More News

P&O Ferries orders two 230 metre double ended Dover-Calais ferries – report

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 24 September 2019 24 September 2019

P&O Ferries, which is part of the Dubai based DP World group, has ordered two 230 metre double ended ferries at Guangzhou Shipyard International in China for its service between Dover in the UK and Calais in France, Ferry Shipping News said in a newsletter.

The Dover base ferry company should not be confused with P&O Cruises, which is part of Carnival Corporation & plc.

The two ships will enter service in 2023 and the contract includes options for two further units that would be delivered in 2024 if ordered. The ships will be double ended, which means there is no need to turn them around at each port. They will be the largest ever ships on the short haul crossing.

The ships are designed with the capacity to be carbon neutral in the future. A double-ended design and two bridges on the ship, meaning that there is no need for it to turn around.

Power management system will allow to close down parts of the ship when not in use and the ships will also feature new shape of hull for the English Channel and azimuth thrusters which increase manoeuvrability of the ship. The naval architects for the project are OSK-ShipTech A/S in Denmark, the report said.

More suites, cluster cabins, two central meeting points among MSC Seashore features

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 19 September 2019 19 September 2019

MSC Seashore, the first of two Seaside Evo class ships from Fincantieri, will feature more suites and two central meeting points among new features on board, the cruise line and shipbuilder said in a joint statement.

At 339 metres, the ship is 16 metres longer than MSC Seaside and it will also have 200 additional cabins, a larger MSC Yacht Club and an additional double-deck aft lounge.

MSC Seashore will offer more suites thanks to the addition of 28 more terraced suites, two suites with private whirlpools and the MSC Yacht Club will see two new cabin categories: 41 Deluxe Grand Suites and two Owner’s Suites with whirlpools.

The ship will feature new cabin designs such as cluster cabins for families that link two or three adjoining cabins and can accommodate between six and 10 people, plus bigger and more spacious cabins for guests with a disability – 75 in total – will be available.

The internal architecture has been completely redesigned with two central meeting points positioned at the middle and forward part of the ship, as well as specific measures to further enhance passenger flows. Overall the ship has 10,000 square metres of additional deck space for an even greater and more spacious onboard experience.

Two brand new restaurants will be introduced, including one exclusively for Aurea guests. There will be a new location for the five specialty restaurants to allow for waterfront seating on the ship’s breathtaking boardwalk to give guests a greater sea view as they dine al fresco.

MSC Seashore will have a new double-decker show lounge at the aft part of the ship, a bigger casino and 20 distinct specialty bars. The ship will feature a new design of her aft pool design, an enlarged indoor pool and a new interactive waterpark will provide thrills and spills for guests of all ages.

Clubs for young children and teenagers have been separated from a larger kids’ zone. The ship will provide all of her guests with latest customer-centric technology, including ZOE – the world’s first-virtual personal cruise assistant and an MSC Cruises exclusive in every cabin - and MSC for Me.

Coin ceremony to mark laying of the keep of the ship was held at Monfalcone today.

Voyages to Antiquity to cease trading

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 19 September 2019 19 September 2019

Voyages to Antiquity, the UK based operator of destination focused cruises, has decided to cease trading after a major engine failure on its only vessel had forced it to cancel 10 cruises in the summer.

Aegean Odyssey, which was built as a cargo ferry in 1974 and later converted into a cruise ship in 1988, suffered an engine failure in April that forced the cancellation of the entire summer season of cruises up till the departure on 26 August. The ship has a gross tonnage of 11,653 and it can take 350 passnegers.

Voyages to Antiquity was founded in 2009 .

Cruise yacht master’s beach clean up initiative becomes regular feature of week

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 19 September 2019 19 September 2019

Master of Panorama II, a sail powered cruise yacht of Variety Cruises, has decided to anchor the vessel for a few hours each week and to go ashore and clean up a beach, with crew members and passengers joining him in an initiative that has become a regular feature of each cruise.

“Currently cruising the waters of the Flores and Bali Seas in Indonesia, Captain Antononiu Leontios decided to dedicate a few hours every week to dropping anchor in a bay, venturing ashore with some crew members and filling as many bin bags as possible with rubbish which he then stowed on board and disposed of properly at his next port of call,” the company said in a statement.

“It seemed the right thing to do,” Captain Leontios said, “the sea and the natural beauty of beaches and islands is the livelihood for myself and my crew. We need to respect and protect them and whilst our passengers are off sight-seeing we thought we’d do our bit.’ But it didn’t stop with just the crew.”

“When the Panorama II’s passengers discovered what the crew were doing they too wanted to get involved,” explained Captain Leontios. “News soon got around and next time we planned a stop we were joined by eight guests. It’s now become a feature of our week – so much so we’re going to print beach clean-up t-shirts to give to anybody who joins us.”

According to Variety Cruises UK's MD, Chris Lorenzo, environmental responsibility is part of the cruise line’s ethos: “We have already started eliminating single-use plastic from our fleet,’ he explained. ‘As for the beach clean-up program, our vessels are uniquely placed to do something practical – we only have small ships of 50-70 passengers so we can get close up to beaches and moor anywhere. Overall our philosophy is ‘small is beautiful’ and that’s not just about the size of our ships but about doing the small things that can add up to a big difference.”

Costa to add third ship in South America for the 2020/2021 winter

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 19 September 2019 19 September 2019

Costa Cruises announces the arrival of Costa Luminosa in South America in the winter of 2020/2021. From November 2020 to April 2021 the company flying the flag of Italy will be about to count on three ships operating in the region: Costa Luminosa will support Costa Fascinosa and Costa Pacifica, whose positioning in South America had already been announced.

“The arrival of Costa Luminosa for the 2020/2021 season reflects Costa Cruises' desire to strategically invest in the South American market, a market with a great potential for growth. For this reason we want to gradually increase our presence in the region,” stated Dario Rustico, General Manager for Central and South America at Costa Cruises.

Costa Luminosa, Costa Pacifica and Costa Fascinosa will offer various itineraries to discover Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, which will be on sale from November 2019.

In particular, Costa Fascinosa, which will leave for South America from Savona in mid-November 2020, will have its principal home port at Santos. The cruises will sail toward the North of Brazil, visiting destinations such as Buzios, Salvador, Ilheus, and Ilha Grande.

After the transatlantic crossing departing from Genoa on November 13, 2020, the Costa Pacifica cruises will mainly concentrate on Argentina, Uruguay, and the southern part of Brazil. Calls are scheduled at Buenos Aires (Argentina); Ilhabela, Buzios, Rio de Janeiro, and Ilha Grande (Brazil); Montevideo (Uruguay).

Costa Luminosa will also leave from Santos, with 7-night cruises directed to Itajai (Brazil), Buenos Aires, and Montevideo. The positioning cruise in South America from Venice to Santos will sail on November 8, 2020.