Top Headlines

Gianni Onorato appointed new CEO of MSC Cruises

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 26 August 2013 26 August 2013

MSC Cruises today announced that Gianni Onorato will become the new Chief Executive Officer of the company, effective 2 September 2013.

With almost 30 years’ experience in the cruise industry, Onorato has a thorough understanding of the cruise business and extensive experience in senior executive leadership, serving as President of Costa Crociere for over nine years.

He graduated from the Istituto Orientale of Naples with a degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures in 1983, and specialized in business administration at SDA Bocconi in Milan and INSEAD in Fontainebleau.

“I am thrilled to have been appointed to this exciting role and I am also particularly excited to move to Geneva, where the MSC Cruises headquarters is based,” said Onorato. “I will do everything I can to add value to the company and help MSC Cruises maximize its industry-leading position. I look forward to starting work with the management team in this significant moment of the company’s growth.”

Pierfrancesco Vago will continue to lead the privately held cruise company in the role of Executive Chairman, while scaling up the scope of his duties. From his new position he will also oversee all the other companies of the MSC group that have strategic relevance to the tourism sector.

“Our company has gone through a period of rapid expansion, with ten new ships built in just under ten years, three new prototype classes of ship created and 45 offices opened around the globe. I am confident that the appointment of Gianni will consolidate our management structure, building on its existing strengths and boosting the company’s development plans even further.”

Vago has been driving MSC Cruises since 2003, when a 6 billion euro investment plan was put into place, transforming the company from ‘the new kids on the block’ to the world’s third largest cruise operator.

Onorato will be based in Geneva at the MSC Cruises headquarters. He will report to the MSC Board of Directors and to its Executive Chairman.

It's official: Princess brand enters China market

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 22 August 2013 22 August 2013

As Cruisebusiness.com predicted yesterday, Carnival Corporation & plc announced it is introducing its Princess Cruises brand to China in 2014, naming Shanghai as home port for Sapphire Princess during a four-month season expected to carry 70,000 passengers.

The new roundtrip cruises, which begin next May, will bring a brand-new premium cruise experience to the rapidly growing China vacation market. Princess will offer the quality and comfort sought by discerning Chinese travelers, delivered by the largest premium cruise line in the world. Currently sister brand Costa serves Chinese market, too.

Quickly expanding throughout the Asia region, Princess has placed China foremost in the company's deployment plans due to the market's burgeoning economy and increasingly discerning travelers seeking a premium cruise vacation. Demonstrating the importance of the market, Carnival Corporation & plc, parent group of Princess Cruises, has opened offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu.

"We're excited to bring a new premium cruise travel experience to Chinas shores," said Alan Buckelew, Princess Cruises president and CEO. "Though we have carried thousands of Chinese travelers on our ships over many years, we think the time is right for a premium cruise experience that offers a new type of vacation experience for the Chinese consumer, sailing from China."

The 2014 China season will feature four different itineraries ranging from three to seven days which – according to Princess research – is the ideal number of vacation days for the Chinese market.

The seven-day Sapphire Princess itinerary will take passengers to the vibrant Korean capital of Seoul, on to the culturally rich beach resort of Busan and finishing at the magical Island of Jeju, before returning to Shanghai. The five-day cruise will call at Jeju and Incheon; the four-day itinerary will call at Busan and Jeju, while the three-day cruise calls at Jeju.

In addition to the international cruise experience offered by Princess around the world, passengers on the new China-based cruises will be treated to unique cultural, culinary, entertaining, and inspiring programs including world leader dinners, sommelier wine excursions, daily English high tea, the only 24-hour buffet at sea, Tai Chi and Zumba at sea, a Princess Night bedtime experience, and an unparalleled shopping experience. Designed to appeal to multigenerational groups, Touch of Class personal enrichment courses will also be offered for adults and children.

The 116,000-ton Sapphire Princess carries 2,670 passengers and, at 952 feet long, has 18 decks and 28 premium suites with private balconies. The ship also includes a casino, duty-free shops, fitness center and spa, sports deck, childrens and teens centers, library, internet café, wedding chapel, art gallery and a golf putting course, among other features.

Princess new 2014 season of cruises will go on sale to the public on November 1.

Celebrity Millennium cruises cancelled up to mid-September

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 21 August 2013 21 August 2013

Celebrity Cruises says it has cancelled another four cruises of Celebrity Millennium after the ship had developed mechanical problems on an Alaska cruise earlier this week.

"A mechanical issue has made it necessary for us to perform unscheduled repairs on Celebrity Millennium. As a result, we are sorry to inform guests that we have had to cancel the following sailings:

• August 23, 2013 – cancelled
• August 30, 2013 – cancelled
• September 6, 2013 – cancelled
. September 13, 2013 – cancelled

We are deeply sorry for this unexpected and disappointing development in
our guests’ upcoming vacation," Celebrity Cruises said in a statement. The company had already cancelled the current cruise of the 91,000 gross ton vessel

The company, which is part of the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) group,says it offers a 100% refund to all passengers booked on the affected cruises plus a future cruise certificate..

Will Sapphire Princess be based at Shanghai June to August 2014?

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 20 August 2013 20 August 2013

It appears that Princess Cruises might base Sapphire Princess in Shanghai in China for about three months next year.

The company’s itineraries show a 25 night cruise from Los Angeles across the Pacific to Shanghai, with departure 18 May. The next published cruise of the ship will sail from Shanghai on 3 September, with Bangkok as destination. From there, it will sail on to Australia and in the winter 2015 head north to Singapore. The ship will have a season of about three months in the Asian port.

If Princess Cruises will offer a series of cruises from Shanghai next year, it would become the second brand of Carnival Corp & plc to do so. Costa Crociere has two vessels on the Chinese market, Costa Victoria and Costa Atlantica. However, Costa Atlantica will operate a 100 night around the world cruise from China next year and Costa Victoria will spend part of next spring inS ingapore, thus reducing the footprint of the Carnival group on the Chinese market.

Earlier this year, the Carnival group established Carnival Asia in Singapore to grow its business in the region, while Princess Cruises has said it will open a number of offices in China.

Huge increase in STX Offshore & Shipbuilding interim loss

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 15 August 2013 15 August 2013

STX Offshore & Shipbuilding, the troubled South Korean company that builds cruise liners and ferries in Finland and France, has reported a huge increase in net loss in the second quarter of the year.

Net loss widened to KRW2.8 trillion, equal to $2.03 billion, in the first three months of the year from KRW73.7 billion in the same period last year, reports in the shipping media say.

The company has suffered from weak cash flows, which has increased financing costs. At the end of July, its principal creditors agreed to provide a total of $1.9 billion in new funding to the company through a cash injection and debt to equity swap.

STX Offshore & Shipbuilding owns in full STX Finland that has two shipyards plus a 64% stake in STX France through STX Europe, an Oslo based subsidiary company. The group has put its European yards for sale and at Christmas, sold its remaining shares in a Singapore listed builder of offshore services vessels to Fincantieri in Italy.