Global Maritime acquires Astor

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 15 December 2014 15 December 2014

Global Maritime Group, the Athens based majority shareholder of Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) in the UK, has acquired the1987 built cruise liner Astor of 21,000 gross tons, CMV said in a statement.

“Astor originally joined the CMV fleet in December 2013 under a bareboat charter arrangement with full ship management services provided by CMV’s majority shareholder, the Global Maritime Group who has acquired the vessel. Astor will operate under long term charter to CMV,” the company said.

The previous, German  owner of the ship became insolvent earlier this autumn

Christian Verhounig, CEO and Chairman of CMV commented, “The acquisition of the Astor is another important milestone in the strategic development of the Group’s presence in the international markets. Astor has a fine pedigree and provides an important smaller ship premium option within our cruise portfolio”.

Astor arrived in Fremantle (Perth) on Saturday 13th December following a 38 night re-positioning voyage from London Tilbury and will continue to operate a dedicated programme of ex-Fremantle cruises under the CMV brand for the Australian market during the Austral summer season. In spring 2015, Astor re-positions to Europe and will continue to operate a summer season of ex-Kiel and Bremerhaven German market sailings under the CMV group’s TransOcean brand.

Chris Coates, Commercial Director added, “Astor has added 22,000 passengers to our global carryings and since her introduction has proved a firm favourite with high levels of customer satisfaction and repeat business being achieved. Next year we have programmed a special 8 night ex-London Tilbury Round Britain cruise before Astor starts her German market season and forward booking levels are very encouraging”.  

RCCL terminates Brilliance of the Seas lease, acquires ship for $275 million

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 15 December 2014 15 December 2014

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL), the world's second largest cruise shipping group, has terminated a lease of Brilliance of the Seas, it said in a statement.

"On December 12, 2014, we refinanced the Brilliance of the Seas by terminating the leasing of the ship under the 25-year operating lease originally entered into in July 2002 and acquiring the ship for a purchase price of approximately $275 million. We will not recognize any gain or loss in connection with this refinancing," the company said in a statement.

"We funded the purchase through drawings under our revolving credit facilities. In connection therewith, we increased our revolving credit capacity by $300 million by utilizing the accordion feature on our revolving credit facility due August 2018," RCCL said.

The ship was leased from HBOS group in the UK and it was managed and operated from the UK as a result. At the moment, 13 ships of the RCCL group, including Brilliance of the Seas, are in the UK tonnage tax regime, which stipulates that they have to be managed and operated from the UK.

HNA establishes new routes from China to Taiwan and Japan

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 15 December 2014 15 December 2014

HNA Tourism Cruise, China’s domestic cruise operator, has announced that its ship Henna will sail on new itineraries to Taiwan and Japan next year. Alan Lam reports.

 

From 29 March 2015, the ship will begin sailing on Xiamen-Taiwan route and from 9 April 2015 a Shanghai-Taiwan-Japan cruise will also be launched.

 

HNA has only just resumed operation from Tianjin lastsummer, after its ship was detained in Jeju in September 2013. This new expansion means the company’s only ship will soon operate from three main cruise terminalsin Mainland China. 

 

As the demand continues to grow rapidly, it is notunreasonable to speculate that the company may soon be, if not already, looking at a second vessel. Clearly any decision on such a move will need to take into consideration of the existing and emerging competitions.

 

Aside from offerings by other international cruise lines,such as Royal Caribbean International, Star Cruises and Costa Crociere, competitions from China’s domestic operators such as Bohai Ferry and the emerging SkySea Cruises cannot be underestimated.

 

Besides South Korea, Taiwan and Japan continue to be the main international destinations for China’s rapidly expanding cruise tourism.These destinations are ideal for short itineraries that currently dominate Chinese cruise scene. 

 

Earlier this month, a delegation from Taiwan, comprised of cruise experts and port representatives, visited Beijing in an effort to promote cruise tourism between the two sides. Despite apreviousrefusal by the Taiwanese authority, China and Taiwan are about to announce a 72-hour visa free visit for cruise passengers.

MSC Cruises’ upgraded e-learning platform for agents goes live

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 15 December 2014 15 December 2014

MSC Expert, an interactive training website that includes detailed information about the entire MSC Cruises' fleet, the company itself and various aspects of the product it offers, has been launched online, the company said in a statement issued by its office in London.

"Over a course of eight modules, agents can learn everything they need to know about MSC Cruises’ comprehensive programme, such as details of each of the 12 ships in the fleet, the wide range of itineraries on offer, on-board facilities, and the support available to MSC Cruises’ valued travel agent partners," the company said.

To promote the re-launch of the training, all agents completing the course successfully before January 31, 2015 will automatically be entered into a draw to win a seven-night Mediterranean cruise.

The eight modules of the platform each contain a lively mix of images and video, with a fun multiple choice questionnaire at the end of each.

Featured sections are:
- Who is MSC?: Find out why MSC Cruises is a leader in world cruising
- Where and when do we travel?: Explore MSC Cruises’ comprehensive itinerary choice and rich selection of destinations
- MSC fleet: Our 12 ships in detail, plus more information on our €5bn fleet improvement and ship-building programme
- Accommodation: There’s a cabin to suit all customers – from well-proportioned insides to the sumptuous luxury of our MSC Yacht Club suites
- A day at sea: Check out MSC`s exceptional dining, limitless activities and family fun
- Family friendly: MSC Cruises` five fantastic kids clubs are free and cater for all age groups
- Serving You: MSC Cruises is committed to making life easier for agents. Here we explain how our Serving You initiative is changing the way we work with the trade
- Experiences: Sell differently with Experiences – we focus on on-board service rather than cabin type. It’s simple to sell and easy for customers to understand.

MSC Cruises head of sales UK & Ireland Janet Parton said: “This is a fantastic way for travel agents to learn and gain knowledge of MSC Cruises, helping them to sell more of our great product and gain that all important commission. And I have no doubt that those agents who stay up to date with MSC Expert will sell the most cruises.