Top Headlines

STX to sell French, Finnish yards - report

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 03 May 2013 03 May 2013

STX Business Group, the troubled South Korean conglomerate, plans to sell its controlling stake in STX Shipbuilding & Offshore and sell its shares in the yards in France and Finland, Korea Times reports.

STX chairman Kang Duk-soo has decided to offload all of its overseas assets to address cash flow problems. Also, he decided to hand over his controlling stakes in STX Offshore & Shipbuilding, a key affiliate of the group, the paper reports on its website.

"We will keep our three crucial affiliates ― STX Heavy, STX Engine and STX Offshore. The group plans to sell its shares in its overseas affiliates including our shipyards in France, Finland and Dalian in China,’’ said a spokesman for the group, Tuesday, according to the paper.

The STX group owns 100% of the shares in STX Finland that has a yard in Turku and another one in Rauma, plus 64% of the shares in STX France. It controls these holdings via its Oslo based STX Europe subsidiary. At Christmas, the group sold its remaining shares in a Singapore based holding company of yards that build offshore services vessels. The problems of STX arise from a sharp fall in activity in the shipbuilding industry in the wake of the economic downturn.

All three yards are involved in passenger ship building.

Norwegian Getaway to sail on Southampton-Miami maiden voyage 17 January

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 30 April 2013 30 April 2013

Norwegian Getaway, second of the two 146,000 gross ton cruise liners Norwegian Cruise Line has ordered from Meyer Werft in Germany, will sail on its maiden voyage from Southampton to Miami on 17 January 2014, said Francis Riley, Vice President International at the Miami based company.

Riley, who was speaking on board the new Norwegian Breakaway in Southampton on Monday, said that the ship will feature Miami theme as opposed to New York on the first vessel of the class. Norwegian Getaway will operate 7-night cruises from Miami year-round.

A third vessel, larger at 163,000 gross tons and with about 4,200 berths opposed to the 4,000 on the two first units, will be introduced in 2015. The yet unnamed vessel will have an additional deck of cabins, which explains its larger tonnage and higher passenger capacity, he said.

Japan brand recovery helps NYK to cut cruise losses

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 30 April 2013 30 April 2013

Recovery of the business of its Japanese brand Asuka Cruises helped the cruise operations of Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), the Japanese shipping giant, to narrow its loss in the financial year to 31 March, but Crystal Cruises in the US had a more challenging year.

The cruise shipping division of NYK, which employs one ship under the Asuka Cruises brand and two under the Crystal Cruises one, recorded a rise in revenues to JPY35.0 billion from JPY32.4 billion in the previous 12 month period. Operating losses narrowed to JPY3.4 billion from JPY5.6billion, while recurring loss also narrowed, to JPy3.7 billion from JPY5.8 billion, NYK said in a statement.

"In the North American market, Crystal Cruises sales of Mediterranean voyages declined as a result of turmoil in southern Europe stemming from financial instability as well as political tension in the Middle East and North Africa,” NYK stated.

“In the Japanese market, the Asuka Cruises business rebounded strongly from the previous fiscal year, when the Great East Japan Earthquake severely impacted results. Overall, the cruises segment narrowed its loss on higher revenues compared with the previous fiscal year,” it concluded.

Pearl Mist to enter service in 2014

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 29 April 2013 29 April 2013

Pearl Seas Cruises (www.pearlseascruises.com) announced today that the brand-new Pearl Mist has arrived in Maryland for final outfitting before going into service in 2014. The 210-passenger ship will operate various 7-, 10- and 11-night Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway, Canadian Maritimes, and New England cruises.

The Pearl Mist defines a new style of Luxury Adventure small-ship cruising, offering the most beautiful getaways on a brand-new luxury ship, which combines the latest and highest standards in comfort, safety, technology and communication. The Pearl Mist features oversized gracefully appointed staterooms, many with sliding glass doors to private balconies, a glass-enclosed dining room, and various spacious lounges. Guests will enjoy numerous luxuries and amenities.

The Pearl Mist will showcase some of the most beautiful, historic and exotic destinations in Canada and the United States. Guests will have a choice of dozens of magnificent destinations, a few being Québec City, Georgian Bay, Prince Edward Island, Newport, Halifax, Thousand Islands, Saguenay Fjord, Nantucket, Cape Breton Island, Percé, St. Pierre-Miquelon, Martha’s Vineyard and Bar Harbor.

Pearl Seas Cruises will offer captivating enrichment and entertainment programs aboard the Pearl Mist and exclusive shore excursions, which will offer fascinating insight and new perspectives into the distinctive splendors of each destination.

Additional details on the Pearl Mist and its itineraries will be available in the coming days.

Norwegian Cruise Line upbeat about British market

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 29 April 2013 29 April 2013

Norwegian Cruise Line is upbeat about the outlook for its business on the British market, which has grown by 25% from last year, senior company executives said.

Speaking on board the new Norwegian Breakaway in Southampton, the company's head of marketing Andy Stuart said the UK is the second most important market for Norwegian after the U.S.

A decision to reposition Norwegian Star to Copenhagen for a series of Baltic cruises instead of Dover has allowed the company to reduce the itinerary to nine nights from 12. The fly cruise programme has turned to attract brisk business particularly from the north of the country.

Central Mediterranean itinerary from Venice has proven to sell very well too on the British market.

Stuart said the company had chosen fly cruises as its path to grow its business in the UK and in light of response from the market this has emerged as the right decision.

The company has two ships in Europe this summer and two year round. Political unrest in the eastern Mediterranean region made it axe itineraries with calls there, but it reintroduced calls at Moroccan ports on the basis of agent feedback.

Francis Riley, Vice President International, said Norwegian regards its agents as core business partners that are in the DNA of everything the company does. The aim is that Norwegian should be easy to do business with for agents and it should be their cruise line of choice. As part of this, Norwegian has recently introduced a new booking engine for agents.