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MV Werften takes over cabin factory, to invest €13 million in development

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 03 November 2016 03 November 2016

MV Werften Fertigmodule GmbH, part of the MV Werften Group, said it has taken over its own cabin factory in Wismar. In addition to the purchase price, MV Werften will €13 million in the facility and pointed out that up to 200 new jobs would be created in the process.

“The facilities with a total area of 22,000 square metres will be used for manufacturing ship cabins for the cruise ships with delivery from 2020. Besides a modern production area of 8,700 square metres, the acquired premises have over 4,000 square metres of storage area,” the company said in a statement.

The factory is located less than two kilometres from the Wismar shipyard and, being adjacent to the autobahn A20, has excellent transport links to the group’s other two shipyards in Rostock and Stralsund.

“Having our own cabin factory is very important as large cruise ships can only be built on a time- and cost-effective basis with prefabricated cabins,” said Jarmo Laakso, Managing Director of the MV Werften Group. “MV Werften Fertigmodule will supply us with high-quality prefabricated cabins at a competitive price.”

MV Werften is part of the Genting Hong Kong group, which also owns the cruise brands Crystal Cruises, Dream Cruise and Star Cruises.

Genting has stated that it wants to build ships for all three brands at its own shipyard to free itself from the cycle in the shipbuilding industry. It has placed orders for 10 vessels with MV Werften.

Carnival group expends Fathom social impact experiences to six brands

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 02 November 2016 02 November 2016

Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest cruise shipping group, announced plans to expand its Fathom brand's Dominican Republic social impact experiences to its other cruise line brands sailing to its Amber Cove port of call.

Beginning in November, guests sailing regularly on the six additional Carnival Corporation &plc group brands to Amber Cove will be able to purchase a social impact excursion – a new participatory and immersive travel category pioneered by Fathom that takes people into the heart of a destination to explore local communities and discover its people in unconventional ways. Guests can purchase a social impact excursion just as they do today with traditional shore excursions.

"The feedback from our travelers and our local Dominican partners who have participated in Fathom's social impact experiences in the Dominican Republic has been overwhelmingly positive and mutually beneficial," said Tara Russell, president of Fathom and global impact lead for Carnival Corporation. "Our travelers repeatedly tell us the activities and alongsided interaction with the local Dominican people is very fulfilling, rekindling their hope and passion and inspiring a whole new perspective on life."

Russell added: "Additionally, the social impact experiences create enduring positive impact in the lives of children, families and communities, significantly affecting bright futures. It is exciting to now offer thousands of guests who sail with our family of brands to Amber Cove the opportunity to be part of Fathom's social impact experience and broader story."

Since Fathom began its every-other-week voyages in May 2016 to Amber Cove – located on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic -- its guests have been able to produce and install 730 water filters for local families, construct concrete floors for hundreds of people in 40 homes, plant nearly 16,000 seedlings and plants, and have provided approximately 17,500 hours of English conversational language skills training to adult and youth students.

Seven of the 10 Carnival Corporation brands make calls on Amber Cove -- AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Fathom, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises UK. By offering Fathom experiences to guests sailing on its other brands, the company expects to provide this unique, personally enriching experience to a much wider and growing number of guests with each additional sailing. In turn, this has the potential of significantly expanding the number of traveler impact days per month and broader collective impact story in the Dominican Republic.

To expand the Fathom social impact experience, the company will provide the following new excursions:

Hands-On Chocolate Experience at a Women's Cooperative: Travelers will engage in an immersive cultural experience and make an impact in the Puerto Plata community during a unique, hands-on visit to a chocolate cooperative founded by enterprising local women. Travelers will visit the small community of Altamira where they will discover Chocal, a tiny organic-chocolate factory run by a group of local women committed to earning an income while remaining close to their families. Travelers will have the opportunity to work alongside these women to participate in the chocolate production process from bean to bar, a truly rewarding experience.
Volunteer Experience at Recycled Paper & Crafts Entrepreneurship: For a rewarding experience that makes an impact on local communities, travelers may embark on an engaging and immersive cultural experience visiting artisans at a recycling micro-business. In the little village of El Javillar, travelers will find the RePapel co-op, a Recycled Paper & Crafts initiative that has taught local women to repurpose natural, recycled paper into treasures. Travelers will work side by side with these friendly women, discovering all aspects of the program, including creating new products for sale. At the end of their experience, travelers may purchase keepsake products to take home as mementos of their day.

Fathom is also currently exploring additional opportunities globally and with sister brands to bring the Fathom onboard and onshore engaging, purposeful experiences to a broader audience of travelers. New and additional opportunities for travelers to engage in the Fathom experience will be shared in coming months.

Featuring a two-berth port and a 25-acre landside development nestled in a picturesque cove, Amber Cove provides cruise guests from Carnival Corporation & plc’s brands with a convenient gateway to one of the newest Caribbean destinations -- the Puerto Plata region on the island's north coast. Referred to as the "Amber Coast," the region is known for the friendliness of its people, its history and culture, and the beauty of its beaches, mountains, forests, waterfalls and rivers.

The port also re-opened in November 2015 the spectacular Puerto Plata region to regular cruise ship visits for the first time in nearly 30 years, adding a new and exotic destination to the Caribbean, the world's most popular region for cruising.

In total, there are more than 40 excursion options currently being offered to guests sailing to Amber Cove with the company's brands. This includes traditional recreational and sight-seeing cruise excursions, such as snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing or simply a relaxing day at the beach.

Fincantieri and Huarun Dadong Dockyard target cruise liner refit work

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 02 November 2016 02 November 2016

Fincantieri, one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups, and Huarun Dadong Dockyard (HRDD), the leading Chinese shipyard specialised in ship repair and refitting activities, signed an exclusive cooperation agreement last March.

“Development of this cooperation framework continued and the parties have now signed a comprehensive agreement which further details and completes the terms of their collaboration. The agreement now includes the joint technical management of ship repair, dry-docking and conversion work on cruise liners and paves the way for the first project,” the two companies said in a joint statement.

Fincantieri has also established a joint venture with the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and Carnival Corporation & plc to build cruise ships for the Chinese source market.

Princess Cruises teams up with Michelin star chef Emmanuel Renaut

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 02 November 2016 02 November 2016

Princess Cruises, a contemporary market unit in the Carnival Corporation & plc group, has announced a partnership with three-Michelin star chef Emmanuel Renaut to develop the cruise line’s next specialty restaurant concept. “La Mer – A French Bistro by Emmanuel Renaut” will debut aboard Majestic Princess in April 2017, the cruise line’s newest ship tailored for the China market, the company said in a statement.

Followed by the partnership announcement with another Michelin star chef Richard Chen, serving his interpretation of classic Cantonese dishes at Harmony, Majestic Princess will be the only cruise ship that offers two specialty dinner menus designed by Michelin star chefs at sea in China.

Emmanuel Renaut is the highly acclaimed Executive Chef of three Michelin star restaurant “Flocons de Sel,” located in the French Alps village of Megève. Flocons de Sel was awarded its coveted third Michelin star in 2012, having earned its first Michelin star in 2004 and a second in 2006. Before establishing the restaurant in 1998, Chef Renaut cooked in some of the finest kitchens in Paris and London, including Hotel de Crillon, Claridge’s and three-Michelin star Auberge de l’Eridan as sous chef to the celebrated Marc Veyrat.

“Adding Chef Renaut, another Michelin star chef, to Majestic Princess elevates the dining experience to an even higher level and reinforces our leading position as the best cruise line for foodies,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president.”

Offering an authentic yet updated Parisian bistro experience at La Mer, Chef Renaut is crafting a fine dining dinner menu featuring authentic French cuisine made unique with his modern twists – including both favorites from his Flocons Bistrot menu, as well as new concepts developed for La Mer. This specialty dinner experience will include a (to-be-determined) nominal cover charge. In addition, La Mer will offer complimentary lunch and breakfast options created by the Princess culinary teams.

“What I like most about my job is that dining experiences touch people’s emotions,” said Chef Renaut. “I've worked enthusiastically to design delicate and flavorful dishes and I'm really proud that the dinner menu I created will be served in the elegant and relaxed environment of La Mer. I am excited to bring a new, authentic French bistro dining experience to Majestic Princess."

Located in the atrium onboard Majestic Princess, La Mer has been exquisitely designed by Jeffrey Beers International (JBI), recognized as a leader in international hospitality architecture and design. This unique space combines French style and authentic Parisian details with breathtaking sea views through floor to ceiling windows, and offers the perfect vantage point to enjoy the activity and entertainment from the atrium Piazza below.

Rolls-Royce appoints Andreas Schell CEO of Power Systems unit

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 02 November 2016 02 November 2016

Rolls-Royce, the British engineering group, said that Andreas Schell has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rolls-Royce Power Systems (RRPS). Andreas will join Rolls-Royce later this year, reporting to Chief Executive Warren East, and take up his new position from 1 January 2017, succeeding Ulrich Dohle who is retiring.

Schell has a wealth of international leadership expertise, running large complex organisations involved in high-technology engineering across a number of sectors including aerospace and automotive in Germany, the UK and US.

He has experience in operational transformation programmes, strategy and the development of new business models, products and markets. He joins Rolls-Royce from UTC Aerospace Systems and will work alongside Dohle until the end of the year to ensure an effective transition, the company said in a statement.