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Star Clippers refits two of its ships

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 18 February 2013 18 February 2013

As part of an ongoing programme to keep Star Clippers’ classic tall ships looking fresh and bright, Royal Clipper – the line’s flagship – and Star Flyer recently underwent refurbishments to replace all of the soft furnishings and give the vessels a renewed look.

The 227-passenger Royal Clipper underwent a two-week dry dock in Trinidad in January, during which the elegant dining room received new carpeting and seating upholstery and the corridors received new carpet. Guest cabins were given an update with new paint and a bathroom rejuvenation. Wood panelling and accents in the public areas were treated to a fresh coat of varnish.

“It’s important to maintain the look of our ships so that when guests step aboard they feel like they are coming on to their own well-maintained yacht,” says Andy Lovering, director of sales and marketing. “We want to exceed our guests’ expectations for their entire Star Clippers experience and that includes the appearance of the ships.”

The 170-passegner Star Flyer recently underwent a dry dock in 2012 in which the ship’s soft furnishings were replaced, including new carpet in most public areas and new seating cushions the dining room and library. All of the cabins and public areas received fresh paint and new artwork in the nautical theme that is found in the décor throughout the vessel.

Royal Clipper will be sailing in the Mediterranean this summer and Star Flyer in the Baltic.

TUI Cruises to offer cooking classes for children in July

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 February 2013 15 February 2013

TUI Cruises, the German premium market cruise operator, says it will offer cooking classes for children on a cruise on board Mein Schiff 2 in the summer. The event will be organised with the Bild am Sonntag tabloid and focus on children from the age of six to 12. It will take place on a 14 night cruise from 21 July to 4 August in the Mediterranean and those willing to participate will be charged €18.50 per person, the company said in a statement.

P&O Cruises teams up with UK cancer charity

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 February 2013 15 February 2013

P&O Cruises, the UK based contemporary market unit in the Carnival Corp & plc group, says it has formed a year-long fundraising partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support across its fleet of seven ships, playing host to a number of activities and challenge events.

Officers and crew on board will be taking part in fundraising fitness challenges throughout the year, including running and rowing the equivalent number of nautical miles covered by the ships across the oceans.

A gala ball will be held in which there will be an auction “for things money can’t buy” including dinner and private masterclasses with celebrity chefs Marco Pierre White and Atul Kochhar and personal wine tasting tuition from TV wine expert Olly Smith. There will also be unique keepsakes such as polished engine parts and signed navigation charts. In addition to selling Macmillan pins and badges on board, there will be weekly coffee and cupcake mornings on each ship.

P&O Cruises managing director Carol Marlow said: “Macmillan is an incredible charity which offers emotional, medical, practical and financial support to those affected by cancer. P&O Cruises is determined to help raise as much money as possible in 2013 to help them to do this. Passengers on board our ships will be able to join in with a range of fundraising activities and I am sure they will support our efforts for this immensely worthy cause and enjoy themselves at the same time.”

Lynda Thomas, Director of Fundraising at Macmillan Cancer Support adds: ‘‘It is Macmillan’s aim to reach and improve the lives of everyone affected by cancer. But we cannot do this on our own and we believe everyone can help. This is why we are delighted to be working with P&O Cruises to raise valuable funds and awareness of our work helping to ensure that no one has to face cancer alone.’’

The partnership was launched at P&O Cruises Southampton headquarters earlier today with Macmillan supporter and master pâtissier Eric Lanlard joining hundreds of office staff, all wearing Macmillan t-shirts. Eric baked Macmillan green cupcakes to celebrate the occasion.

Ends-

Key messages
· P&O Cruises and Macmillan Cancer Support have entered into a year-long fundraising partnership
· P&O Cruises will be holding a number of fundraising activities and challenge events on board their ships to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support
· More than one in three of us will get cancer, and for most of us it will be the toughest fight we ever face
· Macmillan believes that no one should face cancer alone and with all of us working together, and with the support of P&O Cruises, we can help ensure no one will.

Third annual Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific set for October 8-10, 2013

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 14 February 2013 14 February 2013

UBM plc, organizers of the annual Cruise Shipping Miami event, are set to stage the third annual Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific conference and trade show Oct. 8-10, 2013, in Singapore.

The two-day annual Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific conference provides an opportunity to assess the pace and direction of growth in the world’s newest and growing cruise sector. The conference is led by a panel of regional and international industry experts covering essential topics and providing valuable insights into the burgeoning Asia cruise market.

The event begins Tuesday, Oct. 8 with the Asia Cruise Tourism Summit, a gathering of high-level cruise line executives and ministerial-level tourism board representatives.

The conference program features cruise line executives, tourism officials, port operators, maritime suppliers, tourism organizations and cruise industry consultants discussing the opportunities and potential of the entire Australasia region for the cruise business.

Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific has the exclusive support of Cruise Lines International Association, the global association for the industry.

New to the event in 2013 will be the presentation of the first Rama Rebbapragada Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Cruise Industry in Asia. The award will recognize a person who has played a significant role in developing the cruise industry in the region.

The award will be presented by Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Michael Bayley, who was for many years Royal Caribbean International's Asia representative and who worked closely with Reppapragada.

The award was established in memory of Rama Reppapragada, who was instrumental in helping bring recognition of the potential of the Asia-Pacific cruise market to Western cruise companies.

Malta investigates the lifeboat accident involving the Thomson Majesty

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 13 February 2013 13 February 2013

The Merchant Shipping Directorate within Transport Malta and the Marine Safety Investigation Unit (MSIU) are separately investigating the cause of the lifeboat accident, which resulted in the death of five crew members on board the Maltese registered passenger ship Thomson Majesty, on Sunday 10 February 2013. The investigations are being carried out in full cooperation with the relevant Spanish authorities.

It has been established that during a routine lifeboat drill, one of the wire ropes snapped and consequently the lifeboat fell into the sea, capsizing and trapping eight crew members inside. Five crew members lost their lives as a result of the accident whilst the other three crew members were rescued with the assistance of local authorities. The injured crew members were transferred to a local hospital for treatment. It has been reported that the injuries sustained by the three crew members are not life threatening.

Presently the ship is still berthed at the port of Santa Cruz de la Palma in the Canary Islands where the accident happened. Investigations are still underway in order to identify the causal and contributing factors that led to the accident. Additionally, the integrity of all the other lifeboats and launching systems are being thoroughly assessed.

An MSIU investigator, who is accompanied by a safety investigator from the Spanish Marine Safety Investigation Commission, is onboard the ship since Monday evening. The investigating team is also being assisted by the MSIU in Malta. Furthermore, the Merchant Shipping Directorate has also deployed a flag State inspector to attend the ship. The Directorate is also in direct liaison with the ship’s classification society and the ISM managers of the ship.

The outcome of the MSIU investigation will be released to the public once the safety investigation is complete, in accordance with the relevant legislation.