FTI Group takes over marketing and operations of Deilmann’s Deutschland

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 01 July 2014 01 July 2014

FTI Group, the German travel to car rental group, says it has signed an agreement with Peter Deilmann Reederei to assume marketing and operations of the 22,496 gross ton cruise ship.

FTI Group itself owns and operates the 9,870 gross ton Berlin that was originally built for Deilmann in 1980 but has changed hands several times over the years.

The move means that 11,400 travel agents in Germany, Switzerland and Austria will now be able to book cruises on the 1996 built Deutschland online, while Deilmann continues to accept bookings from individual passengers as before.

Ralph Schiller, ceo of FTI Group said the agreement will broaden the company’s cruise offerings to include a five star product. Deutschland is well known in the German speaking Europe as the stage set for Das Traumschiff,  based on the format of the US soap opera The Love Boat that was launched in the early 1980s and which ran for a long time.

The agreement is one of several involving smaller cruise shipping companies that seek cooperation to improve theirposition on the oligopolistic cruise market. Cruise & Maritime Voyages of the UK acquired Transocean Cruises in Germany a while ago and Saga Cruises, the UK based two ship oprator, started to sell cruises of Fred. Olsen Cruises Lines and MSC CRuises to widen its portfolio. 

Italian government approves transportation of Concordia wreck to Genoa for dismantling and recycling

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 30 June 2014 30 June 2014

The Italian Cabinet today authorized Titan Micoperi to tow the Concordia wreck to Genoa, Italy, for dismantling and recycling. The decision marks the beginning of the final phase of the removal of the wreck from the coast of Giglio, Italy.

"The cabinet's approval of the project for transportation of the Concordia to Genoa for dismantling and recycling means that achievement of the goal we set ourselves 2½ years ago -- namely, the safe and definitive removal of the wreck from Giglio Island -- is now well within sight," said Costa Crociere CEO Michael Thamm. "We are now just two weeks away from refloating the ship. We will supervise the final phase of the Concordia project with the same commitment and attention that we have put into this challenge since the very beginning, using the best expertise and technologies, in compliance with the highest environmental safety standards, and in full cooperation with the authorities."

With the green light for towing the Concordia wreck to Genoa, more than 350 Titan Micoperi technicians are working 24/7 at Giglio Island to rapidly complete the preparations for refloating. Only two more sponsons are still to be installed to reach the total of 30 needed to refloat the wreck. Refloating is scheduled to start by mid-July upon authorization of the Monitoring Observatory, and towing of the wreck from Giglio Island is planned by the end of the month.

"The Concordia's last voyage will be provided by Titan Micoperi, the consortium commissioned to carry out the salvage operation on Giglio Island," Thamm explained. "Once the ship is in Genoa, we will be able to count on the cutting-edge technical and management skills of the Saipem consortium to deal with the environmental aspects of the Concordia dismantling operations. The work will be done at San Giorgio del Porto, the first shipyard in Italy to be included in the Special Register of Environmental Ship Reclamation & Recycling Facilities, which has many decades of experience in ship repairs and refitting. The technical and financial solidity of Saipem/SGdP represents an important guarantee for the project."

The last phases of the Concordia wreck removal project -- refloating, transportation and dismantling/recycling -- will be explained in detail by Costa Crociere and its partners in the coming days. Information about the progress of operations and details of upcoming media briefings will be posted on the project website: www.theparbucklingproject.com

Transportation from Giglio Island to Genoa

Once it is refloated, the wreck will be towed to the Port of Genoa Voltri under the direction of the Titan Micoperi team, which is in charge of the Concordia salvage operation. It will travel a distance of about 190 nautical miles (219 statute miles) at an average speed of 2 knots (2.3 mph), taking an estimated four days.

The window for the transportation falls statistically in the period characterized by the best sea and weather conditions for the region. Studies and analyses have confirmed the safety of the planned method of transportation. As has always been the case in all phases of the Concordia removal project, environmental protection is the top priority.

The ship will be towed at low speed and escorted by other vessels carrying specialized equipment and personnel, including a team of marine biology experts who will be ready to intervene should any problem arise.

Background on the dismantling/recycling project

Dismantling and recycling will be provided by a consortium formed by Saipem, part of state-owned ENI Group, a leading company in engineering and environmental projects, and San Giorgio del Porto, a shipyard active since 1928 in ship repairs and refitting, and the first shipyard in Italy to be included in the Special Register of Environmental Ship Reclamation & Recycling Facilities.

The Saipem/San Giorgio del Porto plan for dismantling and recycling of the Concordia wreck will be carried out in four phases that are expected to last a total of 22 months.

• Phase I: The Port of Genova Voltri will be readied to receive the vessel and perform initial ship breaking activities including stripping of the interior furnishings and fittings on the decks above water.

• Phase II: The wreck will be transferred from the Voltri Breakwater to the Molo Ex Superbacino dock, where the structures of decks 14 to 2 will be dismantled.

• Phase III: Will consist of preparatory activities for transfer of the wreck to Dry Dock no. 4. At this stage the sponsons will be removed and the food storerooms and cold storage rooms on Deck 0 will be cleaned.

• Phase IV: Operations will be carried out in the segregated area of Dry Dock no. 4 with complete disassembly of the wreck, involving removal of the other interior fittings, cleanup of various areas and final demolition of all remaining structures. This phase will conclude with appropriate handling, disposal and recycling of the discarded materials.

The Concordia Wreck Removal Project

The Concordia wreck removal is an extremely complex technical engineering feat -- considered the biggest salvage ever attempted on a ship of its size -- with the deployment of the finest international expertise, state-of-the-art technology and unprecedented financial resources.

The priorities of the project were clear from the outset: respect for the environment, workplace safety and protection of the Giglio Island’s socio-economic fabric.

The Concordia wreck was rotated to a vertical position with a successful parbuckling operation Sept. 17, 2013.

Two Star Clippers' ships re-enter service after refit

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 30 June 2014 30 June 2014

As part of an ongoing programme to keep Star Clippers’ classic tall ships looking fresh and bright, Star Flyer and Star Clipper have undergone extensive refurbishment in time for this summer’s peak season, the company said in a statement.

All bed linen has been replaced and new bed covers introduced in sumptuous shades of gold and blue. New LED reading lights have been fitted, as well as flat screen TVs, in all cabins. Category One cabins have new side lamps, too.

During her transatlantic crossing at the start of this season, Star Clipper had a complete facelift, with all cabins and public areas painted and varnished and new upholstery in the dining room. This is part of a rolling programme of refurbishment; Royal Clipper received the same treatment and more in 2013, with new carpeting throughout and all bathrooms rejuvenated, while the public areas on Star Flyer were refurbished in 2012. The décor of all three ships has a nautical theme, with polished wood and brass throughout and wall-mounted prints and originals throughout each ship of the world’s most famous classic sailing vessels.

“It’s important to maintain the look of our ships so that when guests step aboard they feel like they are coming on to their own well-maintained yacht,” says Andy Lovering, director of sales and marketing. “We want to exceed our guests’ expectations for their entire Star Clippers experience and that includes the appearance of the ships.”

CMV to introduce Azores as replacement of Discovery in 2015

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 28 June 2014 28 June 2014

Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV), the UK based cruise operator, says it will introduce the 550 passenger classic cruise ship Azores to their fleet in 2015.

“Azores will replace Discovery as CMV’s second ex-UK cruise vessel operating alongside Marco Polo and will also be dedicated to the British and English speaking markets and positioned as an adult only product (16 years plus). Azores will operate year round sailings commencing operations from Bristol Avonmouth on 26th January 2015 with a 30 night CMV maiden voyage to the West Indies,” the company said in a statement.

Discovery that was built in 1971 will be sold by its owner, All Leisure Group, which has operated the ship jointly with CMV in the recent past. Azores became available for CMV following the collapse of German operator Ambiente Kreuzfahrten that had chartered it, earlier this year.

Azores was built in 1948 as Stockholm of the now defunct Swedish America Line. Sold to the then East Germany in 1959, it traded as Volkerfreundschaft until the early 1980s.  The ship was completely rebuilt in Italy in 1994, when it entered service as Italia Prima.

“Azores will also be sailing from Hull and London Tilbury with programme highlights including; the Solar Eclipse & Northern Lights, Seville Fiesta, Summertime Gardens & Medieval Cities and a Scottish themed Edinburgh Festival cruise, plus all the perennial favourites, CMV said.

The Azores has been chartered from Lisbon based, Portuscale Cruises on a long term basis. All crewing and ship management services will be handled directly by CMV in line with the services provided by Marco Polo and Astor.

Azores is a classic ship with a traditional wrap around wooden promenade deck and a wide range of well appointed and inviting lounges and homely retreats. These include an impressive main show lounge, an auditorium, nightclub, casino, a selection of bars and lounges, two dining venues and a stunning marbled reception. 85% of her 277 cabins have an ocean view and almost 20% are of a de-luxe standard including nine balcony suites. All cabins also have a bath tub and mini bar facility.

 Chris Coates, Commercial Director of CMV commented, “Azores is an excellent, upgraded addition to our cruise fleet and has been affectionately and very well maintained by her Owners. We are confident that Azores will prove to be a ‘real winner’ with our dedicated growing number of loyal customers and will also attract new clients seeking smaller ship alternatives and regional ex-UK no fly cruise options”.

Rui Alegre, Chief Executive Officer of Lisbon based Portuscale Cruises added, “I’m a strong believer in developing close and long term business partnerships. I’m very pleased to have concluded a charter with CMV and look forward to working closely with their team in successfully establishing Azores on to the British market. Azores is a beautiful ship and has been operating very well in achieving high levels of customer satisfaction. I am proud that she will be carrying CMV passengers next year and for many years to come.”

Full details of CMV’s new ship Azores’ programme alongside Marco Polo and Astor will be unveiled on Tuesday 1 July 2014 when a 2015 first edition preview brochure will be released featuring a cruise collection of over 50 sailings through until October 2015.