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All Leisure sells Discovery to Bahamian buyer for $5 million

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 16 October 2014 16 October 2014

All Leisure group, the UK based niche cruise and tour operator, says it has sold the 1971 built Discovery of 20,636 gross tons to Liberty Resources Inc. of Nassau in the Bahamas for $5 million.

On 13 February 2014, the company said that it had written down the value of Discovery to approximately £9.9m including spares and planned to dispose of it at the end of the summer. “Although the consideration received is less than the current book value of the vessel, the Board's decision to sell mv Discovery to Liberty also took into account the absence of the future liabilities and other uncertainties associated with many other bids,” it said in a statement.

“The losses attributable to mv Discovery for the year ended 31 October 2013 were in excess of £3 million. Several higher indicative offers were made but had weaker cash flow profiles given the prospect of staged payments over several years. Furthermore, during these extended payment periods, the Group would have remained responsible for warranting the vessel and the forthcoming winter lay-up costs of the vessel, together with the costs of meeting the requirements of the dry docking regime,” All Leisure said.

Discovery was built in Germany in 1971 as Island Venture for Flagship Cruises and three years later it and its sister ship Sea Venture were bought by Princess Cruises that renamed them Island Princess and Pacific Princess, respectively. The last-named vessel became well known in the 1980s as stage for Love Boat, the US television series.

Discovery was last operated by Cruise & Maritime Voyages, the UK based destinational operator, for about eight months each year. Its place will be taken by the 16,844 gross ton Azores of Portuscale Cruises from January 2015.

Unlikely temporary MARPOL exemption forced Brittany Ferries to change direction

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 October 2014 15 October 2014

Brittany Ferries, the French ferry company, said it has been forced to suspend its plans to upgrade much of its fleet to operate on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). "At the beginning of 2014, the company committed itself to an ecological transition plan in response to new regulations relating to sulphur emissions which will come into effect on 1st January 2015," it said in a statement.

The plan included the installation of scrubbers (gas filters) on three ships, and the conversion of three newer ships to allow them to operate on LNG. It also included the construction of an LNG cruise ferry. However, the preconditions enabling the plan to be financially viable have not been met. "Brittany Ferries has worked tirelessly over recent years to convince governments of the desperate need for a temporary exemption from the new rules, contained within the revised MARPOL Annex VI." the company stated

"However, with the January deadline fast approaching, it appears unlikely that such an exemption will be granted. This is despite Brittany Ferries’ ambitious plan going above and beyond what is required by the new rules, thanks to its reliance on LNG, which exceeds requirements concerning emissions of sulphur, CO2, nitrous oxide and particulate emissions," the company said.

The company is simply unable to bear the costs of the double penalty that would be incurred by this programme. Jean Marc Roué, Brittany Ferries’ chairman commented in the statement: “It is impossible for us to commit to an ecological transition plan which requires such a high level of investment, when, due to the absence of a temporary exemption, we will also incur hefty additional annual costs amounting to tens of millions of euros, due to us being obliged to use diesel instead of heavy fuel oil until our ships have been converted.”

“We have worked tirelessly for a temporary exemption but these efforts have sadly been in vain. Without it, the economic viability of our LNG programme is in jeopardy. It is my duty to protect the company and its staff at a time when the European ferry industry is confronting numerous challenges.”

“All of our partners who have worked with us on this project have demonstrated the technical feasibility and the environmental benefits of this pioneering, futuristic technology. However I have taken the decision to suspend the LNG component of our ecological transition plan. It’s a decision I take with much regret and disappointment," he said.

Despite these difficulties, the company is still undertaking a wide-ranging, albeit less ambitious transition plan, which will meet or exceed what the requirements of the new rules. The scheme includes the installation of scrubbers on the three ships which it had planned to convert to operate on LNG, and represents an investment of €70 million to €80 million.

Mein Schiff 4 maiden voyage sold out in half hour

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 October 2014 15 October 2014

The maiden voyage of Mein Schiff 4, the second of four 99,300 gross ton cruise liners TUI Cruises in Hamburg is building at Meyer Turku Shipyard in Finland, has sold in half an hour, the cruise line said in a statement. The ship's maiden voyage will be a 12 night Baltic cruise that will depart from Kiel on 6 July next year.

Viking Ocean Cruises appoints master of first vessel

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 October 2014 15 October 2014

Viking Ocean Cruises, the new deep sea cruise operator that is a sister company of Viking River Cruises, has announced that Captain Gulleik Svalastog will be at the helm of its first ocean ship – the 930 passenger Viking Star, which will take on its first guests in April 2015.

"Leveraging his experience as a cruise captain in Norway, Captain Svalastog will command and oversee the operation, crew and safety of the ship in its maiden season in Scandinavia and the Baltic; and the Western and Eastern Mediterranean," the company said in a statement.

Oasis of the Seas features 20 restaurants and faster broadband after dry docking

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 14 October 2014 14 October 2014

Royal Caribbean International's 226,000 gross ton Oasis of the Seas has come out of a two-week dry dock with a set of new features that include new restaurants, faster internet, new shops, a new Broadway show and additional suites and cabins., Cruise Critic reports on its website.

The world's largest cruise ship, which was built in Finland in 2009, spent a fortnight in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, being remodelled to prepare for the launch of Royal Caribbean's 'Dynamic Dining' concept.

"Instead of the main Opus dining room, Oasis of the Seas will offer passengers 20 restaurants to choose from, including the American Icon Grill, Silk, and The Grande which replace Opus across three decks of the ship. Dynamic Dining is slated to launch onboard Oasis on March 14, 2015, and cruises prior to that date will keep the traditional main dining room experience in the newly redesigned spaces," Cruise Critic said.

Other new eateries onboard include: Izumi Hibachi & Sushi with a full teppanyaki menu, Sabor Taqueria & Tequila Bar, first introduced on Navigator of the Seas, Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine, offering avant garde dining, and Coastal Kitchen, a restaurant serving suite guests.

The ship's internet offerings have also been upgraded with Royal Caribbean's 'Boatloads of Bandwidth' program, which sees the line partnering with O3b to offer land-like internet speeds. Additional tech offerings include the Royal iQ app that allows passengers to make reservations for restaurants, shore excursions and spa appointments.

A total of 10 new suites have been added to the ship overlooking the AquaTheater and Boardwalk 'neighbourhood,' and, in addition to the suite-only Coastal Kitchen eatery mentioned above, the line has put in a new exclusive lounge, The Suite Lounge, and sun deck area, The Sun Deck, just for suite passengers.