Greek ministry assures foreign debit and credit cards to work despite crisis

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 29 June 2015 29 June 2015

Foreign debit and credit cards will work all over Greece despite the current economic crisis that has hit the country, the Greek ministry of economy, infrastructure, shipping and tourism said in a statement.

Capital controls that were introduced in the country do not include the use of foreign debit or credit cards for payments or using them for cash withdrawals.

The ministry also stated that fuel and other products are available both on the mainland and on the islands so that the tourist industry can function in a normal way.

Celestyal Cruises statement on Celestyal Crystal collision

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 27 June 2015 27 June 2015

"Celestyal Cruises wishes to inform its business partners that today, Saturday June 27th 2015 and at around 1:28 am local time, the Maltese flagged MV Celestyal Crystal had a collision with the Marshall Islands flagged tanker STI PIMLICO.

All 852 passengers and the 382 members of crew are well and so are the crew members of the tanker. The cruise ship has only suffered some structural damages and awaits inspection from its class surveyor.

This entails that the said damages must be repaired before the ship can continue with its scheduled cruise itineraries. With the safety and care of our passengers as our utmost priority, we will ensure the smoothest possible disembarkation for those on board since the current cruise will have to be cancelled. The options on offer to our passengers are as follows:

For passengers who were travelling from Istanbul to Piraeus, Lavrio to Piraeus and from Kusadasi to Piraeus:

Passengers will be transported from Gelibolu to Istanbul. A one night or a 2 night complimentary stay at a hotel in Istanbul will be arranged as well as a free shorex excursion. On Monday, passengers will be flown from Istanbul to Izmir where a complimentary overnight stay at a hotel in Izmir or Kusadasi will be arranged. For those staying in Izmir transportation to Kusadasi will be arranged and a complimentary shorex in  Ancient Ephesus will be offered to all passengers. They will then board MV Celestyal Odyssey or MV Celestyal Olympia on Tuesday to join the cruise either from Kusadasi to Lavrio or from Kusadasi to Piraeus, accordingly. Passengers will be fully refunded and offered a complimentary cruise, valid until the end of 2016

For Greek Passengers or for all passengers who were scheduled to disembark in Piraeus after a 7day cruise:

Passengers will be transported from Gelibolu to Istanbul where a fully complimentary overnight stay at a hotel will be arranged. They will then fly on Sunday or Monday (upon availability) from Istanbul to Athens. A complimentary excursion in Istanbul (highlights of Istanbul) will be offered. Passengers will be fully refunded and offered a complimentary cruise valid until end of 2016

Kindly note that as a gesture of goodwill and irrespective of the option passengers will choose from above or is applicable to them, Celestyal Cruises will be refunding their cruise fare and shall also be offering a complimentary 7 day cruise, valid until the end 2016. Naturally, this will not be applicable to those who would be ending their cruise in Istanbul.

Thanking you all for your most valuable support and your understanding, we apologize for the inconvenience and would like to assure that we will spare no effort in ensuring that our passengers are provided with the best hospitality under the circumstances," Celestyal Cruises said in a statement.

Viking Sea launched at Fincantieri's Ancona shipyard

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 26 June 2015 26 June 2015

Viking Sea, the second of three ships which Fincantieri is currently building for the company Viking Ocean Cruises, was launched yesterday at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona. Interior fittings will now begin, leading the ship to its delivery scheduled in spring 2016.

Viking Star, the first sister ship, has been delivered in March: Fincantieri is already working on Viking Sky, the third unit of the agreement, that will be delivered as well in the shipyard in Ancona at the beginning of 2017.

The ceremony was attended by Karine Hagen, godmother of the launching and daughter of Torstein Hagen, founder and CEO of Viking Cruises, while Fincantieri was represented among others by Giovanni Stecconi, Director of the shipyard in Ancona.

Viking Sea, like its two sister ships, will be placed in the small cruise ship segment. In fact, with a gross tonnage of about 47,800 tons, it will have 465 cabins with accommodation for 930 passengers. The ship has been designed by experienced nautical architects and engineers, including an interior design team of London-based SMC Design, and Los Angeles-based Rottet Studios.

The building of this series of ships states the solid commercial partnership between Viking and Fincantieri.

Fincantieri has built 70 cruise ships since 1990 (of which 47 from 2002) and other 14 ships are currently being designed or built in the Group’s yards.

KfW IPEX-Bank to finance Star Clippers newbuild

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 25 June 2015 25 June 2015

KfW IPEX-Bank is providing a syndicated loan together with a renowned commercial bank to finance the world's largest square rigger. The corresponding agreements with the internationally operating shipping company Star Clippers, which has ordered the construction of the ship, were signed on Tuesday. Both banks are contributing to the financing in equal measure. The tranche provided by KfW IPEX-Bank is covered by an export credit guarantee from the Croatian export credit agency HBOR.

The five-masted barque will be built by the Croatian shipyard Brodosplit near Split, which has a long history, and it is slated for completion during the course of 2017. With a sail area of 60,000 square feet (5.574 square metres) the vessel will be 162 m long and accommodate about 300 passengers.

With its faithful reproductions of classic tall ships the shipping company Star Clippers caters to both the European and the US markets. With this new ship the company will expand its fleet, which comprises three vessels so far - Royal Clipper, Star Clipper and Star Flyer - in order to meet the growing demand for cruises across the globe, which is also apparent in the cruise sailing segment.

The ship will be modelled on the legendary France II, which upon its completion in 1911 replaced the famous Preussen as the world's largest square rigger at the time. In order to meet contemporary stability criteria its beam will be somewhat larger at 18.5 m, yet its rigging and sails will be exact copies of those on the France II.
a very large square rigger Future world's largest square rigger (image)

Financings in the maritime industry, especially for ultra-modern cruise ships, are part of the core business of KfW IPEX-Bank.

As the shipping company's vessels do not emit any pollutants for large sections of their journeys while under sail, the financing contributes to the sustainability concept of the KfW Group.