Saga Cruises delays resumption of operations

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 04 November 2020 04 November 2020

Saga Cruises, the UK based and focused luxury segment operator, has reportedly delayed the resumption of the operations of its two ships.

Spirit of Discovery is planned to resume cruising in April instead of March and its sister ship, Spirit of Adventure that was delivered last week from the Meyer Werft in Germany in is now scheduled to sail on its maiden voyage on 4 may instead of February, Travel Weekly reports on its website.

“We have sadly seen the predicted restrictions on day-to-day life increasing. This has led us to further review our planned dates for a return to service, as the seasonal impact of Covid-19 would indicate that we are unlikely to be able to cruise in February on Spirit of Adventure, or March on Spirit of Discovery,” the publication quoted Managing Director Nigel Blanks as saying..

“I would therefore like to confirm that, following careful consideration, we have taken the very difficult decision to postpone our return to service for Spirit of Discovery until April 2021 and Spirit of Adventure’s inaugural cruise has also been rescheduled and she will now sail for the first time on May 4, 2021,” Travel weekly said, citing a message Blanks had sent to customers of the Folkestone, Kent based cruise line.

Decarbonisation debate dominates Posidonia Web Forums Week

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 03 November 2020 03 November 2020

The issue of decarbonisation was hotly debated between international maritime industry stakeholders during the Posidonia Web Forums Week held over a plethora of digital platforms from 21 October το 3 November 2020, the  organisers of the event said in a statement.

Leading maritime media and policy organisations, such as Tradewinds, Lloyd’s List, Seatrade, Capital Link, Newsfront/Naftiliaki and Maritime London, as well as traditional Posidonia exhibitors and educational organisations, such as ABS, Marine Traffic, Isalos.net and BCA College, participated in this project.

And it was shipping business as usual, albeit on a new format, as the world of shipping converged online in their thousands to fill the physical void left by the cancelation of the 2020 edition of the biennial shipping exhibition due to the pandemic.

Registrations exceeded expectations and attendance and active participation was high at all times during the web events..

A total of 16 online events were held during the Posidonia Web Forums Week, which included the Annual European Shipping Seminar of the virtual event’s exclusive sponsor S&P Global Platts.

Charlotte Bucchioni, Associate Editor EMEA, S&P Global Platts, asserted that the industry is standing still in anticipation of the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) clarifications on decarbonisation compliance issues.She said: “We have to wait till 2023 to get a clearer picture from IMO with regards to what the shipping industry would have to do to comply. This has caused negative feedback from the industry which has an order book that is the lowest we have seen in ten years due to a combination of weaker crude demand due to carbon reduction targets and uncertainty over fuel regulations.”

Carnival Corporation's North American brands extend pause in cruise operations

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 03 November 2020 03 November 2020

Carnival Corporation & plc, the world's largest cruise company, today announced that its North American cruise line brands will extend their existing pause in operations, suspending cruise voyages between Dec. 1 and Dec. 31, 2020.

"Our highest responsibility and top priorities are always compliance, protecting the environment, and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, the people in communities we touch, our crew and shoreside employees," said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. "We continue to work with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and global government and public health authorities, as well as top medical and science experts around the globe, on a comprehensive plan for the eventual restart of cruising in North America. With their collective guidance, we have developed and continue to update our enhanced health and safety protocols that are in the best interest of our guests, crew and overall public health. Whenever we restart our cruise operations in the U.S., we certainly look forward to welcoming our guests on board."

Individually, each brand has been communicating and will continue to communicate with guests to provide updates and direction regarding affected cruise vacations.

The date for restarting cruise operations will be communicated by each respective brand and available on their websites.

The company and its brands are also notifying crew members, travel professionals and other stakeholders.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings extends suspension of voyages

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 02 November 2020 02 November 2020

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., a leading global cruise company which operates the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands, today announced a next extension of its previously announced suspension of global cruise voyages to include all voyages embarking between December 1 through December 31, 2020 for its three cruise brands. The Company will continue to work in tandem with global government and public health authorities and its Healthy Sail Panel expert advisors to take all necessary measures to protect its guests, crew and the communities visited.