Sembawang Shipyard to revitalise Voyager of the Seas

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 13 March 2014 13 March 2014

Sembcorp Marine’s wholly-owned subsidiary Sembawang Shipyard has secured an agreement with RCL Cruises Ltd., a member of the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. group, to perform the extensive revitalisation of Royal Caribbean International’s 137,276-gross ton passenger-ship Voyager of the Seas. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that owns Royal Caribbean International, among other cruise brands. This milestone revitalisation contract will further boost Singapore’s status as a major Asian cruise hub and reinforce Sembawang Shipyard’s reputation as one of the world’s leading shipyards in the highly specialised segment of cruise ships repair, refurbishment and conversion.

Mr. P.K. Ong, Deputy President of Sembcorp Marine and Managing Director of Sembawang Shipyard said "We are very pleased to be chosen by Royal Caribbean for the revitalisation of Voyager of the Seas. We have over the recent few years, focused strongly on the development of our fast-growing niche markets, one of which is the cruise ship repairs/upgrades and conversion market. As such, we are delighted with this award from Royal Caribbean. Our dedicated Sembawang cruise ship project team has worked very well with Royal Caribbean’s team on several ships and look forward to another successful collaboration on Voyager of the Seas. We thank Royal Caribbean for the support and the confidence in our Shipyard.”

Mr. Kevin Douglas, Vice President, Technical Projects and Newbuild, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said “Sembawang Shipyard is a very technically competent and efficient shipyard, and, as such, is one of our preferred partners. We are very happy to work with them again as part of Royal Caribbean International’s ongoing fleetwide revitalization. The Shipyard will help introduce on Voyager of the Seas many of the innovative and most popular onboard amenities that debuted on the Oasis-class of ships, as well as brand new innovative concepts that will greatly elevate the experience for our guests.”

Sembawang Shipyard has successfully performed the revitalisation of Royal Caribbean International’s Rhapsody of the Seas in 2012 and the Legend of the Seas in 2013. The agreement to revitalise Voyager of the Seas, the largest cruise ship homeporting in Asia, reinforces Sembawang Shipyard’s position as one of the world’s leading shipyards and Asia’s number 1 shipyard for cruiseship repairs, refurbishment and conversion. Voyager of the Seas is scheduled to enter the shipyard in 4th Quarter 2014. She sails out from Sydney for the winter and spring seasons, and in North Asia for summer and autumn.

The above contract is not expected to have any material impact on the consolidated net tangible assets per share and earnings per share of Sembcorp Marine for the year ending December 31, 2014.

Diamond Princess to undergo extensive refurbishment in Singapore

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 13 March 2014 13 March 2014

To get ready for Princess Cruises' second season of Japan cruising, Diamond Princess is undergoing an extensive drydock to add enticing new features designed to appeal to Japanese cruisers. During the $30 million-dollar refurbishment, the ship will receive an extensive new Japanese bath area – making it the largest such bath experience at sea – as well as a new sushi restaurant, enhanced shopping areas, a revitalized Horizon Court, additional staterooms, new interior furnishings and finishes, fresh hull paint and exterior refurbishment, and contemporary and Asian-style touches.

The drydock, which began yesterday, will take place through April 2, 2014 at Sembawang shipyard in Singapore. Interested viewers can follow the drydock progress with regular photo updates offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse each day.

The most dramatic new feature, the 8,800-square-foot bath and garden complex will include indoor and outdoor bathing areas to provide a choice of bath styles. Highlighting the serenity and relaxation of a classic Japanese bath experience, the area will feature stone and other natural materials and a setting similar to the popular-onsen experience for which Japan is well-known.

"Because bathing is an important part of the Japanese culture, we want to offer passengers an authentic experience onboard, complete with unparalleled ocean views," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. "This is just one of several additions were making to the ship to give passengers an appealing Japanese experience."

Passengers will step into the new bath area through a peaceful entrance beckoning them toward an elegant, open-air Japanese unisex hydro-therapy pool, which is surrounded by refreshing ocean breezes. Outdoors, passengers will be able to relax in plush shaded lounge chairs or soak in a footbath while enjoying fresh salt air. Indoors, passengers can enjoy two separate, gender-segregated bath experiences with spectacular sea views. The ocean-view sauna and bath will feature an open air skylight to help bathers connect with nature, as well as a dry sauna with dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows, plus a refreshing gentle mist sauna. The Stone Bath will feature an Utaseyu, an invigorating cascade of hot water that is ideal for relieving tension in the back and shoulders.

In addition to the new bath area, Diamond Princess passengers will enjoy a new sushi restaurant. Because of the popularity of the Kai Sushi restaurant introduced on Sun Princess, a bigger version of this restaurant will be added to Diamond Princess, and will feature both table seating and a sushi bar serving fresh seafood. The 66-person capacity restaurant will serve miso shiro, nigiri sushi, maki sushi, sashimi, seafood cocktails and, for dessert, matcha ice cream with red bean paste. Sake lovers will be able to try a variety of regional sakes for a taste of many of the ports featured during the cruise.

The duty-free boutiques aboard Diamond Princess will be remodeled to offer a new luxury shopping experience to appeal to customers in Japan. Among the distinctive new spaces is a luxury watch boutique -- anchored by a special OMEGA shop. The Essence boutique will introduce the first fragrance bar at sea where passengers can sample and learn about new scents. The Meridian Bay boutique includes a full crystal Swarovski installation as well as Jacqueline Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn collections. A new Limelight luxury boutique will offer designer leather and accessories including fashionable international and American designer brands such as Burberry, Fendi, Salvatore Ferragamo, Coach and Ralph Lauren.

The ships buffet area, the Horizon Court, will be upgraded to feature contemporary food service areas and action stations for live a la carte cooking, plus a special pastry shop, refreshed décor and expanded seating.

Other changes include 14 new cabins, a sports court on the roof of Skywalkers Nightclub, a revitalized photo gallery and Platinum Portrait Studio, new art gallery displays, new décor in Sabatini's Italian specialty restaurant, remodeled casino and relocated Internet café and wedding chapel.

Once out of drydock, Diamond Princess will set sail on a season of Japan-based cruises on April 17. The ship will homeport in Tokyo (Yokohama) for an extended season of nine-day cruises that include visits to Taiwan, South Korea, Hokkaido, Russia and 15 Japanese ports, including five new itineraries created especially for the ship. During the popular holiday period of Golden Week, Diamond Princess will feature a special 10-day itinerary that includes opportunities to visit several festivals plus enjoy a special call to Nagasaki, home to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries where the ship was built, to celebrate Diamond Princess' 10-year anniversary.

The new features aboard Diamond Princess add to the ships current impressive array of dining and entertainment options plus signature innovations such as the popular Movies Under the Stars poolside theater and The Sanctuary, an exclusive top-deck retreat. The 2,670-passenger Diamond Princess offers a high number of staterooms with private balconies, multiple dining rooms and entertainment venues, Lotus Spa, boutiques, and an internet café, among other amenities.

TUI Cruises unveils Mein Schiff 1's Singapore based 2015-16 itineraries

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 13 March 2014 13 March 2014

For the first time in the short history TUI Cruises company a well-being ship will set sail for Asia in November 2015. Singapore will be the homeport for these cruises, the company said in a statement.

Starting from the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore, Mein Schiff 1 will set sail on three different cruises to Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. There the guests can look forward to idyllic islands, pulsating cities and breathtaking landscape. Among the highlights of the cruises is the Thai capital of Bangkok with its spectacular Grand Palace and the 46 metre long Buddha statue. Also beckoning the cruise passengers are Ho-Chi-Minh City, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore with their impressive sights.

"We are very excited about our new cruise routes. In Singapore we have found the ideal port of embarkation as well as disembarkation for our cruises," said Richard J. Vogel, CEO TUI Cruises. In favour of Singapore are amongst other things the short transfer times from the airport to the harbour and the central location of the Cruise Centre. Moreover, this enables the cruises to be perfectly combined with one another. "Many guests will surely take the opportunity of spending a few days in Singapore either before or after a cruise," added Vogel.

"We warmly welcome TUI Cruises  Mein Schiff 1 to the family of home-ported ships in Singapore," said Mr Lionel Yeo, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board. "TUI Cruises has a strong presence in German-speaking markets, and these new routes will allow more travellers to use Singapore as a hub to discover the amazing diversity and cultures of Southeast Asia. We look forward to a long-term partnership with TUI Cruises to introduce more cruise experiences in this part of the world."

The cruise routes of Mein Schiff 1 in Asia:

The "Asia with Malaysia" cruise from 2 to 9 December 2015 on Mein Schiff 1 from/to Singapore including Premium All Inclusive in an inside cabin with double occupancy costs from 798 euros per person, including flight from/to Germany from 1,948 euros per person.

The "Asia with Thailand" cruise from 6 to 13 January 2016 on Mein Schiff 1 from/to Singapore including Premium All Inclusive in an inside cabin with double occupancy costs from 898 euros per person, including flight from/to Germany from 2.048 euros per person.

The "Asia with Vietnam" cruise from 20 to 27 January 2016 on Mein Schiff 1 from/to Singapore including Premium All Inclusive in an inside cabin with double occupancy costs from 848 euros per person, including flight from/to Germany from 1,998 euros per person.

TUI Cruises says 2015 Norway cruise bookings rise 50% in first week

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 13 March 2014 13 March 2014

TUI Cruises, the Hamburg based premium market cruise line, says bookings for the 2015 summer season have started strongly.

The company has received 50% more bookings for its cruises to Norway for the 2015 season in the first week after the bookings had opened than a year ago for 2014 bookings, it said in a statement.