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Costa denies child labour accusations

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 05 February 2012 05 February 2012

Costa Cruises denies the news published by some Italian websites regarding the possible presence on board Costa Concordia of unregistered underage workers.

The accusations raised against the company that it exploits unregistered or underage labour are vile and baseless. Costa is SA8000 certified and was the first shipping company in the world to submit voluntarily to social responsibility certification. Costa Cruises has maintained this certification since 2004, ensuring the maximum possible protection with regard to:
– child labour, not only for the Company, but also its suppliers, who have to certify they do not use child labour;
– gender parity;
– religious parity;
– ethnic parity; and
– pay parity according to the type of work performed.

Costa Crociere is closely monitored by US certification entity Social Accountability Accreditation Services (SAAS), which developed and oversees SA8000 certification, and is audited twice a year by RINA.

All crew members who work on board Costa Cruises ships have a regular contract of employment. The pay conditions of all personnel on board Costa Cruises ships are regulated by first and second level employment contracts signed with Flag State trade unions affiliated to the ITF (International Transport Federation workers).
Costa Cruises guarantees payment of salaries based on current legislation, verifying that they are sufficient to ensure a dignified standard of living for the whole family.

With regard to working conditions on board, the Company clarifies that the crew members on board Costa ships are accommodated in single cabins with private bathroom, twin cabins with private bathroom, and twin cabins with bathroom shared with another twin cabin. All cabins have comfortable beds and furniture, television and DVD player.

As regards the accusation that there were unregistered guests on board Costa Concordia, Costa Cruises reiterates that every single person on board is registered, both crew and passengers. It is impossible for someone to gain access to the ship without authorisation by the security officer and registration. Strict controls are in place. The embarkation process, depending on the port, involves controls by the various port entities to gain access to cruise terminals and entranceways. On board security personnel control access points to check that those wishing to board the ship have the necessary documents.

The list of people on board Costa Concordia, which has always been in the company’s possession, has also been made available to the authorities in charge of rescue operations, including the total count of people.

Costa Crociere reserves the right to assess the appropriate action to take to defend itself.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines return to Liverpool with 10 cruises in 2013

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 03 February 2012 03 February 2012

Cruise guests in Liverpool will be welcoming Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines back to the city in spring/summer 2013. The cruise line’s Boudicca is making a return to this popular departure port with 10 cruises, on a variety of exciting worldwide itineraries, between April and August 2013, the company said in a statement.

“After a year’s absence, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is excited to be returning to Liverpool for the summer 2013 cruise season. Our loyal guests have asked us to do so and I am sure that they will be delighted that, once again, they will be able to enjoy a Fred. Olsen cruise without having a long journey to a south coast port to start their holiday.," said Matt Grimes, Director of Planning for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.

Boudicca will be offering a wide range of cruise itineraries from Liverpool in 2013, of varying durations – from a 12-night Canary Islands cruise in April 2013 to a four-night mini-cruise in August 2013.

Fred. Olsen will also be adding Harwich and Belfast to its list of regional departure ports in 2013. Together with the return to Liverpool in 2013, this means that Fred. Olsen is able to operate a vessel within only a two hours’ drive from 80% of the UK population, further enhancing its reputation as the UK’s local cruise line with a choice of global itineraries. The company also operates cruises from Southampton, Portsmouth, Dover, Newcastle and Rosyth.

Complimentary Alaska shore tours from American Cruise Lines

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 03 February 2012 03 February 2012

American Cruise Lines, the leader in small ship cruising, announced on February 2 a magnificent lineup of complimentary shore tours for its Alaskan itineraries beginning this summer. Each tour will take passengers to the finest local sites at each port and provide insight into the area's culture, heritage and history. The seven-night Alaska Inside Passage cruise departs from and returns to Juneau. During the cruise, American Cruise Lines will travel into Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm Fjord, and will visit Sitka, Hoonah and Petersburg. At each port of call, two or three tours will be offered, so that every interest is accommodated. The complimentary shore tour package is only available with American Cruise Lines. Examples of the complimentary shore excursions include:

– Glacier Bay National Park: American Cruise Lines brings passengers deep into the heart of this pristine environment on an exclusive tour for an experience unlike any other. Passengers will come face-to-face with impressive glaciers, view snow-capped mountains towering above, and see wildlife all around the ship. A National Park Service Ranger and a Native Cultural Interpreter will join passengers aboard to provide narration and unique insight throughout the exploration, as well as help identify the area's abundant wildlife.

– Stikine River Jet Boat Tour (Petersburg): A jet boat tour on the fastest navigable, free-flowing river in North America takes passengers through this area's extraordinary habitat where a variety of wildlife can be spotted, including moose, deer, bald eagles, and brown and black bears.

– Tribal Dance and Cultural Legends Excursion (Hoonah): Passengers will gather at the Heritage Center Native Theater for the Tribal Dance and Cultural Legends performance, showcasing the rich heritage of a people shaped by the wild lands and inland seas of southeast Alaska.

– Mendenhall Glacier and Juneau Tour (Juneau): A guided tour through historic downtown Juneau, plus a visit to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor's Center where passengers can discover the mystery behind the impressive half mile-wide glacier and view it from an unobstructed vantage point.

Seven-night roundtrip cruises from Juneau and 11-night one-way cruises between Juneau and Seattle are being offered aboard the 100-passenger American Spirit. The newest vessel to operate in Alaska, the American Spirit offers a full range of onboard amenities, including an elevator to all decks, numerous glass-enclosed lounges and oversized staterooms, the majority of which have private balconies. The ship is specially designed to navigate calm, narrow inland waterways like those of the Alaska Inside Passage, with an intimate and refined onboard atmosphere perfect for guests who seek enriching travels and share their passion for exploration, adventure and discovery.

Removal of the Costa Concordia

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 02 February 2012 02 February 2012

Costa Crociere has worked from the hours immediately after the Costa Concordia accident to ensure the least possible environmental impact and to safeguard the island of Giglio’s business activities and tourism. Right from the outset, the measures drawn up by the Company have constantly been shared with and approved by the competent Italian authorities, in a spirit of full, transparent and total cooperation.

After engaging leading international salvage experts Smit Salvage BV to remove the fuel contained in the Costa Concordia’s tanks, and presenting a plan to remove other materials and potential pollutants, which is ready to get under way as soon as weather conditions permit, Costa Cruises is also working with the utmost commitment and speed on the plan to remove the ship itself, fully aware that this is a priority to protect the environment on Giglio and the island’s tourism.

The Company has set up a technical committee, with representatives from Costa Cruises, Carnival Corporation & plc, Fincantieri, Rina and sector experts, including academics, who will work fo the best possible drawing up of the plan, on a joint basis with the competent authorities.

As anticipated in a letter sent to Costa Concordia Emergency Commissioner Franco Gabrielli, Costa Cruises has called for tenders 10 companies throughout the world to present a working plan to enterely remove the hull of the Costa Concordia.

The invitation has been sent to the world’s leading operators, who have the capabilities to perform the work in the shortest time possible, while ensuring maximum safety and the least possible environmental impact: 1) Smit Salvage BV, 2) Svitzer Salvage BV, 3) Mammoet Salvage BV, 4) Titan Salvage, 5) Resolve Marine Group Inc., 6) T&T Marine Salvage Inc., 7) Donjon Marine Inc., 8) Tito Neri S.r.l., 9) Fukada Salvage & Marine Works Co. Ltd., 10) The Nippon Salvage Co Ltd.
The plans must be presented to Costa Cruises by the beginning of March 2012, for joint assessment with the Civil Protection Scientific Committee, in order to allow the best one to be selected by the end of March 2012.

This timeline represents the best possible outcome in a situation of this kind, although it cannot be excluded that there will be delays given the complexity of the operation.

Celebrity Cruises promotes Modern Luxury with free flights in UK

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 01 February 2012 01 February 2012

Free flights and simply superb pricing is the name of the game this February as Celebrity Cruises launches a new campaign to raise awareness of the great value for money on offer for those booking during the peak ‘wave’ period, the company said in a statement.

As well as trade incentives linked to the romantic month of year, the campaign will be supported with national and trade advertising reflecting the brand’s new ‘Modern Luxury’ platform. The ‘simply superb pricing’ available for cruises departing Southampton onboard Celebrity Eclipse delivers eight night European cruises starting from £999 per person.

Special offers for European cruises include free flights for several destinations, and further reduced fares on many others. A 12-night Scandinavia and Russia fly/cruise onboard Celebrity Constellation with the cruise departing Amsterdam includes free flights from London Heathrow, Birmingham , Manchester and Glasgow and prices for the package start from £1,199 per person. Flight prices as low as £99 are also available for selected cruises departing Barcelona and Rome .

Agents who book any cruise that is part of the February campaign can enter an instant-win promotion to get their hands on romantically-themed prizes such as chocolates and champagne. There is no limit to the number of prizes that can be won – more bookings simply means more prizes including a daily prize of a spa day for two. What’s more, every agent who makes a booking during the month will also have the chance to win a cruise.

A handful of lucky travel agents will also win a special guest appearance from an acapella band who performs onboard Celebrity Cruises’ ships. The band will visit agencies in the week commencing 20 February 2012 as an extra treat, all designed to bring to life the Celebrity Cruises experience.

Celebrity Cruises’ head of sales, Michael English, explains: “Agents who continue to get behind Celebrity Cruises this peak wave period have some great perks on offer. From prizes to win, to exclusive access to events such as an acapella band performing in their store, Celebrity Cruises is showcasing its commitment to agents yet again. We simply want agents to feel engaged in selling our award-winning Celebrity Cruises and enjoy perks and rewards as a result.”

Further itineraries that make up the Celebrity Cruises’ February wave period campaign include:

· Free flights from London Gatwick to Barcelona for a 12-night Mediterranean Venice cruise onboard Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Solstice in May 2012. Prices from £1,089 per person including destinations such as Livorno, Venice and Dubrovnik

· 14-night Mediterranean cruise onboard Celebrity Eclipse from £1,099 per person departing Southampton and calling at destinations such as Malaga, Florence, Genoa and Lisbon. Departures in May 2012

· 12-night immersive wine cruise onboard Celebrity Constellation from Southampton in November 2012 featuring ports of call focused on the vineyards of France , Spain and Portugal from £849 per person

· 14-night new Iceland and Fjords itinerary onboard Celebrity Eclipse from Southampton in August 2012 featuring destinations such as Reykjavik and Akureyri in Iceland and Flam and Bergen in Norway with prices starting from £1,349 per person

Modern Luxury is a new marketing platform to showcase Celebrity Cruises’ contemporary attributes and differentiate it from traditional cruising. The concept sums up the experiences that Celebrity Cruises’ target market already aligns themselves to, and looks for in their holiday. Its key principles are built around matching and exceeding the aspirations of guests including via an innovative and young fleet, distinctive and exquisitely presented cuisine, personalised service and the range of activities and experiences available on board. Many of the fleet’s quirky features are in response to modern life, such as providing iPad menus in Qsine. Celebrity Cruises has launched a new training module dedicated to the ‘Modern Luxury’ platform, providing agents with the tools to understand and sell the concept to clients.