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Chinese cruise liner Henna detained in South Korea

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 September 2013 15 September 2013

Chinese cruise liner Henna was detained in South Korea on Friday over a legal dispute, the BBC reports on its website.

“A local court ordered the Henna not to leave after a request from a Chinese shipping company. It is not clear what the dispute centres on,” the report said. On Sunday, passengers began disembarking from the ship d at a port on the South Korean island of Jeju over a legal dispute.

“Around 2,300 people have been stuck on board the Henna since Friday with many scheduled to fly back to China on Sunday, according to the Chinese consulate in Jeju,” the BBC said, adding that the court issued the order after shipping service company Jiangsu Shagang International applied for a seizure over the alleged legal dispute.

HNA Tourism, which owns the vessel, said on Saturday that it was trying to work out a solution. "Its [Jiangsu Shagang's] act has in fact restricted personal freedom of those onboard and severely infringed upon the rights of innocent passengers,'' Henna's operator read in a statement.

The 47,300 gross ton ship was previously known as Pacific Sun of P&O Cruises Australia, which is part of the Carnival Corp & plc group. It was built as Jubilee of Carnival Cruise Lines in 1986.

Pride of America debuts new suites and studio staterooms

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 13 September 2013 13 September 2013

Norwegian Cruise Line unveiled 32 brand-new staterooms this week on the ship's Hawaii-based vessel, Pride of America. The final elements in a $30 million enhancement project that began in March, the addition of the new luxurious suites, studios for solo travelers and inside staterooms offers guests a new way to experience a spectacular inter-island cruise in Hawai`i.

"Pride of America offers a unique and extraordinary vacation to four of Hawai`i's most popular islands, and these new suites elevate the guest experience on this one-of-a-kind vessel to a whole new level," said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line's chief executive officer.

The 24 new suites on Deck 13 are outfitted with premium custom furnishings, fabrics, carpets and ultra-luxurious bathrooms. Two of the 24 suites are Owner's Suites. These 566 square foot suites, sleeping up to four guests, feature a large bedroom, separate living area and a state of the art bathroom featuring custom mosaic tiles.

The remaining suites are Penthouse Suites - including two Deluxe Penthouse Suites with Large Balcony - ranging from 363 to 459 square feet, [DSC06789] most sleeping up to six guests. The two Owner's Suites will have connecting doors to the adjacent Penthouse Suites, sleeping up to 10 guests when combined, the perfect option for families or groups who wish to travel in luxury together. One of the many highlights of the suites is their expansive balconies, ranging from 150 square feet for Penthouse Suites up to 1200 square feet for the Owner's Suites, giving Pride of America's suite guests the largest balconies in the fleet, perfect for taking in the jaw-dropping Hawai`i scenery.

In addition to all of the incredible features in the suites, guests will enjoy pampering service from dedicated butlers and concierge, plus an array of exclusive amenities such as luxurious Tranquility mattresses from the Bliss Collection by Norwegian, Lavazza Espresso Makers, Elemis bath products, private dining for breakfast and lunch, and more.

Guests wishing to travel solo in Hawai`i can now do so in one of four new Studio staterooms on board Pride of America. Designed and priced for the solo traveler, these staterooms feature a full-size bed, along with a separate bathroom area. Four new inside staterooms were also added to the area on Deck 13.

Pride of America entered a 14-day dry dock on March 23, 2013 in Honolulu, Hawai`i. The 2,186-passenger ship received major renovations including the addition of Moderno Churrascaria, the line's signature Brazilian-style steakhouse, and Cagney's, the line's traditional steakhouse; ship wide wireless internet connectivity; new carpeting throughout; flat screen televisions in all staterooms; updated décor; upgrades to the fitness center; new directional signage; renovations to the gift shop, photo gallery and art gallery; and much more.

Pride of America is the only US-flagged large cruise ship sailing a seven-day Hawaii itinerary departing from Honolulu every Saturday. Ports of call include an overnight in Kahului, Maui; Hilo, Hawai`i; Kona, Hawai`i; an overnight in Nãwiliwili, Kaua`i; and an afternoon cruise past the breathtaking Nãpali Coast.

MSC Cruises partners with Artslab onstage to celebrate Italian culture

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 13 September 2013 13 September 2013

As part of the year of Italian culture in the United States, ArtsLab Onstage will be hosting two unique performances from October 16th-19th at the New York City Center in Manhattan.

Spectators will be treated to the theatrical concert Belcanto, The Luciano Pavarotti Heritage, performed by singers selected by the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation, and T'Ammore, The Spirit of Naples, a contemporary dance and music production featuring singers, musicians and dancers choreographed by Vittorio Biagi, former star of Maurice Béjart, with stage direction by Claude Tissier, Vice President of creation of Cirque du Soleil.

Never one to miss an opportunity to share the best of Italian culture, MSC Cruises is collaborating with Artslab Onstage to give its lucky travelers a sneak preview of these two shows.

From September 13 to 22nd, artists from both performances will set sail on board MSC Divina, MSC Splendida and MSC Preziosa. Performing in each ship’s glittering main reception, in the panoramic lounge after dinner and in the MSC Yacht Club during pre-dinner drinks, performers will wow MSC’s international guests with thrilling traditional and contemporary Italian entertainment.

This year’s celebration of the United States and Italy’s connection is perfect timing, as MSC Cruises’ very own Italian Diva, MSC Divina, will be setting sail for her first season in the US in November.

This will be the first time that MSC Cruises sends one of its largest and most luxurious, Fantasia class vessels to homeport from North America, and the first time that a ship will stay year-round.

STX Finland seeks to secure future of company, not individual yards

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 12 September 2013 12 September 2013

STX Finland, the deeply loss making unit in the STX Europe group in Oslo that again is part of STX Offshore & Shipbuilding, headquartered in Seoul in South Korea, aims to secure the future of the company, not its individual yards.

“The Finnish shipbuilding industry faces inevitable changes. STX Finland searches for solutions to secure the future of the entirecompany, not individual shipyards, deputy md Jari Anttila said in a statement,

The company has a yard in Turku and another one in Rauma. It has two cruise liners on order from TUI Cruises in Germany and an initial contract with Scadlines, the Danish-German ferry company that is controlled by the UK based private equity fund 3i, to build two ferries.

Media reports in Finland say that he Rauma yard that employs about 750 staff could be closed. The company has not commented on the rumours.

P&O Cruises changes Ventura’s 2014 turnaround to Genoa from Savona

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 12 September 2013 12 September 2013

P&O Cruises, the UK focused contemporary market unit in the Carnival Corp & plc group, has changed the turnaround port from Savona to Genoa for all calls of the Ventura 2014 Fly-Med programme. The change to Genoa will improve and enhance the overall passenger experience and will apply to all sailings for Ventura Fly-Med season from N407A departing 26 March through to N421B departing 15 October, the company said in a statement.

P&O Cruises managing director Carol Marlow said: “Having Ventura based in the port of Genoa will allow us to provide a more efficient service during embarkation and disembarkation, reducing the transfer time considerably for those flying in or out of Genoa airport. The port itself is also the gateway to this ancient Italian city, with waterfront restaurants, shopping and numerous historic places of interest all in close proximity, providing a much richer port experience for our passengers.”

The Carnival group owns its own cruise terminal in Savona.