Carnival Maritime collaborates with the Hamburg Vessel Coordination Center

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 26 February 2016 26 February 2016

As of end of February, Carnival Maritime collaborates with the Hamburg Vessel Coordination Center (HVCC) in order to optimally plan the movements of the AIDA and Costa cruise ships in the Port of Hamburg and the narrow river Elbe. For this purpose, Carnival Maritime is sharing the expected arrival and departure times of the ships with the "Nautische Terminal Koordination” (nautical terminal coordination, NTK), a department of the HVCC. The department constantly matches this information with the current traffic situation and keeps Carnival Maritime informed. Should it for instance be predictable that there will be waiting time involved if the ship maintains the speed, because a Costa Group ship interferes with another large vessel, the NTK can recommend to speed up a little bit. Vice versa, an obstruction can be avoided by slightly reducing the speed. Carnival Maritime shares this information with the respective ship’s command so that they can optimize their speed. "This saves on fuel, because it reduces waiting times," explains Jörgen Strandberg, Director Fleet Operations Center at Carnival Maritime. "Being even more punctual is a great advantage to us, because the cruise ship will generally have to make up for lost time afterwards. To do so, it will increase its speed and thus its fuel consumption and emissions."

Predictability doesn't just mean saving on fuel and emissions, it also provides advantages for cruise guests. They find out in good time about any adjustments to the travel schedule, and can therefore adapt their activities and enjoy their journey to the fullest.

The HVCC is a central, port-wide coordination center for mega-ship, feeder and inland vessel traffic in the Port of Hamburg.

Within the HVCC the NTK department supports port authorities and companies as well as ocean carriers on a smooth traffic of the increasing number of large ships in the Port of Hamburg. "We are very pleased that Carnival Maritime is collaborating with us," states Heinrich Goller, the CEO of HVCC. "The more partners we win for our services, the better we can coordinate the large vessels. It is our goal to recognize potential conflict situations at the river Elbe at an early stage and to make early suggestions to our partners how to avoid the situation.”

The HVCC is a joint venture of the Port of Hamburg's two container-terminal operators, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) and EUROGATE Container Terminal Hamburg GmbH (CTH).

Carnival Magic to undergo multi-million dollar renovation

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 23 February 2016 23 February 2016

In preparation for its Space Coast debut this spring, the 130,000 gross ton Carnival Magic will undergo an extensive multi-million-dollar dry dock that will add a variety of exciting dining and bar innovations, including Guy’s Burger Joint, RedFrog Rum Bar, BlueIguana Tequila Bar, Pizzeria del Capitano and the Alchemy Bar.

Currently sailing from Galveston, Texas, Carnival Magic will reposition to Port Canaveral, Fla., in April 2016 to begin year-round Caribbean departures from that port.

“Carnival Magic is already a groundbreaking ship – it was the first to feature our popular Cucina del Capitano Italian restaurant, the Caribbean-themed RedFrog Pub and SportSquare outdoor recreation facility – and with these new features we’re making this spectacular floating resort even better,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Following this extensive refurbishment, Carnival Magic will offer even more exciting on-board choices for travel agents to market to their clients,” she added.

The two-week dry dock will take place from Feb. 21 to March 6, 2016, and will add exciting new spaces, including:

– Guy’s Burger Joint: a free-of-charge poolside venue developed in partnership with Food Network personality Guy Fieri serving hand-crafted burgers and fresh-cut fries in an atmosphere that celebrates the chef’s California roots and love of car culture

– RedFrog Rum Bar: a poolside bar offering the quintessential Caribbean vacation vibe with refreshing Caribbean rum-based frozen drinks and beers, including Carnival’s own ThirstyFrog Red

– BlueIguana Tequila Bar: a fun and festive outdoor watering hole offering a laid-back Mexican-themed atmosphere and tequila-based frozen drinks and beers, perfect for chillin’ by the pool

– Pizzeria del Capitano: an expansion of the line’s Cucina del Capitano family-style Italian eatery offering five varieties of hand-tossed artisanal-style pizza, all available free of charge 24 hours a day

– Alchemy Bar: a vintage-themed cocktail “pharmacy” that’s the go-to spot for guests seeking a unique experience with mixologists who “prescribe” concoctions from different elixirs and ingredients or guests’ own custom-created cocktails

All of these new spaces complement the Carnival Magic’s array of on-board features, including the SportSquare outdoor recreation area with a suspended ropes course offering views to the sea 150 feet below; a 22,750-square-foot Cloud 9 Spa with a thalassotherapy pool, thermal suite and 17 private treatment rooms; the RedFrog Pub where guests can enjoy a frosty brew while soaking up the bar’s Key West meets British West Indies vibe; a massive WaterWorks aqua park highlighted by a 312-foot-long Twister slide; the Punchliner Comedy Club presented by George Lopez offering both family-friendly and adult performances; and a Serenity adults-only retreat.

The ship also offers a variety of family-friendly options, including expansive modern spaces for kids in three age groups: Camp Ocean (ages 2-11), Circle “C” (12-14) and Club O2 (15-17), along with Seuss at Sea, part of the line’s exclusive partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises.

Carnival Magic will continue its seven-day schedule from Galveston through April 10, 2016 then reposition to Port Canaveral to launch year-round seven-day Caribbean cruises beginning April 23, 2016. Prior to launching its new seven-day schedule from Port Canaveral, Carnival Magic will operate a special three-day cruise to Nassau April 20-23, 2016.

Carnival Magic will offer two distinctly different week-long itineraries from the Space Coast – a western Caribbean route featuring Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay (Isla Roatan) and Costa Maya; and an eastern Caribbean option calling at St. Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk and Nassau or Amber Cove.

Peace Boat plans world’s greenest cruise ship

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 22 February 2016 22 February 2016

Peace Boat, the Japan-based international non-governmental and non-profit organisation that works to promote peace, human rights, equal and sustainable development and respect for the environment, says it plans to build the world’s greenest cruise ship.

The plans for this whole-system, future-ready 55,000 ton cruise ship, which optimises the use of renewable energies in the marine context, has been developed by a world-class team of over 30 engineers, scientists and thinkers from the fields of ship-building and cutting-edge eco-technology (including renewable energy, architecture, biophilia and waste management),” the organisation said in a statement.

“With a stunning hull form inspired by the whale, the vessel’s renewable energy features include 10 retractable solar-panelled sails and retractable wind generators. It will be equipped with a future-ready hybrid engine that will run initially on LNG but will be able to integrate bio-fuels and other clean fuels as they become available”

“Together with its projected cuts of 40% in CO2 emissions and impressive energy efficiency, Peace Boat’s Ecoship will be the flagship for green technology in passenger shipping, serving as a model for cruise operators worldwide,’ it said.

The organisation has hired Oliver Design in Spain to produce the external design of the ship.

Peace Boat currently operates the 36,000 gross ton ocean Dream, which was built in 1981 as Tropicale for Carnival Cruise Lines. The organisation has operated a ship since 1983.

Titanic II project is dead – report

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 22 February 2016 22 February 2016

A plan to build Titanic II, a modified replica of the ocean liner Titanic that sank in April 1912 with heavy loss of life, has also died, media reports in Australia say.

"According to a report in The Australian, one worked stated that ship was just a proposal. It’s never been carried out and the project has never launched," the Ausleisure.com website said, referring to the CSC Jingling shipyard in China, which was planned to build the ship.

The project was a brainchild of Clive Palmer, an Australian businessman. He set up a company called Blue Star Line and first intended to introduce Titanic II in 2016. However, the introduction was later postponed to 2018.

Blue Star Line commissioned Deltamarin, the Finnish consultant naval architects to produce drawings of the planned vessel, in which modern day safety and technical requirements had been taken into account. These resulted in a design with a gross tonnage of about 65,000 compared to 46,329 of the 1912 vessel.

In the autumn of 2013, tank tests were conducted in Germany using a model built on the basis of the design developed by Deltamarin.

Blue Star Line has not commented on the media reports regarding the collapse of the Titanic II project. It last updated its website in May 2014.