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Hurtigruten celebrates Norway’s reopening

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 27 January 2022 27 January 2022

Hurtigruten is celebrating Norway's reopening as the country will no longer require North American travelers to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival. Effective January 26, the government announced removal of the restrictions that have been in place for almost two years.

Following the announcement, North Americans can travel to Norway as long as they present a negative COVID-19 test taken 24 hours before departing for Norway, complete an entry pre-registration form, and test upon arrival, either at the airport or within the first 24 hours. Prior to this week, even vaccinated North Americans were not allowed to enter Norway without quarantining for 10 days.

Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express, which has been operating sailings up and down the country’s coast since 1893 is looking forward to once again welcome North American travelers to explore one of the most spectacular coastlines in the world. Starting from only $1,752, travelers can enjoy a 6-day cruise from Kirkenes – located at the very top of Norway, close to Russia – down to Bergen, the country’s second-largest city. This route is often described as “the most beautiful voyage in the world”, and with almost 130 years of experience operating along Norway’s coast, no cruise company knows or does Norway better than Hurtigruten Group.

Hurtigruten Expeditions is offering the 15-day Northern Lights and Fjords Expedition from Dover, United Kingdom, which focuses on the natural wonder of the Aurora Borealis, this winter and spring, as well as for the 2022/23 winter season. Between April and September, the company is also operating 15-day summer expedition cruises out of Hamburg, Germany.

Guests bookings with either Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express or Hurtigruten Expeditions before March 31, 2022, for sailings before September 30, 2022, are automatically covered by Hurtigruten’s Book with Confidence policy.

Norway is regularly on most Americans’ bucket lists, and last year, American travelers listed seeing the Northern Lights in Norway as their number one bucket-list experience in the world, according to USTOA (the United States Tour Operators Association). Being onboard a ship is one of the best ways to experience these magical occurrences that take place from November to March every year. To ensure guests can cross the lights off their bucket list, Hurtigruten offers the unique Northern Lights Promise on select voyages.

Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express’ departures range from 6 to 12 days, with the latter calling at 34 ports along the Norwegian coast and sailing past more than 100 fjords and 1,000 mountains. Guests can enjoy the astounding Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site; the old Viking town of Trondheim, Norway’s traditional historic, religious, and cultural capital; the postcard-worthy Lofoten Islands, whose special beauty is praised as one of the most beautiful locations in the world by National Geographic; or wander through Tromsø, the gateway to the Arctic Ocean, on the North Cape at the top of Scandinavia.

Last year, Hurtigruten Norway Coastal Express also announced all seven of its ships will undergo one of the largest environmental upgrade in the history of European shipping, which will result in CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions being reduced by at least 25% and NOx (nitrogen oxide) emissions cut by 80%.

Photo credit: Hege Abrahamsen

Princess Cruises names Chef Rudi Sodamin Head of Culinary Arts

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 26 January 2022 26 January 2022

Princess Cruises has announced Chef Rudi Sodamin will become its first head of culinary arts, effective immediately. Sodamin is currently the master chef for Holland America Line, a position he will retain as he takes on his new role as head of culinary arts for Princess.

“Chef Rudi is a hands-on leader with proven ability to motivate teams to achieve new levels of creativity and inspiration,” said Jan Swartz, group president serving Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn and P&O Cruises Australia brands. “Princess is already well-known for its strong culinary culture. We are bringing in Chef Rudi to build the kind of excitement and dining experiences that will impress our guests. He is the perfect person to bring an entirely new level of excellence and innovation to our culinary product, environmental dining experience, and service delivery.”

Throughout his career, Sodamin has been the driving force behind revolutionizing culinary practices and elevating the perception of fine dining in the cruise industry. An internationally-respected food authority, Sodamin is the most highly-decorated chef working on the world’s oceans and is widely considered one of the most innovative, energetic, and influential chefs in the hospitality industry. Among his most recent accomplishments has been the highly successful launch of Rudi’s Sel de Mer restaurant onboard three Holland America Line’s ships. Carnival Cruise Line was so impressed by the restaurant concept, leadership commissioned Sodamin to create Rudi’s Seagrill for its new Excel class ship Mardi Gras, which had its inaugural cruise in August 2021.

Sodamin began his career at the age of 14 with a kitchen apprenticeship in Kurhotel Heilbrunn in Bad Mitterndorf, Austria. By 23, Sodamin was appointed Chef de Cuisine on the luxury line Vistafjord with Norwegian American Cruise Line—he was the youngest chef in the cruise line world to have responsibility on that scale. By 26, he was named corporate executive chef onboard the legendary Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2)—again, the youngest chef at sea to attain such a title. Under his stewardship in the 1990s, the food served by the historic Cunard Line was widely acclaimed as the best in the world. After a dozen years at Cunard Line as vice president of food and beverage and corporate executive chef, Sodamin joined Royal Caribbean Cruise Line as director of corporate food and beverage operations and culinary spokesperson. During his tenure, he built an international culinary team from across 50 nations and launched the brand’s first test kitchen. Sodamin has continued his impactful tradition of innovation with Holland America Line, instituting the line’s first Culinary Council (of which he is Chairman) as well as spearheading the Holland America Line Culinary Art Center. Additionally, Sodamin championed professional development of all Holland America Line culinary staff and led the development and launch of a residential Culinary Training Center in Manilla, the Philippines, working with the Culinary Institute of America to develop curriculum.

“I see food as the way to our guests’ hearts, and the individuals on the Princess Cruise culinary team bring great heart to what they do and take tremendous pride in their work,” said Sodamin “My goal is to grow that pride and lead the culinary workforce to new performance heights through innovative approaches to teamwork and creativity, collaboratively creating new signature interactive dining experiences, and motivating this talented team to new levels of culinary artistry.”

John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises, particularly appreciates Sodamin’s extensive track record for engaging with culinary crews to provide the best possible guest experiences.

“A food experience is about human passion, energy, excitement, and expertise all channeled together to create an emotional, multisensory experience with a true human connection,” said Padgett. “Chef Rudi is one of the few who truly understands this and how to consistently create culinary magic for guests, and we are fortunate to be able to tap his extensive know-how and leadership to further elevate the Princess on-board dining experience and inspire our culinary teammates throughout the fleet.”

Sodamin’s many accolades include a rating of 17 (out of 20) and Three Toques from the prestigious Gault-Millau Guide (1998)—the first for an onboard restaurant and the only such award presented at sea. Sodamin has also authored 14 cookbooks, the most recent of which is Rudi’s Sel de Mer: For the Love of Seafood (2021).

Keel-laying ceremony held for SunStone's sixth Infinity-class vessel in China

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 25 January 2022 25 January 2022

SunStone Ships, the world’s largest tonnage provider to the expedition cruise industry, has announced the successful keel laying of the Ocean Albatros, the sixth vessel in their series of Infinity-class newbuilds.

The Infinity series is the product of a unique collaboration between European design and technology and Chinese shipbuilding efficiency resulting in an expedition cruise vessel with innovative features, top-class stability, and high operating efficiency.

The Keel Laying Ceremony of the Ocean Albatros (CMHI 196-6) took place at China Merchant Heavy Industries in Haimen, China. The vessel will be on year-round charter to the Danish travel company Albatros Expeditions, who is also the charterer of SunStone’s Ocean Victory and Ocean Atlantic.

SunStone’s Chairman, Niels-Erik Lund, commented: “We are very pleased that even with the very difficult situation with the COVID Pandemic, our Infinity newbuilding series is moving forward at a satisfactory pace. Having three Infinity vessels in operation, taking delivery of the next two Infinity vessels in spring of 2022, and now the keel laying of the sixth vessel, is a very satisfactory accomplishment.”

Three Infinity-class new-builds, the Greg Mortiner, the Ocean Explorer, and the Ocean Victory, have already been delivered and are now in operation. The Sylvia Earle with be delivered in March 2022, followed by the Ocean Odyssey in April 2022. The Ocean Albatros will be delivered in March 2023. All vessels ordered have long-term charter agreements in place.

MSC opens sales for MSC Seascape's inaugural season

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 25 January 2022 25 January 2022

MSC Cruises has opened sales for MSC Seascape, which is currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy and will become the line’s second Seaside EVO class ship upon delivery in late November. The ship will sail from Miami starting December 2022. Its inaugural season in the Caribbean will further enrich MSC Cruises’ strong offering for guests in the popular cruise region. MSC Seascape’s deployment in the U.S. is part of the Company’s ongoing commitment to serve the North American market with its newest and best ships.

MSC Seascape will offer two different 7-night itineraries from PortMiami:
– Eastern Caribbean: Calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve and Nassau in The Bahamas, San Juan in Puerto Rico, and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic
– Western Caribbean: Calling at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Cozumel in Mexico, George Town in the Cayman Islands and Ocho Rios in Jamaica

Rubén Rodríguez, President, MSC Cruises USA, said: “MSC Seascape will be the latest example of our dedication to North America and the Caribbean, joining a legacy stretching back to 2017 when we brought the first of our Seaside class ships to Miami. MSC Seascape and her sister ships are specifically designed for Caribbean cruising. Our guests love the ships’ unique mix of cutting-edge technology and outdoor space that gets them closer to the sea, and they tell us MSC Seashore was the best yet when she arrived late last year. Our newest ship will offer even more to love on board and along the way. Every itinerary calls at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve to give our guests the chance to soak up the natural beauty of the Bahamas and learn about our efforts to conserve and rebuild the surrounding ecosystem.”

Sales are also open for the other two MSC Cruises ships that will sail out of the U.S. in the Caribbean next winter. MSC Divina will homeport in PortMiami with a new program of mixed Friday or Monday departures including:
– 10-night sailings to Jamaica, Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica
– 3 or 4-night mini-cruises to The Bahamas, calling at Nassau with an overnight at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve
– 7-night cruises visiting Belize, Honduras, Mexico, and Ocean Cay

MSC Meraviglia will homeport in Port Canaveral. The new port, close to Orlando, Florida, is part of MSC Cruises’ plans to expand in this region. From October 2022, MSC Meraviglia will offer:
– Mini-cruises to The Bahamas that all include Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve
– 7-night sailings that include Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico, Belize, and Ocean Cay

All Voyagers Club members booking on MSC Seascape will benefit from their usual 5 percent discount, an additional early booking discount of 5 percent, and enjoy double Voyagers Club points. Members from Silver to Diamond also get a shipboard credit of $50 per person. This promotion is valid through January 20, 2022.

MV Werften’s collapse reverberates outside Germany

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 21 January 2022 21 January 2022

The recent collapse of MV Werften, the shipbuilding unit of Genting Hong Kong that itself filed for provisional liquidation, has sent shock waves outside Germany where the yards are located.

A total of 16 Finnish companies had contracts worth more than €500 million to supply equipment and services to the two 208,000 gross ton Global class ships Genting Hong Kong intended to build at MV Werften.

However, the second ship was axed when problems started to emerge at the yard, said Jussi Haarasilta, EVP Large Corporates at Finnvera plc, the state owned company that provides export credits.

“The claims of creditors will become clear as part of the process. Finnvera had originally committed itself to guarantee contracts for a total amount of €365 million for the two ships, so Finnvera has not reached the ceiling in liabilities in full as yet,” he told CruiseBusiness.com

“We assess credit risks in the same way as commercial bank. The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the cruise industry and hampered its operations,” Haarasilta continued.

“The creditors will assess various options as the process evolves. A central role in this will be held by the biggest creditors, such as the German government,” he concluded.

The total value of the contract for the two Global class ships was €3.1 billion and the German KfW Ibex bank had set up a financing package worth €2.6 billion, Finnvera said in a statement, noting that its €365 million formed part of this.

Finnvera added that Finnish companies had been contracted to supply design services, equipment sand other products and services to the Global class ships. However, Finnvera did not name the companies involved.

Finnvera said that it is a growing trend that an export credit institution or other similar kind of company provide funding for a buyer, but it is often a precondition of the funding that related purchases are made from the home country of the expert credit provider.

Cruise ferry owner’s collapse introduced Genting Hong Kong to cruising

Genting Hong Kong entered the cruise industry in 1993, when Rederi AB Slite, a Swedish cruise ferry company, filed for bankruptcy. It acquired two cruise ferries, Athena and Kalypso, both of about 40,000 gross tons and built in Finland in 1989 and 1990, respectively. They were introduced in the Far East under different names under the Star Cruises brand name.

Several second hand acquisitions for Star Cruises were followed by two newbuildings in the late 1990s and in 2000, Genting Hong Kong acquired Norwegian Cruise Line.

Genting Hong Kong gradually exited Norwegian between 2013 and 2018 and the funds it received allowed it to acquire Crystal Cruises, the Los Angeles based luxury cruise operator and start expansion of its Asian activities.

As slots were difficult to secure at leading cruise ship yards, Genting Hong Kong decided to take shipbuilding in-house and it acquired a number of yards in Germany that were rebranded as MV Werften.