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Dublin Port Company hosts Cruise Europe Brexit Summit

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 23 January 2019 23 January 2019

Dublin Port Company hosted a Cruise Europe Brexit summit in The Gibson Hotel in Dublin this morning. Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney, An Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, opened proceedings by updating members on the uncertainty that continues to prevail over Brexit. He went on to state that this is not just a British issue but will have an effect on many other EU states.

This uncertainty is proving to be challenging for governments and business alike. He acknowledged the economic benefit of the tourism and maritime sectors and reiterated the government commitment to supporting these industries and the development of cruise tourism going forward.

Panellists agreed that the uncertainty that remains is bad for business. All organisations are spending time and resources on contingency planning rather than developing growth strategies. While current cruise bookings remain buoyant and there are no immediate plans to change itineraries, the main concern is the stability of sterling and the potential economic impact thereof.

The movement of passengers and stores remains under review. However, cruise companies do not anticipate that there will be a significant impact at this time. Cruise operators did request that ports relay any information in relation to local customs and immigration decisions that may be useful in the planning process.

Panellists included executives from Carnival UK, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Cruise & Maritime Voyages as well as representatives from Irish state agencies, port authorities, shipping agents and shore excursion providers.

Princess Cruises to activate three additional Princess MedallionClass ships in 2019

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 22 January 2019 22 January 2019

Princess Cruises announced today the expansion of its Princess MedallionClass experience to three additional ships – Royal Princess, Crown Princess and Sky Princess – building on the enhanced and personalized cruise vacations guests are currently enjoying on its Caribbean Princess ship sailing the Caribbean, and with Regal Princess starting February 17, 2019. The OceanMedallion, included complimentary, is a wearable device that elevates the guest experience by delivering an enhanced level of personalization and innovative services resulting in high guest satisfaction scores.

With the Princess MedallionClass experience coming to Crown Princess in July and Sky Princess in October, all guests sailing with the brand in the Caribbean will be able to enjoy an enhanced vacation through simplified, personalized and engaging experiences by the end of 2019. The addition of Royal Princess will also be the first time a Princess MedallionClass ship will be sailing in Alaska.

“Guests are finding their vacations enhanced with Princess MedallionClass on Caribbean Princess as a new and memorable experience, and we’re ready to offer these experiences and personalized services to even more of our guests, including everyone who sails with us in the Caribbean in the fall and winter,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises. “Starting in April, we will continue the expansion to a total of five Princess MedallionClass ships expected this year, as we continue on our path to fleet-wide activation. And we look forward to bringing the experience to new groups for the first time, such as those sailing to visit exciting destinations in Alaska and Mexico.”

Considered a breakthrough in the vacation industry and recently honored with a CES® 2019 Innovation Award, the OceanMedallion features leading-edge technology that delivers personalized service through enhanced guest-crew interactions, eliminates friction points and enables interactive entertainment.

Meyer Turku delivers Mein Schiff 2 to TUI Cruises in Kiel

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 22 January 2019 22 January 2019

TUI Cruises has taken delivery of Mein Schiff 2, a fresh take on a long series of ships from Meyer Turku shipyard. With New Mein Schiff 2 Meyer Turku and TUI Cruises have continued taking into account the feedback from the passengers of TUI Cruises' previous ships and further improved and refreshed the design of the ship.

“For us it has been a thrill working with TUI Cruises on the design and construction of this ship. The passengers will surely notice and hopefully like the differences to the previous ships. We have redesigned many of the areas of the ship, e.g. the Schau Bar [pictured below] and the restaurant area in front of the aft diamond structure," CEO Jan Meyer says.

This time the ship sailed to Kiel for the delivery ceremonies, due to ice conditions in the Turku archipelago. Especially the final silicone painting of the underwater part of the hull is not designed to withstand icy water.

“The commissioning of our new Mein Schiff 2 marks the successful end of our first expansion phase. Our sixth newbuild by Meyer Turku not only impresses with its design, its inner values are equally convincing: With the use of modern technologies we are setting standards for environmental protection," says TUI Cruises CEO Wybcke Meier.

For shipbuilders, every ship is an evolution both in the technology behind the walls and panels and in the interior design.

“The essence of our business is to listen to the feedback from the passengers and then use our own expertise in design and engineering to make the next ship even better, safer and more passenger-friendly”, CEO Jan Meyer tells.

Redesigning shipbuilding

While learning from previous ships and redesigning every ship is at the core of shipbuilding, Meyer Turku is also reinventing shipbuilding processes. With an extensive ramp- up program including investments of over 200 million euros, continuous recruitments and trainings for employees, Meyer Turku will double its production in the coming five years.

“With new machine and IT technology, our shipbuilding experience and many new ideas we are transforming the whole shipbuilding process to ensure that the ramp-up is executed in a smart and controlled way in good collaboration with our network. And we do need the very best talent to come along us for this journey”, CEO Jan Meyer continues.

Meyer Turku has currently several dozens of open positions at rekry.meyerturku.fi.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises sells Bremen to Scylla

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 21 January 2019 21 January 2019

The Swiss shipping company Scylla AG has been considered a pioneer of the river cruises since 1973 and has made a name for itself with the construction of innovative ships, not only in the charter business. In 2018, the family-owned company founded VIVA Cruises, its own river tour operator - and is now expanding its business with the purchase of Bremen from Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

In total, Scylla currently owns 31 river cruise ships, each accommodating up to 220 guests. Arno Reitsma said, "We would like to use our decades of experience in the river area on a high-sea ship with a comparable number of guests. The Bremen is perfect for that. Our nautical and technical expertise, supported by the nautical management of RsR NEMO, also comes into play here. Thanks to this new evolution we can provide our existing customers with new Scylla quality and expand our customer base. The ship transfer will take place in May 2021."

Stena Line’s first new generation ferry floated out in China

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 17 January 2019 17 January 2019

Ferry Company Stena Line has achieved another important milestone in its major new fleet investment programme with the launching ceremony of the first of its next generation of RoPax vessel taking place at the Avic Weihai Shipyard in China.

The first new vessel will be named Stena Estrid* and she took to the water for the first time on Jan 16th and is on schedule to enter service on the Dublin to Holyhead route in early 2020, the first of three new E-Flexer vessels bound for the Irish Sea by 2021.

Stena Line CEO Niclas Mårtensson said: “Today the first of our new generation vessels achieved a very important milestone for Stena Line. The Stena Estrid successfully completed her float out manoeuvre from dry dock at the Avic Shipyard and now enters a busy phase of works ahead of her Irish Sea launch early next year.”

All three vessels that are being built for the Irish Sea will be larger than today’s standard RoPax vessels at 215 meters long with a freight capacity of 3,100 lane meters and the space to carry 120 cars and 1,000 passengers. This represents a significant multi-million investment by Stena Line and underscores our commitment to our Irish Sea operations and our determination to deliver the best possible freight and travel experience. Stena Line has a strong belief that Irish Sea ferry transportation will continue to grow and it remains a key strategic business region for the company.

“Stena Estrid will bring many benefits to ferry users including speedy and efficient loading/unloading operations plus further development of our Scandinavian inspired facilities including our restful and bespoke Hygge Lounge and the latest upgrade of our premium product, the Stena Plus concept. The new ships will be spacious, light and make use of panoramic views. This is a very exciting time for our business and I’m proud that as Europe’s largest ferry company, Stena Line continues help shape the industry for the next generation of freight and leisure customers,” concluded Niclas Martensson.

Stena Line is the largest ferry operator on the Irish Sea, offering the biggest fleet and the widest choice of routes between Britain and Ireland including Holyhead to Dublin, Fishguard to Rosslare Liverpool to Belfast, Heysham to Belfast and Cairnryan to Belfast, a total of 232 weekly sailings. The company also offers a direct service from Rosslare to Cherbourg with three return crossings a week.

In addition to the three Irish Sea bound E-Flexer vessels, Stena Line has also ordered a further two E-Flexer RoPax vessels with a larger design, to be deployed within Stena Line’s network in 2022. These larger ships will be 240 meters long with a total freight capacity of 3,600 lane meters, and passenger capacity of 1,200. Stena Lines sister company Stena RoRo is managing all the E-Flexer building projects that are ongoing on Avic Weihai Shipyard.

*Stena Estrid is connected to Stena Line’s Scandinavian heritage and Estrid is an Old Norse eastern-nordic version of the name Astrid. Estrid is commonly found on old runestones and meaning divinely beautiful.