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Oceania Cruises celebrates christening of Sirena

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 27 April 2016 27 April 2016

Oceania Cruises officially welcomed its newest ship, Sirena, into the fleet this evening with a christening ceremony at the Port of Barcelona. After the ship’s godmother, Claudine Pépin, delivered the traditional blessing, a bottle of Moët & Chandon’s finest champagne kissed the ship’s hull and a flurry of confetti filled the sky in celebration of Sirena’s inaugural voyage.

Joining Pépin for the signature bottle-breaking moment were Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO, Frank Del Rio; President and COO for Oceania Cruises, Jason Montague; and Claudine’s father, legendary master chef Jacques Pépin. The Pépin family and Oceania Cruises have enjoyed a long and treasured relationship, with Jacques Pépin serving as the line’s Executive Culinary Director since its inception.

“We launched Oceania Cruises with a visionary belief that we could create something special. With an unwavering commitment to serve our guests the finest cuisine at sea, we established a culinary reputation that to this day defines the Oceania Cruises brand,” said Del Rio. “That culinary tradition continues, as we welcome Sirena to the family. Sirena builds upon our epicurean heritage with new gourmet dining experiences, and in godmother Claudine Pépin who is a noted chef and member of the culinary world’s royal family.”

The second-hand, 684-passenger Sirena follows the design blueprint of its sister ships Regatta, Insignia and Nautica, with amenities such as four gourmet restaurants, six lounges and bars, the renowned Canyon Ranch SpaClub, and 342 suites and staterooms. Before entering service, the ship underwent a 35-day, nearly $50 million refurbishment that renovated all public spaces and accommodations to Oceania Cruises’ standard of elegance, and added several new amenities for guests to enjoy.

The ship debuts with two new specialty restaurants, providing guests with new culinary indulgences to explore. Tuscan Steak, a completely new restaurant concept, is inspired by both Oceania Cruises’ traditional steak house, Polo Grill, and the line’s authentic Italian restaurant, Toscana. Red Ginger, the beloved contemporary Asian-inspired restaurant currently available on Marina and Riviera, will offer culinary delights such as Miso Glazed Sea Bass and Lobster Pad Thai.

Another new dining option awaits Sirena guests at the Grand Dining Room. During lunch the restaurant will transform into Jacques Bistro, offering an exclusive menu featuring some of legendary chef Jacques Pépin’s signature dishes.

“The expansion of our culinary offerings on Sirena with Tuscan Steak, Red Ginger and Jacques Bistro further exemplifies our commitment to epicurean excellence,” shared Montague. “We’ve given our guests three new gourmet dining options, and more opportunities to enjoy the finest cuisine at sea.”

In addition to the new dining options, Sirena’s most palatial and prestigious accommodations -- the Owner’s and Vista Suites -- will debut with an elegant new design that features a crisp and modern motif. Sirena is also the first ship in the Oceania Cruises’ fleet to showcase the enhanced entertainment offerings being developed for the line. Guests will be treated to a full range of world-class musical, theatrical and comedic productions in the Sirena Lounge.

Haimark Line Ltd cancels future cruises

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 26 April 2016 26 April 2016

The Federal Maritime Commission advises passengers that Haimark Line Limited (Haimark), a passenger vessel operator, has cancelled all future cruises. Haimark operates a single vessel, the Saint Laurent.

In accordance with Commission regulations, Haimark maintains an escrow account for the purpose of refunding applicable passenger fares and deposits for cruises departing from a U.S. port in the event that the cruise line fails to perform any such cruises. The escrow account does not provide reimbursement for payments for air travel, shore-side hotel expenses, or other expenses that do not constitute water transportation or its related services. Further information about the legal requirements of the passenger vessel operator program can be found on our Passenger Vessel Operators webpage.

The escrow agent will automatically process refunds and send payments to passengers who paid deposits or fares for cruises on the Saint Laurent. However, passengers who previously obtained a refund from their credit card issuer or travel insurance are not eligible.

The Commission’s Office of Passenger Vessels and Information Processing is available to assist passengers with respect to questions about Haimark or their refund procedures and may be contacted by phone at (202) 523-5818 or e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Meyer Turku lays Mein Schiff 6 keel

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 26 April 2016 26 April 2016

Meyer Turku, the Finnish cruise ship builder, has laid the keel of Mein Schiff 6, the fourth newbuilding it has on order from TUI Cruises in Germany. The 99,300 gross ton vessel is similar to the earlier units the yard has built for TUI Cruises. The German operator has two more vessels on order at Meyer Turku, but these will reportedly become larger than the four.

Genting Hong Kong to sign multi-ship order with Lloyd Werft Group 10 May

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 26 April 2016 26 April 2016

Genting Hong Kong, which earlier today announced the completion of the acquisition of Nordic Yards’ three shipyards in Germany, said it will sign a multi-ship order with Lloyd Werft Group, its shipbuilding division that also includes the earlier acquired Lloyd Werft.

“Tan Sri Lim, Chairman of Genting Hong Kong will be signing a significant new multi-ship order with the Lloyd Werft Group on 10th May and these orders will help support the German and European shipbuilding industrial sector and employment during the current shipbuilding downturn,” said Rüdiger Pallentin, Managing Director of Lloyd Werft, in a statement.

“To support the new shipbuilding program, Mr. Hui Lim, Executive Director - Chairman's Office and Chief Information Officer of Genting Hong Kong will open the new “Lloyd Werft Design Center” in Bremerhaven on 9th May, which will house more than 250 designers, and Edie Rodriguez, President and CEO of Crystal Cruises, will officiate at the steel cutting ceremony for the Crystal river ships also on 9th May.”

Genting Hong Kong has said earlier it plans to order three river yachts, a 25,000 gross ton expedition yacht and three 100,000 gross ton luxury cruise ships for its Crystal Cruises luxury market unit at Lloyd Werft.

Genting Hong Kong completes Nordic Yards’ acquisition

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 26 April 2016 26 April 2016

Genting Hong Kong, parent company of Star Cruises, Dream Cruise and Crystal Cruises, said it has completed the acquisition of Nordic Yards’ three shipyards in Wismar, Warnemunde and Stralsund, Germany for the consideration of €230.6 million.

Ownership of the shipyards will free the company from both the delivery timing and pricing uncertainties associated with the cruise ship order book cycle, which continues at historic highs and allows Genting Hong Kong management to focus on the strategic planning, design and deployment of planned cruise ships among its three brands, the company said in a statement.

“We are pleased with the completion of the transaction as ownership of the yards provides certainty that we can build a fleet of high quality cruise ships at a pace dictated by our growth rather than constrained by supply as cruise ship order book continues to reach all-time highs, with orders placed as far out as 2026, ten years from now,” said Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Genting Hong Kong, in a statement.

“We will begin by building four Crystal river ships scheduled for delivery in 2017 and Crystal Endeavor, the first purpose-built polar class expedition megayacht, for delivery in 2018. Our goal is to grow the yard output to two Mega cruise ships and one mid-size cruise ship or megayacht a year within a decade, not only for our own fleet but also for other cruise lines and yacht owners.”

The newly acquired yards, together with the previously purchased Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, will be managed as the Lloyd Werft Group, optimising the strengths of each yard for design, fabrication, outfitting and final assembly using the two huge covered dry docks in Wismar and Warnemunde and one ship launching lift in Stralsund.