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MSC Cruises teams up with Eataly

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 18 January 2013 18 January 2013

MSC Cruises, the Geneva based cruise shipping company, says it has recently signed an agreement with Eataly, the popular Turin-based chain founded in 2007 by Oscar Farinetti.

“A shared attitude towards quality, traceable food and beverages and a strong conviction that they should be available to everyone at sustainable prices, and not just to a limited circle of privileged people, is the foundation of the new partnership between MSC Cruises and Eataly, the first step of which involves opening the first two Eataly restaurants at sea on board brand new flagship MSC Preziosa,” MSC Cruises said.

MSC Preziosa will be named in Genoa on 23 March.

Carnival plc shares open firmer after share repurchase news

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 18 January 2013 18 January 2013

Shares in Carnival plc, the British constituent of the Carnival Corp & plc group, opened firmer in London on Friday morning after the group had said it would reinstate a $1 billion share repurchase programme and quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share.

Shares in Carnival plc traded 0.8% higher at £25.44 in early London trading on Friday. The FTSE100 index of leading shares had firmed 0.3% in the same time.

Carnival plc is a British company listed in London and New York, with legal domicile at 5 Gainsford Street in London. Carnival Corporation is a Panamanian company, whose headquarters are in Miami and which is listed in New York.

The two companies trade as a single entity and have identical boards.

QE2 reported sold for hotel conversion in Far East

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 18 January 2013 18 January 2013

Queen Elizabeth 2, the former Cunard flagship affectinally known as QE2, has been reported as sold by its Dubai based owners to buyers in the Far East, who intend to convert the ship to a 500 room five star hotel.

The BBC reports on its website that Nakheel, the Dubai based company that bought the ship from Cunard in 2008 for $100 million, has sold it to the new buyers for £50 million or about $80 million. Nakheel had planned to rebuilt the ship as a floating luxury hotel for use in Dubai, but the plan collapsed in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008-09.

The ship was built in Scotland in and delivered to Cunard in 1969. Originally steam turbine powered and measured at 65,863 gross tons, it became probably the most refitted and rebuilt passenger ship of recent history.

In 1986-87 it received a diesel-electric propulsion plant and in 2004, its interiors were totally redesigned giving it a very different identity than before the work that was called Project Lifestyle. Decommissioned in 2008, the ship measured at 70,327 gross tons in its final years in service.

Jackson named Vice President – Technical Operations at Carnival Cruise Lines

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 17 January 2013 17 January 2013

Mark Jackson - a 24-year veteran of the United States Coast Guard with extensive experience in nautical engineering, maritime repair and refurbishments, and ship operations - has been named vice president - technical operations at Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines, the world's largest cruise operator.

In this capacity, Jackson will oversee all technical marine functions across Carnival Cruise Lines' 24-ship fleet, including repair and maintenance, refurbishment projects, and related technical services. Jackson joins Carnival April 1, reporting to Martin Landtman, senior vice president - marine operations.

Jackson most recently served as commanding officer of the United States Coast Guard base in Miami Beach, Fla., with responsibilities that included naval and electronics engineering, procurement, finance, human resources, and port operations. He was also commanding officer of the Naval Engineering Support unit in Miami overseeing a team of 100-plus engineers and served as lead instructor for shipboard stability and firefighting at the U.S. Navy Warfare Officers School. Jackson also served on several U.S. Coast Guard vessels, earning the rank of chief engineer.

Jackson holds a bachelor's degree in marine engineering from the United States Coast Guard Academy and two master's degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- one in naval architecture and another in mechanical engineering.
"As Carnival continues to enhance its technical operations function, Mark is the ideal candidate to oversee this critically important aspect of our business, possessing wide-ranging knowledge and experience in all areas of ship operations and nautical engineering," Landtman said.

Birka Paradise to become Birka Stockholm

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 17 January 2013 17 January 2013

Rederi AB Eckero, owner of Birka Cruises that operates the 34,578 gross ton Birka Paradise mainly on 20 hour cruises between the Swedish capital and Mariehamn on the Aland Islands, has decided to rename the vessel Birka Stockholm.

The 2004 built vessel is currently in dry dock in Naantali in Finland and when it will re-enter service next Monday, it will have been renamed, a company official told the Alandstidningen daily.

The same company recently introduced a 36,000 gross ton ropax ferry on service between Helsinki in Finland and the Estonian capital Tallinn that it renamed Finlandia. Built in 2001, the vessel had started life in the fleet of Moby Lines in Italy. It replaced the 1980 built Nordlandia in Eckero service.