financial support provided by Costa Cruises and its partners, and also to the synergies generated by other projects already in progress, the successful candidates can achieve their aims of offering assistance, providing training for disadvantaged youth, and raising awareness with regard to marine litter and pollution. More specifically:

- "Un dentista per amico" ("A Caring Dentist"): proposed by the Associazione ARKÈ Onlus from the Province of Genoa, this project will provide dental care free of charge to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds living in foster care or shelters and in deprived families.

- "Le vie del Mare" ("A Vocation for the Sea"): presented by the Associazione Non solo vela Onlus, this project is addressed to youth at risk of social exclusion in the Genoa metropolitan area and will provide vocational training for various trades linked to the sea and seafaring; the professionals teaching the courses will include staff members from the Costa Campus. The apprentices taking part will learn how to become galley chefs, skippers, lifesavers and so on and, at the end of their period of instruction, each participant will have a 3-month internship with a business selected on the basis of personal preference and local opportunities. This will give the trainees valuable on-the-job experience while the companies concerned can assess the interns and decide whether to offer them permanent employment.

- "La Bottega dei miracoli" ("The Shop of Miracles Sea"): the aim of this project, submitted by the Cooperativa Sociale Alzaia, is to facilitate social inclusion and employment opportunities for people with Down syndrome and for NEETs, by opening and running a retail outlet selling typical regional products in Pisa’s famous Piazza dei Miracoli. The project will also involve the creation of a permanent training laboratory, with places for at least 4 NEETs and 5 young people with Down syndrome every year; after the course they will be able to take part in internships assigned individually according to each person’s talents and aptitudes.

- "Women In Technology”: this project, based on an idea conceived by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale headquartered in Rome, has the objective of helping young female NEETs enter the world of work by setting up their own ICT entrepreneurial ventures. The pilot phase involves experimentation in three high schools in Campania, Calabria and Sicily, plus provision of project design and development support services for a total of 150 young women.

- "La casa senza violenza" ("A Safe Haven"): this project, presented by Il Cerchio delle relazioni - Cooperativa sociale onlus in Genoa, provides support for women who are victims of domestic violence and who make the crucial decision to leave home. The initiative aims to extend the range of essential services offered in such situations; this includes emergency shelters and medium-to-long term accommodation for battered women and their children.

In the environmental field, the Costa Crociere Foundation is supporting the initiative proposed by the Scuola di Robotica of Genoa, with the goal of recycling plastic to make items using a 3D printing process. More specifically, the plastic waste recovered by Ligurian fishermen selected through their trade associations, from the Marine Protected Areas of Liguria, by the Ligurian Observatory on Fishing & Environment (OLPA) and by the Costa Crociere Foundation itself, for example thanks to the Collavoriamo project run by the Cooperativa "Il Laboratorio" in Genoa, will be recycled to make educational kits enhancing the marine environmental awareness of visually impaired children.