Swan Hellenic appoints Pablo Brandeman expedition leader

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 17 May 2021 17 May 2021

Swan Hellenic, the Nicosia based expedition cruise line,  announced that polar expedition expert Pablo Brandeman had joined its ranks as expedition leader, the company said in a statement.

“An all-rounder born in Patagonia, Pablo has had a strong love of the wild since young, making his way into Expedition Cruising as an Expedition Leader in his early twenties. Since then, he has completed over 170 trips with specialist cruise operators all over the Antarctic Peninsula and Southern Ocean, working in a wide range of roles, from Logistics and Kayak Operations to Polar Bear Guard, Zodiac Driver, Camp Master, Assistant Expedition Leader, Lecturer and Expedition Leader. More recently, he also became a drone pilot, assisting several scientific and film crews with their projects in the white continent,” the company said.

His personal passions are hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding, kitesurfing and wakeboarding. On top of which he also plays the guitar.

“We are delighted to welcome Pablo on Board,” said Pierre Thomas, Swan Hellenic Director of Expedition Operations. “He’s a highly-experienced expedition leader, hands-on teacher and lecturer who will unquestionably enrich our guests’ experience of Swan Hellenic’s unique cultural expedition cruises. What’s more he’s wonderful company: a great storyteller with many great stories to tell!”

Brandeman commented: “It’s a pleasure and an honour for me to join such an iconic company, which will enable me to really up my game, bringing our guests a truly in-depth as well as up-close experience on our voyages together.”

Lloyd Werft MD Rüdiger Pallentin retires after nearly 42 years

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 17 May 2021 17 May 2021

Rüdiger Pallentin stepped down as Managing Director of Lloyd Werft on 30 April to begin a well-deserved retirement. Carsten Sippel, who holds a degree in business administration has succeeded him as the shipyard’s now sole remaining Managing Director, the company said in a statement.

Rüdiger Pallentin started working for Lloyd Werft in October 1979 and was employed in a wide range of sectors for nearly 42 years. To begin with he spent ten years as a project engineer in costing and became head of that department in 1989. Design and ship-accounting were later added to his sphere of responsibility before he was named Managing Director in January 2000 and spokesman for the Management in 2010.

During his more than 20 years as Managing Director, Rüdiger Pallentin’s fundamental expertise as a graduate shipbuilding engineer along with his calm and clear style of leadership have skillfully guided Lloyd Werft - sometimes through stormy times. He distinguished himself through friendly dealings with employees and business partners on an equal footing, in which a touch of humour always had a part to play.

However Rüdiger Pallentin is not entirely leaving the bridge of Lloyd Werft just yet. He will advise, remain active and, with his know-how, continue to support personnel until the shipyard delivers its yacht newbuilding "Solaris".

Fincantieri and Amazon Web Services in cooperation agreement

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 17 May 2021 17 May 2021

 

The Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri said that it and Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform, have signed a cooperation agreement to accelerate the digital innovation and technological development of Italy, essential for the growth of the country.

The two companies will support the implementation of “Digital Italy 2026”. This plan defines the specific objectives and priorities of the country’s and of the Public Administration’s digitization and that is part of National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The companies will support this plan by collaborating in the creation of a series of joint projects and by raising awareness as well as fostering education on cloud technologies and their potential for the country’s growth.

In particular, the two companies emphasize the strategic importance of cloud computing as the engine that will power the digital transformation of the country thanks to its reliability, efficiency, sustainability, security and scalability. The companies will cooperate in the creation of an ecosystem to provide technological and infrastructural solutions to institutions, public administration, citizens and companies, strengthening the country’s National Cyber ​​Security Perimeter and digital sovereignty.

The collaboration will leverage Fincantieri Group’s skills in defense, electronics, advanced systems, information technology and cybersecurity, and AWS’s proven experience as the backbone of institutions, large companies, SMEs and start-ups that are powering their innovation processes through the use of cloud.

AWS has a long history of investment in the country. In April 2020 AWS launched data centers in Italy with the opening of the AWS Europe (Milan) Region. The AWS Region in Italy meets the highest levels of security, compliance, and data protection, and allows customers with data residency requirements to store their content in Italy with the assurance that they retain complete ownership and sovereignty over their data and it will not move unless they choose to move it. Additionally, customers can further ensure complete control over the location of their data through hybrid and customized cloud solutions.

Costa Luminosa restarts from Trieste with cruises in the Adriatic and Greece

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 16 May 2021 16 May 2021

Costa Cruises today announced that Costa Luminosa sets sail again today from the port of Trieste, becoming the company’s second ship in 2021 to resume operations and the first to resume cruises in the Adriatic Sea and Greece. Overall, Costa has a total of four ships scheduled to resume cruises this summer.

In addition to Trieste, Costa Luminosa's one-week itinerary includes visits to Bari and four beautiful Greek destinations: Corfu, Athens, Mykonos and Katakolon/Olympia. It will be available throughout the coming summer season and part of the autumn until mid-November 2021 for a total of 27 cruises.

Costa Luminosa’s restart was celebrated in Trieste by Costa Cruises President Mario Zanetti, together with several local authorities, including the Mayor of Trieste, Roberto Dipiazza; the Councilor of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Pierpaolo Roberti; the Captain of the Trieste Coast Guard, Vincenzo Vitale; and the CEO of Trieste Terminal Passeggeri, Francesco Mariani.

"With the restart of the Costa Luminosa, we are finally bringing cruises back to the Adriatic Sea and Greece, one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations, and reviving a sector of great importance to the economy of many European countries, including Italy, as well as the eastern part of the Mediterranean,” said Costa’s Zanetti. “Just to illustrate the importance of this restart, before the pause caused by the pandemic, our company generated an annual economic impact of almost €13 billion in Europe, creating over 63,000 jobs. We are particularly pleased to be resuming from Trieste, a city that has always welcomed us warmly, and which will be the home port of Costa Luminosa not only this year, but also in 2022. We look to the future with optimism, and we are working to make Trieste even more strategic for cruises, promoting a sustainable development and a quality guest experience."

Health and safety procedures have been enhanced through the adoption of the Costa Safety Protocol, developed by the company together with scientific experts and Italian authorities, which contains operational measures related to all aspects of the cruise experience, both on board and ashore. The measures include a reduction in the number of guests; swab tests for all guests before embarkation and after half of the cruise; swab tests for the crew before embarkation and regularly during their stay on board; temperature checks every day, every time guests disembark and re-enter the ship, and every time they enter the restaurants; visits to destinations only with protected excursions; social distancing on board and in the terminals; new ways of using onboard services; enhanced sanitation and medical services; and the use of protective masks when necessary.

As for the holiday experience, guests will enjoy new features, including a renewed excursion program, which will allow them to discover off-the-beaten path destinations, exclusively for Costa guests. Guests will also enjoy new menu options that feature dishes specific to the locations that Costa Luminosa will visit.

Costa Luminosa is the second of four Costa ships that will operate in summer 2021, offering cruises in the Mediterranean. On May 1, the flagship Costa Smeralda departed from Savona with an itinerary exclusively dedicated to Italy. On June 26, Costa Deliziosa will restart with week-long cruises in Greece. July 4 will see the departure of the Costa Firenze, the new ship inspired by the Florentine Renaissance, with one-week cruises in Italy. In addition, from 3 July Costa Smeralda will begin sailing in international itineraries, with one-week cruises in Italy, France and Spain.

“Trieste welcomes the return of the Costa Cruises ships. In recent years we have developed a very important collaboration with the company that guaranteed a regular presence of Costa ships in our beautiful city. Trieste is a city with a tourist vocation and the return of Costa rewards us for the work we are doing, but above all it means that tourists are back,” said the Mayor of Trieste, Roberto Dipiazza.

"The restart of Costa Cruises from Trieste is one of the many positive signs of recovery for our local economy. Trieste, as all the art cities in Italy, has been strongly affected by pandemic crisis. Now reservations are resuming and there is a gradual return to normality. Trieste and the Friuli Venezia Giulia region are ready to welcome back tourists, thanks also to the safety protocols we implemented"- said the Councilor of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Pierpaolo Roberti.

“The Trieste Cruise Terminal restarts together with the Costa Luminosa. We have done our utmost to ensure the restart of the cruises from Trieste, together with all the authorities and operators, because we are confident that it will support the tourist growth of the City and the Region" -stated Francesco Mariani, CEO of Trieste Terminal Passeggeri.

"We will contribute to implementing the Covid interdisciplinary protocol in 2021, as we did during the last year. I welcome back with great enthusiasm in my port the restart of the cruise service, which is highly strategic for the economy of our country, and I guarantee the absolute commitment of the Trieste Coast Guard Office in contributing to port operations that are strictly respectful of the special rules set up to guarantee safe cruises,” - said the Captain of Trieste Coast Guard, Vincenzo Vitale.