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Astoria to leave CMV fleet after this season

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 22 January 2020 22 January 2020

Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV), the UK based destination focused cruise line, said it would not renew the charter for the 16,844 gross ton Astoria after this season.

“With two new larger ships joining the CMV fleet in 2021, we have taken the difficult decision not to renew the charter contract for Astoria. Sadly, Astoria will be leaving the CMV fleet and 2020 will be her Farewell Season,”the company said in a statement.

The ship joined the CMV fleet in 2015 and in the following year it commenced a summer charter to French tour operator Rivages du Monde with CMV operating spring and autumn sailings from the UK, which has continued for five years.

Chris Coates, Group Commercial Director said in the statenment: “Although we will be sad to say farewell to Astoria, especially as she has built up a strong and loyal following, we are excited at the prospect of Pacific Dawn (to be renamed) joining the fleet in 2021 and another traditional-style ship for the British cruise market.”

Astoria was built as Stockholm for the now defunct Swedish America Line in 1948 and eight years later collided with the Italian liner Andrea Doria that sank. A total of 52 persons died in the accident.

Renamed Italia Prima in 1994, the ship was totally rebuilt and received e.g. new engines. The new interiors were designed by Studio de Jorio, the Italian architects who have since gained reputation for extensive work for MSC Cruises.

Fincantieri joins experimental fusion reactor project

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 20 January 2020 20 January 2020

Fincantieri, the Italian shipbuilder that is the world’s largest builder of cruise ships, said it has been awarded an order, worth almost €100 million, for a number of high-profile equipment furniture and installations as part of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a project aimed at building an experimental hydrogen fusion reactor, first of this kind, and acknowledged as one of the most ambitious initiatives in the world in the renewable energies field, the company said in a statement.

Fusion is different technology to what is used in e.g. power stations and nuclear powered military vessels. A ship called Savannah that was built in the US in 1962 remains the only passenger carrying nuclear powered vessel ever built. It is no longer in service.

Fincantieri said a temporary consortium has been established for the execution of the activities. It includes Fincantieri itself as the main contractor, its subsidiary Fincantieri SI, active in the field of plant design and industrial electrical, electronic and electromechanical components, Delta-ti Impianti, specialized in mechanical plant engineering, and Comes, specialized in electrical plant engineering.

ITER Organization is the supranational body, headquartered in France, participated and funded by the European Union, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States of America. The organization runs the ITER project, with construction currently underway in Cadarache in the South of France. The project will demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of hydrogen fusion, and will allow to gain all the necessary knowledge for the construction of a fusion reactor prototype. The product will be a first large-scale source of clean and unlimited energy through fusion reaction – also given increasing energy demand – by using cutting-edge technologies specially developed by the countries taking part in the program.

Alongside renewable energy resources, fusion could considerably help fighting against climate change. Besides its potential inexhaustibility, one of the fusion’s benefits, in fact, lies in the limited production of residual waste, envisaging a power source not requiring CO2 emissions, one of the greenhouse gasses responsible for global warming. Nuclear fusion is considered as highly efficient and clean because water is its starting source without waste production within the process. Furthermore, it represents a real scientific and engineering challenge, involving horizontally fields like superconductivity, cryogenics and high vacuum.

The CEO of Fincantieri, Giuseppe Bono, said: “This order has an extraordinary international importance, and testifies to the reputation that we have been able to earn in every field. Being involved in such a project, in fact, confirms the goodness of our strategies, and I refer in particular to those for diversification and constant investment in innovation and business sustainability. Now we will actively participate in the development of a completely different technology from the one used in the existing power plants and above all cleaner: an extremely ambitious goal that also reaffirms our capacity as integrator”.

Boudicca passengers and crew plus Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines HQ staff raise £5,000 for Australia relief

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 16 January 2020 16 January 2020

Guests, staff and crew aboard Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Boudicca and at the company’s head office in Ipswich, have raised £5,000 to help fund relief efforts in Kangaroo Island following on from devastating bush fires across much of the country, the UK based destinational cruise line said in a statement.

The 880 passenger capacity Boudicca is currently part-way through the 168-night Grand Voyage, and in recent weeks has called into Australia on a number of occasions, including to Kangaroo Island just days before the devastating fires struck.

Guests and crew united in a joint mission to raise funds to support the relief effort and organised a fundraising event on deck with a number of stalls and games, including a ring toss, a ‘name the koala’ competition and a live performance by the Boudicca Orchestra. In addition, a silent auction was held offering guests the chance to bid for a navigational chart of Australia, signed by the Senior Bridge Officers, with the whole event raising over £3,500.

The fundraising efforts continued at the company’s head office yesterday (9 January) where employees from Fred. Olsen Ltd and Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines held a dress down day, bake sale and a raffle, taking the total raised to £5,000.

Peter Deer, Managing Director at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “It has not been possible to watch the news in recent weeks without seeing the devastating fires that have torn across Australia, and most recently Kangaroo Island. This country has formed an integral part of Boudicca’s Grand Voyage, and was a highlight to so many of our guests."

Gary Barlow becomes P&O Cruises’ brand ambassador

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 16 January 2020 16 January 2020

P&O Cruises, the UK focused contemporary market unit in the Carnival Corporation & plc group said it has appointed Gary Barlow, as its new brand ambassador, with the pioneering partnership set to fuse music with travel experiences for guests on board.

“Multi-award winning singer, songwriter, producer, musician and member of one of the biggest groups in British music history, Take That, Gary’s debut role will be as musical director of The 710 Club on Iona, the contemporary new P&O Cruises flagship to be launched in May this year,” the company said in a statement.

“As musical director of The 710 Club, Gary is set to make Iona’s intimate music bar the most exciting live music venue at sea. Showcasing an eclectic range of performances, curated to appeal to British music lovers, this atmospheric late-night music venue will offer an opportunity for up-and-coming musicians to get their break,” P&O Cruises said.

Gary will also perform at Iona’s naming celebration, which kicks off IonaFest, the UK’s most exciting new floating festival which is a seven night cruise to the Norwegian Fjords from Southampton on 4 July.

P&O Cruises president, Paul Ludlow, said in the statement: “We are immensely proud to have someone of Gary’s stature and talent working with us as brand ambassador. Gary’s impressive career speaks for itself and he will bring his vision and personality to our new The 710 Club; from guiding the resident band, selecting future performers and playlists and even shaping the interiors and signature cocktails.

Gary will also join guests on two Iona holidays in 2020 for exclusive performances: Iona G018 departing Southampton on 29 August for the Norwegian Fjords and Iona G025 departing Southampton on 31 October for Spain and Portugal, P&O Cruises stated.

PortMiami records best performance in its history

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 January 2020 15 January 2020

PortMiami set a new record-breaking year in collaboration with its partners. During the 12-month period ending September 30, 2019, the Port experienced a 3.4 % gain in cargo with a total of 1,120,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) and a 22% increase in cruise passenger totals, surpassing its previous world record with an all-time high total of 6,824,000 passengers.

On the cruise side, the growth is strengthened by the development of new business. Royal Caribbean International officially opened Cruise Terminal A, the Crown of Miami, and celebrated the arrival of the world’s largest ship, the Symphony of the Seas. Norwegian Cruise Line also welcomed the Norwegian Bliss. Carnival Cruise Line added its new Carnival Horizon. Viking Ocean Cruises introduced the Viking Star and Viking Sun. Additionally, MSC Cruises welcomed the MSC Armonia.

In addition, PortMiami consolidated its partnerships by securing a series of long-term deals and new terminal developments with Carnival Corporation, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line Bahamas, Terminal Link Miami, and Virgin Voyages. The expanded partnerships are anticipated to generate an additional estimated economic impact to South Florida of about $7.8 billion with 27,500 jobs new direct, induced, and indirect jobs annually.

“PortMiami’s development wouldn’t be possible without its dedicated partners including the cruise and cargo lines, the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Biscayne Bay Pilots, International Longshoremen’s Associations’ Locals 1416 and 1922, Miami-Dade Police and Fire Departments, among so many others,” said the Chairwoman of the Tourism and the Ports Committee Rebeca Sosa. “New facilities, including cruise terminals and berths are in the works to accommodate the industry’s new generation of vessels. I am so proud of PortMiami, what it has accomplished, and where it’s heading.”

“The strong performance at PortMiami, one of Miami-Dade County’s main economic engines, is great news for our community," said Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “The growth figures confirm our role as a leading global gateway and demonstrate the continuing draw of the Port. I am proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish. I want to thank our cruise and cargo partners for working with PortMiami’s Director and CEO Juan M. Kuryla and his team on extending their business relationships. I will continue to work with the Port and its partners on additional opportunities. Everybody stands to gain from sustainable growth at our seaport.”