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American Cruise Lines announces new Puget Sound cruises

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 June 2012 15 June 2012

American Cruise Lines has announced the addition of a new itinerary for 2013 - Puget Sound and San Juan Islands. Offered aboard the 100-passenger American Spirit, roundtrip cruises from Seattle will showcase the most beautiful inland waterways on the West Coast. Puget Sound, which will include the San Juan Islands, will be the newest offering in American Cruise Lines' Pacific Northwest cruise collection, which includes Alaska's Inside Passage and the Columbia & Snake Rivers.

"It is with great pleasure and anticipation that we announce these new Puget Sound and San Juan Islands cruises," said Timothy Beebe, Vice President of American Cruise Lines. "We take pride in offering passengers the best small ship cruising experience on the most unique itineraries, a winning combination that has continued to bring our passengers back time and again."

American Cruise Lines' Puget Sound and San Juan Islands itinerary will introduce guests to the pristine areas of the Pacific Northwest and the San Juan Islands with unique and breathtaking cruises, unparalleled in scenic and cultural diversity. Guests will discover wildlife, historically rich ports, and enjoy intimate contact with the natural wonders and active people of these regions. Ports of call for the Seattle roundtrip will include:

* Seattle, WA
* Anacortes, WA
* Friday Harbor, WA
* Port Townsend, WA
* Poulsbo, WA
* Seattle, WA

Inaugural cruises are slated to begin on April 6, 2013. New and returning passengers can expect all the modern amenities aboard the American Spirit - elegant surroundings, oversized staterooms and bathrooms, private balconies and elevators, along with exceptional locale-inspired cuisine and highly personalized service.

"Following the terrific response to our Alaska and Columbia & Snake River itineraries, Puget Sound was a natural next step," added Timothy Beebe, Vice President of American Cruise Lines. "Our further expansion into the Pacific Northwest adds even more variety to the unique, yet close-to-home cruises we offer. We look forward to welcoming new and past guests aboard to discover this beautiful region of the West Coast."

Seventy-nine cruise ships to Europe for summer 2012

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 June 2012 15 June 2012

As the summer cruise season gets under way in Europe, 79 ships will be sailing back to European waters from their winter routes in the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa and Asia, bringing the total fleet in the region this summer to 206 cruise ships, operated by 64 lines, serving 528 destinations stretching from the Mediterranean to the Arctic.

Underlining the industry’s steady growth in Europe, the European summer fleet will include 20 new ships this year, including 13 ships re-entering service for new operators. In addition, three new cruise lines have started operations, and four new destinations have opened to cruise ships, data compiled for the Cruise Lines International Association and the European Cruise Council shows.

Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, ECC Chairman, said: “The number of new destinations, new lines and new ships entering service in Europe this year are all further evidence of how cruising is growing and will continue to grow in the region, drawing on Europe’s unique offering in terms of its rich culture, its varied geography and its long maritime traditions, and its expertise in hospitality and service.”

Christine Duffy, President and CEO of CLIA, said: “Seeing so many ships arriving in European ports for the start of the summer cruising season underlines how the European cruise sector is an integral and growing part of the global cruise industry that offers consumers high value holiday options and economic benefits to hundreds of communities.”

Click to enlarge.

Photo credit: Pauli Hankonen

Seventy-nine ships sail to Europe from other parts for world for summer 2012

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 June 2012 15 June 2012

European Summer Cruise Season Fact Sheet

Number of cruise lines operating in Europe, summer 2012.

Source: G. P. Wild (International) Limited for CLIA and ECC.

Number of ships operating in Europe, summer 2012, by size (gross tonnage).

Source: G. P. Wild (International) Limited for CLIA and ECC.

Number of ships switching to Europe from other regions, summer 2012.

Source: G. P. Wild (International) Limited for CLIA and ECC.

Number of destinations in Europe, summer 2012.

Note: New ports in 2012 are Brac and Makarska in Croatia, Lyme Regis in the UK, and Vlissingen in the Netherlands.

Some ports serving ships of fewer than 50 passengers have been omitted.

Source: G. P. Wild (International) Limited for CLIA and ECC.

Holland America and Marine Conservation Institute announce grant recipients

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 13 June 2012 13 June 2012

Holland America Line and Marine Conservation Institute announced the recipients of the 2012 Mia J. Tegner Memorial Research Grants in Marine Environmental History and Historical Marine Ecology, the Carnival Corp & plc group unit said in a statement.

Funded through a partnership between Marine Conservation Institute and Holland America Line, the program supports efforts of promising young scientists and graduate students to study the history of ocean ecology to predict future impacts from human interactions.

The information gathered through research studies is essential to help law-makers, regulators, and conservationists set appropriate targets for marine conservation efforts that take into account the sustained health and productivity of the world’s oceans.

The 2012 Mia J. Tegner Memorial Research Grant Recipients are:

· Canan Cakirar, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences

“Confronting the ‘myth of the bitter sea’: pre-historic exploitation of the eastern Mediterranean seascape.”

· Jock Currie, University of Cape Town

“Reconstructing baselines prior to industrial fishing in South Africa — supporting the implementation of offshore marine protected areas.”

· Luis A. Huckstadt, University of California Santa Cruz

“Is a century of human intervention enough to change the ecology of an Antarctic marine top predator: the Weddell seal?”

· Alexis M. Jackson, University of California Santa Cruz

“Molecular approaches to better monitor population sizes and the impact of Marine Protected Areas on commercial species lacking baseline fisheries data.”

“We are proud to be advancing the science of marine conservation biology and historical marine ecology by supporting these efforts to better understand the history of our oceans,” said Dr. Lance Morgan, president and CEO of Marine Conservation Institute. “We received ninety-one applications for research ranging from Antarctica to the Bering Sea. The four projects we selected to fund will help establish historical baselines for ocean and coastal environments to better manage and protect imperiled ocean resources for the future.”

“I am impressed with the passion and dedication of these researchers whose work covers a wide variety of disciplines,” said Richard Meadows, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs, Holland America Line. “I am proud that Holland America Line can help support these important programs again in 2012.”

The grant program is a tribute to Dr. Mia J. Tegner, a marine biologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who died in January 2001 while diving off the Southern California coast. Dr. Tegner studied the ecology of kelp forest communities and abalone populations, and was particularly interested in understanding how marine populations and ecosystems have changed as a result of human activities. The Mia J. Tegner Program was established in 2001 to support the efforts of promising young scientists and graduate students to document the composition and abundance of ocean life before large-scale human alterations.

Princess Cruises honored for environmental efforts by Ports of San Francisco and Victoria

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 08 June 2012 08 June 2012

Princess Cruises has been honored by the ports of San Francisco and Victoria, BC, Canada, with awards for the cruise line's environmental efforts.

The Port of San Francisco's Cruise Ship Environmental Award was presented to Sea Princess and Sapphire Princess. The ships earned this distinction during the 2011 season for air emissions reduction, advanced wastewater management, and recycling and disposal programs. Both vessels plugged into the port's new shoreside power system, the first to be implemented in California.

Introduced in 2005, this annual award recognizes cruise ships that exceed environmental regulations and industry standards to greater protect air and water quality. Cruise ships visiting San Francisco four or more times a year that demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding the environment are considered for this award. Princess Cruises ships based in San Francisco have earned this prestigious accolade in each of the last seven years.

The Victoria, B.C. Ogden Point Eco Award recognizes cruise lines who go above and beyond in their efforts to reduce emissions while in the port of Victoria, including using low-sulfur fuel. The award cited four Princess ships that called in Victoria during 2011 -- Golden Princess, Island Princess, Sapphire Princess and Sea Princess.

"We are always gratified when our ships are recognized for making a difference in local environmental efforts," said Rai Caluori, Princess' executive vice president of fleet operations. "It is important to us that stunning ports such as San Francisco and Victoria continue to offer passengers the natural beauty they come to experience."

Princess Cruises is committed to environmental practices which set a high standard for excellence and responsibility, and which help preserve the marine environment in which its ships operate. The company's environmental goals and policies go beyond what is required by law and include a zero solid waste discharge policy, state-of-the-art environmental technology and waste management equipment, programs to minimize waste generated, and recycling where possible. The company also pioneered the use of shore power programs in the cruise industry to reduce air emissions.