Swan Hellenic to require Covid-19 vaccination for staff and crew

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 15 February 2021 15 February 2021

Swan Hellenic, the Nicosia based expedition cruise line, said that it has introduced valid Covid-19 vaccination as a pre-embarkation medical requirement for all crew and staff.

“The vaccination cycle will be carried out at recruitment centres or in the home countries of the crew members in accordance with current local guidelines and approved medical protocols,” the company said in a statement.

So far, Saga Cruises that operates two high end of the market cruise ships on the UK market, has decided to require Covid-19 as a precondition for boarding.

Swan Hellenic said this decisive action to protect staff and guests on the iconic cultural expedition cruise pioneer’s new ice-class ships completes an industry-leading package of health measures to ensure a safe environment on board.

“First and foremost, its fleet of three new ships is being built with the very latest hygiene technology and to the highest standards in consultation with world-leading onboard healthcare and public health experts Vikand. All the onboard air conditioning plants, for example, are UV sanitised using the most advanced technology,” the company said.

In addition, all Swan Hellenic staff are trained and monitored in implementing all the procedures and practices specified by industry standards and required by the authorities at time of sailing, including the routine regular pre-boarding and on-board tests, as well as rigorous sanitising of the ships’ public areas, staterooms, technical areas and crew and staff quarters, the company said.

 

Two SunStone's newbuilds completes sea trials

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 14 February 2021 14 February 2021

SunStone Ships, the largest tonnage provider in the expedition market, announced the successful Sea Trials of their third and fourth next-generation, Infinity-class vessels (CMHI 196-3 and CMHI 196-4).

With a goal of marrying European design and quality with Chinese ship-building efficiency, the Infinity-class delivers cutting-edge design, innovations like X-bow technology, and significant operating efficiencies.

SunStone CEO, Niels-Erik Lund, commented, “We are very pleased with the quality and high building standards of China Merchants Heavy Industry, which are fully at the level of European Shipyards. We are looking forward to continuing our relationships with all our partners in the Infinity-class project and we, even considering the continued Covid-19 world crisis, are moving fast forward as planned at very satisfactory speed, safety and quality level.”

On January 22, 2021 Sea Trials began on Ocean Victory and Ocean Explorer (CMHI 196-3 and CMHI 196-4). Sea Trials consisted of five days of intense testing of each vessels system while underway in the south China sea. Over 150 people were onboard each vessel during the Trials from the Shipyard, Bureau Veritas (Class society), managers crew (CMI), and SunStone Marine Advisors (Owners Site Team). Both vessels completed successful sea trials just prior to the Chinese New Year.

Infinity-class vessels are 104 meters long, and 18 meters wide, having a draft of 5.1 meters. They feature a passenger capacity between 130-200 and a crew capacity between 85 and 115. The vessels are Ice Class 1A, Polar Code 6 and are being built with Safe Return to Port, Dynamic Positioning and Zero Speed Stabilizers. The vessels are featuring the X-Bow by Ulstein Design & Solutions. They are small enough to give an exclusive atmosphere and yet large enough to yield all expected services and facilities such as a swimming pool, bar and restaurants, lounges, boutique, gym and spa.

Current Infinity-class new-builds under way after the delivery of Greg Mortimer are; the Ocean Victory, the Ocean Explorer and Sylvia Earle with delivery in 2021, the Ocean Odyssey and Ocean Albatros with delivery in 2022 and the Ocean Discoverer with delivery in 2023. All vessels ordered have long-term charter agreements in place.

 

MSC Cruises introduces MSC Starship Club featuring humanoid robotic bartender

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 14 February 2021 14 February 2021

MSC Cruises revealed this week details of the immersive, futuristic MSC Starship Club featuring Rob, the first-ever humanoid, robotic bartender at sea. The MSC Starship Club will be exclusively available on board the line’s newest flagship, MSC Virtuosa, when she comes into service beginning April 16 this year.

The integrated bar and entertainment experience is inspired by MSC Cruises’ vision of the spaceship of the future. MSC Starliner One is enabled by state-of-the-art technologies to create a futuristic atmosphere with 3D holograms, an immersive digital art wall and a 12-seat infinity digital interactive table, giving guests the opportunity to explore space with their own personalized galactic tour. Rob will mix and serve his signature cocktails — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — and countless personalized drinks, just like a human bartender would do, while engaging with and speaking to guests and using human-like expressions for a fully immersive bar experience. Rob’s skills and emotional responsiveness, combined with bartenders dressed as if straight out of a sci-fi movie and immersive technology, create a must-visit attraction for all ages at the MSC Starship Club.

Guests will use specifically designed vertical digital cockpits in the area to place their order. Rob will then get to work and use all of his customized robotic skills to prepare the cocktails — pouring spirits, juices and syrups; shaking, building or stirring the concoctions; and garnishing. Rob can not only prepare an impressive range of cocktails, but also speak eight languages (English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese), according to the language chosen when the guest places an order. He also has a clear personality that evolves with the surrounding setting and atmosphere, using his LED face to convey emotion so guests can enjoy his performance while sipping their cocktails.

The status of the cocktail preparation will be displayed through digital monitors and a ticker-tape-style LED strip above the robotic island while guests are immersed in the space-themed experience. The cosmic cocktails are served in custom-designed futuristic glasses for guests to collect as lasting souvenirs of the MSC Starship Club experience. Cruisers will be able to return to the club multiple times over the course of their cruise, experiencing a new interaction with Rob each time.

MSC Cruises is constantly looking to the future to continuously innovate the guest experience and seek out new ways to employ the latest technology to create something unique and elevate the onboard offering. This latest innovation uses cutting-edge robotics and digital technologies to deliver a futuristic, immersive entertainment lounge, completely re-imagining the traditional bar experience to transport guests to another world.

The MSC Starship Club has been nearly six years in the making since the first original concept, and the Company has pushed boundaries with the engineering that has gone into making this a reality. During this time, MSC Cruises has worked with leading experts from companies specializing in robotics and automation, interior design as well as entertainment and digital experience solutions to create a custom designed entertainment venue with a humanoid robot as the star.

MSC Virtuosa is the line’s newest flagship and will come into service in April 2021. Each MSC Cruises ship is unique, and MSC Virtuosa in particular will feature new experiences for guests, with the introduction of Rob being just one of them. The ship will also be highly equipped with cutting-edge technologies and environmentally conscious capabilities.

After completing a few three, four and five-night cruises in the Mediterranean, MSC Virtuosa will be deployed to Northern Europe in summer 2021 with a range of itineraries to the Norwegian fjords and Baltic capital cities.

Scenic Group adds to its upper management ranks with new hires, appointments

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 14 February 2021 14 February 2021

Scenic Group continues to enhance its senior management with the announcement of two new hires and a key appointment. Vitor Alves joins Scenic Group as its Director Hotel Operations - Ocean, Sepp Dendl will oversee the rivers as Director Hotel Operations - River, and Yordan Yordanov has come aboard in the position of Director of Technical River and Ocean Operations. These three senior management positions add to Scenic Group’s global reach and serve to enhance the operations of its state of the art fleet, covering Emerald Cruises, Scenic and Scenic Eclipse. All three report directly to Benny Weidacher, VP of Cruise Operations.

“We are thrilled and very fortunate to have so much talent joining our growing team,” explains Benny Weidacher. “We look forward to their collective expertise expanding our ability to deliver a truly 6-Star experience to our guests.”

Vitor Alves brings nearly 20 years of cruise hotel operations experience to his new position as Scenic Group’s Director Hotel Operations – Ocean. Prior to Scenic, he worked his way through the ranks at Seabourn, ending as the Deputy Director for Hotel/New-Build Expeditions Operations. Vitor’s prior work on the guest experience, employee training and productivity improvements fit well with Scenic Group’s ongoing focus on exceeding expectation of its guests and the development of its crew’s ability to consistently deliver top results. With certificates in Hotel and Hospitality Management from both Cornell University and Tourism Schools Salzburg, Vitor values innovation and how best to use it to improve the guest experiences and making personalized service a top focus on the company’s ocean fleet. One of his top priorities is to develop a new top-notch training program to ensure the never-ending growth of the employees and their ability to deliver at the highest levels. Vitor was born to the water as he hails from Portugal and, always willing to explore beyond the norms, counts scuba and sky-diving as two of his greatest passions, along with his spending as much time with his wife and daughter.

Sepp Dendl joined Scenic Group in 2019 and has been instrumental in raising the guests experience as well as in the decision to bring hotel management for the full fleet in-house. His appointment as Director Hotel Operations – River expands his purview as the company continues its global growth. “As Scenic continues the process of bringing ship management in house, I look forward to working with our crews and ship leaders to ensure the best in service and standards for all of our guests,” offered Sepp. Just a few of the focal points include streamlining the hotel management structure for faster proactive and reactive ability, assuring the variety of the numerous menus correspond with the local foods and wines of the country in which the ships are sailing, making greater use of local vendors and products, and moving the company towards their goal of ecological sustainability through the reduction of plastics, etc. Sepp’s prior experience has been with AIDA Cruises, and Viking River Cruises as well several four- and five-star hotels in Russia and Switzerland. Travel is both his job and his passion as he shares this along with skiing and his love of theater with his wife and two children.

Yordan Yordanov, who’s passion for engineering began at an early age, has risen up the ranks in his chosen profession, spending the past 10 years leading cruise engineer teams from all over the world with Pullmantur Cruises and Grimaldi Lines. Having first-hand experience in nearly every aspect of engineering puts Yordan in the unique position of being able to speak to and train his Scenic Group team as a peer and leader. He is excited to be part of the team that contributes to the industry-leading designs and technology that has been instrumental in the launch of Scenic Eclipse. Scenic Group’s absorption of its nautical operation in house, gives Yordan the opportunity to expand his skills onto the rivers and work with those crews to continue to present the best ships on the rivers. Yordan’s extensive training outside of specific engineering requirements ranges from training in Marine Environmental Awareness to Safety Training of Crew in Direct Contact with Guests to security and crisis management. His love of travel fits well with his desire to visit as many historical sites as is possible with his family.