Atlas Ocean Voyages opens 2023-24 Antarctica season for sale

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 06 June 2022 06 June 2022

Atlas Ocean Voyages has opened its winter 2023-24 Antarctica season for sale, offering experienced travelers more once-in-a-lifetime expeditions to this remote and bucket-list destination for a third season. From November 2023 through March 2024, small luxury expedition ships World Navigator and World Traveller will return to the Seventh Continent to deliver breathtaking landscapes, penguins, seals, whales, seabirds, and other wildlife that can only be witnessed there. Travelers can choose among 23 voyages, ranging from 9 to 20 nights, nearly all departing round-trip from Ushuaia, Argentina. World Navigator will offer Antarctic Peninsula voyages while World Traveller embarks on more comprehensive Antarctic regional expeditions.

“World Navigator and World Traveller offer the perfect combination of adventure and luxury on an Antarctica expedition,” said Alberto Aliberti, President of Atlas Ocean Voyages. “Atlas focuses on boots-on-the-ground and feet-in-the-water expeditions that travelers may have waited a lifetime to experience. With Atlas, travelers can start at the top of their bucket list for an immersive and transformative expedition to Antarctica.”

On World Navigator and World Traveller’s Antarctica expeditions, guests can expect up to two outings from the ship daily, depending on weather and sea conditions. The ships’ Captains monitor onboard weather and underwater sensors and meteorological forecasts to plan for safe passage and harbors for guests to go ashore or enjoy waterborne safaris aboard zodiacs to sight marine wildlife and iceberg formations, as well as opted for kayaking and paddleboarding.

Qualified expedition team members escort guests for all off-ship experiences and each member of the expedition team represents an academic specialty, such as ornithology, marine biology, history, environmental sciences, mountaineering and others, and offer guests greater depth and breadth to their expedition. At times, weather and sea conditions can change rapidly and the Captain may change course or landing sites to avoid risk to guests and the ship.

World Navigator will offer 13 Antarctica departures beginning on November 9, 2023. Travelers can choose from 9- and 11-night itineraries that focus on the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. Guests will enjoy four days exploring Antarctica on the nine-night voyages while the 11-night voyages offer six days cruising the region and cross into the Antarctic Circle to earn membership in the Order of the Blue Nose. Both itineraries also include a scenic cruise by Cape Horn, Chile, the southernmost point of South America.

At the end of the season, World Navigator will embark on March 15, 2024, for a special 14-night itinerary that combines the Falkland Islands and the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. There, guests will have opportunities to catch sightings of the thriving marine wildlife that have grown accustomed to warmer climes, including the King Penguin. The itinerary also calls at Punta del Este and Montevideo, Uruguay, and concludes with an overnight in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

For her part, World Traveller brings the explorers on 13-, 16- and 20-night immersive expeditions that offer a combination of the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Shetland Islands, Diego Ramirez Islands, Falkland Islands, and South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. Nearly all World Traveller expeditions in Antarctica include a passage through the Lemaire Channel, considered one of the most dramatic Antarctic landscapes ever traveled and venture across the Antarctica Circle.

World Traveller also offers two unique trans-Atlantic crossings to bookend her Antarctica season. The 12-night, westbound itinerary departs October 24, 2023, from the Canary Islands, Spain, to Recife, Brazil, via Western Africa, with calls at Dakhla, Western Sahara; Dakar, Senegal; and Banjul, the Gambia. To conclude her season, World Traveller departs on March 13, 2024, from Ushuaia to Cape Town, South Africa on a 19-night voyage. Guests enjoy two days in the Falkland Islands, three days in the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, and three days in Tristan da Cunha, the world’s most remote inhabited archipelago located deep in the Southern Atlantic.

Atlas Ocean Voyages is a luxe-adventure, expedition cruise line designed for discerning, fun-seeking travelers to immerse in unique and awe-inspiring moments in remote and captivating destinations. World Navigator, launched in August 2021, and World Traveller, launching November 2022, both feature 98 suites, solo suites with no single supplements, and staterooms, and is the line’s first two small expedition ship, bringing travelers to smaller, authentic, and exclusive locales. Three additional sister ships, World Seeker, World Adventurer and World Discoverer, will join the fleet through 2024.

Seatrade Cruise Med returns 14-15 September 2022

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 05 June 2022 05 June 2022

Seatrade Cruise Med, the premier cruise trade event and conference for the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas, returns from a four year hiatus to gather the international cruise industry at the Trade Fairs and Congress Center of Málaga, 14-15 September 2022. In partnership with MedCruise, and hosted by the Port of Málaga, Málaga City Council, Costa del Sol and Andalucía, the event will welcome thousands of high-level professionals from every sector of cruising to network, source new solutions, forge meaningful partnerships and plan for positive change.

“Seatrade Cruise Med is the largest and only business-to-business event of its kind to bring together our cruise community for tailored programming and optimal networking opportunities specially curated for the Mediterranean region,” says Chiara Giorgi, Global Brand and Event Director for Seatrade Cruise. “After a lengthy period of pivoting and readapting – and thanks to continued collaboration with our hosts – it’s incredibly exciting to finally bring this dynamic event to fruition, proving that our industry is resilient and coming back stronger than ever.”

During the 2021 season, cruise passenger movements at MedCruise ports reached 5.89 million, up 190% of those taken place in 2020, a clear mark of the restart in cruising in the region. The record cruise activity suggests this trend is set to continue and intensify in the years to come.

Seatrade Cruise Med is expected to unite more than 3,000 attendees, 175+ cruise line representatives and 170+ exhibitors from 70+ countries. Anchored by the overarching theme – “Steering Change Together” – the robust conference program will address the Mediterranean’s most relevant issues and trends through a line-up of engaging panels and conversations.

Session themes for 2022 include:

– State of the Mediterranean Cruise Industry
– Mediterranean Deployment
– Cruise Line, Port, Destination & City Collaboration
– Warm Weather Expedition Cruising
– Adapting to Changing Customer Habits
– The Green Deal: Next Steps
– Health & Safety: Shifting Sands
– Technology Advances - Ashore and Onboard
– Future Solutions for Cruise Tourism

Additionally, the Seatrade Cruise Awards, the global cruise industry’s most distinguished award programme, will host its 2022 awards ceremony during the two-day event, recognising the industry’s top talent and innovators. Entries for the 2022 Seatrade Cruise Awards are now open for submission.

Havila Kystruten makes history in the Geirangerfjord

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 03 June 2022 03 June 2022

Havila Kystruten`s newest ship, Havila Castor, made history in the Geirangerfjord Thursday – operating the first zero emission cruise through the world heritage fjord.

"Havila Kystruten's ships are built for the future and are the most environmentally friendly ships along the Norwegian coast. With a battery pack of 6.1 Megawatt hours (MWh), the world's largest battery pack on a passenger ship, the ships can sail up to 4 hours on pure battery power. In combination with liquefied natural gas (LNG), CO2 emissions are reduced by 30 % and NOX emissions by 90 % compared to similar vessels that use fossil fuel," the company said in a statement.

The summer season is underway, and thus the Geirangerfjord is open for cruise and ferry traffic. In 2018, the Norwegian Parliament decided that cruise ships and ferries must sail emission-free in Norwegian World Heritage fjords as soon as technically possible, and no later than 2026. On Thursday, Havila Castor carried out the first voyage in the Geirangerfjord emission-free and silently.

“Even the weather was on our side yesterday and turned out to be much better than expected. This was a milestone for us. We proved that we can deliver on the future requirements from the authorities”, said Bent Martini, CEO of Havila Kystruten.

Havila Castor used battery powered propulsion only for three hours this Thursday. “We spent just over 60 % of the battery's capacity on this voyage and that demonstrates to us that the goal of four hours on battery clearly is achievable. With even more testing and adaptation of all energy use on board, we will eventually be able to sail the entire world heritage emission-free without major challenges”, said Martini.

In order to have the opportunity to use the batteries on board to a greater extent than now, Martini is calling for access to shore power along the coast. “We want to utilize our battery power even further, but to do that we rely on having in place the infrastructure for shore power to charge the ship on clean hydropower. We hope this will be operational in selected ports of call soon. In addition, we plan for a gradual blending of liquefied biogas to replace the natural gas over time. This requires biogas to made available to a large enough extent to meet our needs”, says Martini.
A milestone

The environmental foundation ZERO was also on board the ship during the historic voyage. “This voyage is a milestone, the culmination of many years of work. Havila Kystruten has shown that it is entirely possible to sail emission-free in the World Heritage fjords now, four years before the requirements set by the Parliament. This should motivate other players to follow suit”, said Harald Maaland, transport consultant at ZERO.

“Now we must ensure further progress: The Parliament`s decision from 2018 must be regulated as soon as possible, and the requirement for zero emissions must be extended to apply to all fjords. Charging infrastructure in the ports must also be in place."

A shared responsibility

Prior to the change to battery operation, the passengers on board were encouraged to be aware of the use of electricity for mobile charging, light and heating in the cabin, in addition to the ship's hotel operation reducing its consumption.

“It requires some resources to cook for over 300 passengers, as well for lighting on board and to heat the ship. When we sail emission-free, we do everything we can to reduce the consumption of electricity, and sailing like this becomes a shared responsibility, said Sandra Ness, head of climate & environment in Havila Kystruten.

Starting on this voyage, Havila Kystruten launched its new Eco-Voyager Program for guests on board.
“If we are to succeed in climate, environment and sustainability, it is important that we also involve our guests on board," said Ness.

“The program aims to give our guests the opportunity to get involved and make conscious choices on board, and thereby contribute to a more sustainable use of human and material resources. We want to inspire and encourage our guests to take small steps that affect everyday life on board positively in terms of energy, water, garbage, cleaning, and thus also crew, during the voyage around the coast”, she concludes.

The Eco-Voyager Program has been launched on havilavoyages.com, where guests can read more about the project, and see the checklist for what measures they can contribute to on their voyage.

PONANT’s 12-strong fleet of ships back out at sea

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 02 June 2022 02 June 2022

In the Arctic, Northern Europe, Mediterranean, Australia and Polynesia, PONANT's all 12 ships and their crews are out at sea again. On May 28, Le Soléal, the last in the fleet to resume operation, sailed from Darwin on a new cruise to explore the Kimberley, one of Australia’s most unspoiled regions.

As different regions emerge from the health crisis, the company is also seeing shorter booking windows and an increase in last-minute bookings. The PONANT brand focuses on excellence in service and both guest and crew safety, that is attracting both new customers and excellent satisfaction rates.

“Our customers are expressing a strong desire to travel. Bookings are steadily coming in again with requests for quotes up compared to 2019 and a higher conversion rate,” says Hervé Bellaïche, Chief Sales, Marketing & Communication Officer at PONANT. “At this point in the season, bookings for summer 2022 are above 80%.”

As the health situation improves and in line with the latest provisions of health authorities, wearing masks is no longer compulsory indoors or outdoors aboard PONANT ships. However, wearing masks is still recommended. (* Wearing a mask is still compulsory where required by local authorities.)

In 2022, PONANT launches a new Explore to inspire signature, affirming its commitment to offer inspiring and meaningful voyages for a discerning clientele that is aware of ecological issues.

“Explore to inspire embodies our philosophy to travel with a purpose. Explore to better understand, learn, share and protect is the very essence of our values. Small capacity ships, eco-design, slow travel, an awakening to knowledge, and working closely with local players are the ingredients of tomorrow’s cruise model as exemplified by PONANT,” states Hervé Gastinel, CEO of PONANT.

Photo: Le Soleal. Photo credit: Nathalie Michel