Riverside Luxury Cruises christens Riverside Ravel

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 18 August 2023 18 August 2023

Riverside Luxury Cruises announced that on August 16th in the medieval town of Viviers, France, Anouchka Gerlach christened the Riverside Ravel in a festive ceremony ahead of its inaugural sailing on the Rhône River.

This is the second ship to launch for Riverside Luxury Cruises, a Hamburg-based company founded by siblings Anouchka and Gregor Gerlach in late 2022. The Riverside Ravel will tour the Rhône River between Lyon and Arles and similar to Riverside Mozart, who is sailing the Danube this season, will continue to set a new standard in luxury river cruising. Riverside Ravel will provide guests with exemplary food and beverage, service, excursions, and wellness offerings, in addition to its elegant all-suite accommodations and a butler service for all guests.

"We are delighted that with the launch of Riverside Ravel we can now offer our guests the French way of life. The cuisine is of course tailored to the region, and ashore our crew has prepared a variety of special experiences," said Anouchka Gerlach, co-founder of Riverside Luxury Cruises.

Now available for bookings, Riverside Luxury Cruises is offering attractive inaugural pricing, competitive commissions (21% on all 2023 sailings) and special introductory FAM rates for travel advisors.

Celebrity Cruises to homeport Celebrity Equinox in Port Canaveral beginning in November 2024

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 15 August 2023 15 August 2023

Celebrity Cruises has chosen Port Canaveral to homeport its Celebrity Equinox to expand the brand’s sailings to the Caribbean starting December 3, 2024, through April 19, 2025. Celebrity Cruises is the seventh major cruise line to choose Port Canaveral as its homeport, underscoring the Port’s status as the world’s busiest cruise Port.

"We are thrilled to welcome Celebrity Cruises as our new partner and honored to be part of their Caribbean expansion plans,” said Capt. John Murray, Port Canaveral CEO. “The demand for Celebrity Cruise sailings from our Port has been growing. Now, with Celebrity Equinox homeported here, there are great opportunities for even more cruise travelers to experience the cruise line’s high-quality experience, while experiencing the comfort and ease of travel provided by our Port.”

The Celebrity Equinox will offer 20 new itineraries sailing from Port Canaveral spanning 7-nights to sought-after destinations like The Bahamas, Belize, Grand Cayman, Mexico, San Juan, and St. Maarten. Just in time for the Spring Break season, two sailings on March 1st and March 15th, 2025, will include stops at their private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay.

“We are so excited to unveil this new program. It provides our guests with more options to experience the natural beauty of the Caribbean, which is elevated by our personalized experiences on board,” says Laura Hodges Bethge, President of Celebrity Cruises. “As part of this expansion, we are thrilled to add Port Canaveral to our list of home ports – it is a perfect market to reach a wide mix of both in- and out-of-state travelers looking for fun in the Caribbean sun.”

Celebrity Equinox is 1,041 feet long, 122,000 gross tons and features 13 decks, 1,426 staterooms and accommodates 2,850 passengers. An award-winning Solstice class ship Celebrity Equinox underwent a multi-million-dollar refresh in 2019, introducing elevated design concepts, and an all-new The Retreat experience including a redesigned private indoor lounge, sundeck, and fine-dining restaurant – all of which are exclusive to suite guests.

Throughout the ship, vacationers enjoy ten exceptional dining and cocktail options, including craft beer and comfort food in the new Craft Social, experience pure bliss at the Spa, or feel the grass beneath their feet while enjoying an outdoor movie, reading a book, or sunbathing at the relaxing Lawn Club.

Gotlandsbolaget and Viking Line form joint venture

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 11 August 2023 11 August 2023

Viking Line and Gotlandsbolaget (Gotland Company) are to form a joint venture entrusted with the task of developing and providing cruises with the cruise ship Birka Stockholm between Stockholm–Mariehamn and Stockholm–Mariehamn–Visby. Gotlandsbolaget acquired Birka Stockholm in March 2023 for EUR 38 million and has now agreed to sell 50% of the vessel to Viking Line for EUR 19 million.

The two venerable Scandinavian shipping companies with roots in two important island communities – Gotland and Åland – will contribute their specialist knowledge to the launch in the spring of 2024 of cruise service from Stockholm to Mariehamn and Visby and possibly also destination cruises in the Baltic Sea region. Viking Cinderella, which currently provides cruise service from Stockholm to Mariehamn, will be moved to the Helsinki–Mariehamn–Stockholm route during the spring of 2024. The purchase price for Viking Line’s share in the vessel is 19 million euros, which is being funded by Viking Line’s cash holdings.

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with a successful shipping company like Gotlandsbolaget, which we have great respect for. We believe our joint contribution to this service will further enhance the cruise product offered from Stockholm," says Jan Hanses, CEO of Viking Line.

"We are working to also expand Gotlandsbolaget’s cruise travel offering as a complement to our service to Gotland and our other offerings, and what partner can be better at doing this than Viking Line, with its extensive experience from cruises in the Baltic Sea. We see this collaboration as a fantastic opportunity that utilizes the experience and skills of both Gotlandsbolaget and Viking Line," says Håkan Johansson, CEO of Gotlandsbolaget.

The new company will entail a major investment in cruise travel on the Baltic Sea, and planning is now under way to launch operations and offer an attractive new product with service starting in the spring of 2024. The initial contract for the partnership runs for five years with the possibility of extension.

The completion of this business transaction and the start-up of the new joint venture are contingent on the approval of the Swedish Competition Authority. The new company will be headquartered in Stockholm and run under the management of CEO Susanne Kaarnimo-Knight.

Havila Voyages receives two new coastal cruise ships

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 02 August 2023 02 August 2023

On Tuesday afternoon, the Norwegian flag and the shipping company flag of Havila Voyages were raised on the coastal cruise ships Havila Polaris and Havila Pollux, which are located at the Tersan shipyard outside Yalova in Turkey.

“A milestone for the shipping company,” says CEO Bent Martini. “We have now reached our goal following a process that required a lot of time, resources, and perseverance. It has demanded a lot of patience from the Norwegian authorities with whom we have an agreement to operate, our customers, coastal communities, our partners, and all employees."

"We remained confident we would reach this moment, even though we have encountered new challenges at every turn. Now we finally possess our own beautiful and state-of-the-art coastal route ships with spacious cabins and a high level of comfort for everyone on board.”

Osman Nurettin Paksu, the Chairman of the Board of Tersan Shipyard, was also present at the ceremonies. "It is a fantastic day for us celebrating the deliveries of the beautiful coastal passenger ships to Havila Voyages. Despite challenges for both us and Havila Voyages during the construction process of these impressive ships, we are very happy today to have delivered four marvelous vessels. These are the most modern and environmentally friendly ships on the Norwegian coastal route, and we are proud that these four sister ships carry the name of Tersan Shipyard along the beautiful Norwegian coast. We also thank Havila Voyages and its cooperative representatives for their support and efforts who made these deliveries possible, it has been a pleasure working with them." says Paksu. “It is gratifying to hear about the positive feedback Havila Voyages receives from passengers traveling along the historic route with Havila Capella and Havila Castor. With four magnificent ships in operation, even more people will have the opportunity to experience these ships in their fantastic surroundings.”

In recent years, many employees of Havila Voyages have been involved in and contributed to the construction process in Turkey, and Martini emphasizes the importance of this.

"We want to thank Tersan Shipyard for their excellent cooperation and great understanding of our challenges over the last few years. They have built four fantastic ships, and without them, as well as other suppliers and partners, we would not be standing here today," says Martini.

"In addition, we’ve had our own employees down here in Turkey throughout the entire process. Having our own people close by has been absolutely crucial for us, and I thank each and every one of them for their dedication and hard work."

Busy days ahead

Havila Polaris is scheduled to start operations from Bergen on August 17th and will be the first to leave the Tersan Shipyard. Not long after, Havila Polaris is planned to follow the same route before she starts operating from Bergen on August 23rd.

"In the coming days, our crews will move on board, as we begin to get the necessary equipment customs cleared before the final checks. Then Havila Polaris will depart and head towards Bergen. Depending on the weather conditions we encounter on our way home, it will take 10 to 12 days to bring the ships back to Norway. That means long, busy days ahead to prepare the ships and finish the final touches before we can welcome the first guests on board for the maiden voyages on Havila Polaris and Havila Pollux," says Martini.

"The crew of Havila Pollux will assist on board Havila Polaris when they arrive in Bergen, and together with our onshore team, will work to ensure a successful launch. It will be a joint effort that I look forward to. I believe the days in Bergen will also strengthen us as one team, no matter where in the company one works. It is important for us to stand united, as we have done all along, and we are all eagerly looking forward to welcoming our first guests on board."

Ownership of all ships

After Havila Voyages received the required licenses earlier this year to finance its coastal fleet and release the security the original financing partner had in the ships; they have been working hard to find the right financing partner for the shipping company.

"The four coastal route ships represent significant value, and we wanted to find a financing partner that would give us full ownership of our ships. We now own all our ships ourselves, and with that, we have succeeded in our goal in the refinancing process," says Martini.

Each Havila Voyage ships is valued at approximately 150 million euros, and the shipping company has financed the fleet by raising 305 million euros from the investment firm HPS Investment Partners LLC. Additionally, the largest owners and investors of the shipping company have raised 65 million euros in additional equity, and Havila Holding AS has contributed a loan of 20 million euros.

"We are satisfied with the solutions we have reached, and they provide us with the necessary flexibility and leeway we need to deliver as expected with our mission along the Norwegian coast," explains Martini.

Positive feedback

Havila Voyages’ two existing ships on the coastal route, Havila Capella and Havila Castor, have received positive feedback from their passengers. The company uses the Net Promoter Score (NPS) scale to measure customer satisfaction and is currently scoring nearly 80.

"These are very good numbers, as an NPS score above 70 is considered world-class. It shows that we are delivering a product that our guests are satisfied with. The positive feedback relates to good service, comfort, and a unique food concept that is well-liked. At the same time, we’ve also received valuable feedback that will help us improve, so that future guests have an even better experience," says Martini.

State-of-the-art ships - built for the future

Like their sister ships, Havila Polaris and Havila Pollux have energy-efficient hull designs created to handle the varied conditions along the Norwegian coast. The ships are equipped with a battery pack of 6.1 megawatt-hours (MWh), allowing them to operate emission-free for up to 4 hours. This means they can visit the UNESCO World Heritage area of Geirangerfjorden silently and emission-free, three years before the authorities' requirement for emission-free ferries and cruise ships in World Heritage fjords comes into effect.

The ships' propulsion is a hybrid solution, with a combination of the 86-ton battery packs and liquefied natural gas (LNG) providing the power. The battery packs can be charged while the ships are docked, using clean Norwegian power. This reduces CO2 emissions by up to 35% and local emissions (NOx and SOx) by 90% compared to equivalent ships running on traditional fossil fuels. This makes Havila Voyage’ ships the most environmentally friendly ships to have ever operated the historic coastal route between Bergen and Kirkenes.

"For us, it is important to prove our commitment to climate, environment, and sustainability. This is not just a marketing stunt or empty words. From the very first day Havila Capella entered service, we have exceeded the requirements set out in our contract with the Ministry of Transport," explains Martini.

The ships are also designed, built, and prepared for emission-free fuel alternatives such as hydrogen and ammonia. With current technology, a gradual addition of biogas will further reduce CO2 emissions.

"We have the capability to operate in a carbon-neutral way today by using biogas as fuel in combination with the battery packs. It's a matter of access and cost, and now that we have finally completed a complicated refinancing, we can focus on finding a solution for transitioning to biogas," says Martini.

In addition to reduced emissions, some of the ships' features include heat recovery from sea and cooling water to warm up the ships and the water on board, as well as a food concept that includes ingredients from locally sourced producers. The onboard menu changes during the voyage to reflect the regions the coastal route ships sail through.

"We had an ambitious goal to reduce food waste to only 75 grams per person per day on board. With four ships in operation, that means a reduction of more than 60 tons of food waste per year. In 2022, we achieved 71 grams of food waste on Havila Capella and Havila Castor, which is a fantastic achievement by everyone involved in developing, producing, and serving our guests' food. We don't have a buffet, and we believe that our food concept is the way to go to make the dining experience on board flavorful, nutritious, and above all, sustainable, economically, and environmentally," concludes Martini.