Top Headlines

Dame Helen Mirren christens Scenic Eclipse in New York

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 11 September 2019 11 September 2019

Heralding a new and exceptional era in ocean cruising, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours yesterday celebrated the official christening of Scenic Eclipse – the World’s First Discovery Yacht.

Having set sail on her maiden voyage from Reykjavík Iceland, Scenic Eclipse arrived at Pier 88, Manhattan Cruise Terminal, set against the world-famous backdrop of New York City.

Scenic Eclipse Godmother Dame Helen Mirren was joined by her husband, Academy Award-winning director Taylor Hackford and welcomed on board by ship’s co-owners Glen and Karen Moroney.

“It was an honour to welcome Helen and Taylor on board and to share with them our vision and passion which together with the dedication and talent of the Scenic team has created an experience which has set a brand new bench mark in discovery cruising," said Glen Moroney, Chairman and Founder, Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours.

Ensuring the event ran smoothly, master of ceremonies Claire Newell was on hand to introduce Scenic Eclipse Captain James Griffiths and NYC Ports General Manager Ken Winkler who presented the 1st Visit Plaque to Moroney.

Moroney then delivered a short speech that spoke of the creative drive and determination to deliver such a unique sailing experience and detailed the history of the build from its first moment of conception. Karen Moroney and her design team comprising Carmen Mikus (Interior Project Design) and Niksa Fiorienni (Architect) were acknowledge as the creative drive behind Scenic Eclipse.

Reflecting the ship’s stylish and exclusive ethos, the official naming ceremony was attended by over 350 global media, agents and VIPs who witnessed Dame Helen Mirren christen the ship dockside by breaking the ceremonial bottle of champagne against the hull and bestowing the traditional blessing of safekeeping over all those that sail in her.

Dame Mirren added: “I was thrilled to be invited to take on the role of Scenic Eclipse godmother, even more so now that I have stepped aboard and seen the level of design detail and technology that have gone into her creation. She is an exceptional cruising experience, and I’m honoured to have christened her. I wish her crew and guests many years of sailing adventures and discovery”.

Designed to deliver the ultimate experience of a lifetime for 228 guests, (200 in Polar regions), Scenic Eclipse takes ocean cruising to a whole new level – marrying luxury and discovery with the ultimate in safety and sustainability, giving guests the opportunity to explore above and beyond what was previously imaginable.

Scenic Eclipse has 114 all-verandah suites ranging in size from 32 m² to 247 m²; 10 dining options from Asian Fusion to French fine dining, Chef’s Table to a poolside buffet; the 550 m² Senses Spa with latest technology-equipped gym and separate yoga and Pilates studio. Two six-guest helicopters and one six-guest submarine Scenic Neptune capable of depths of nearly 200m; a state-of-the-art theatre for entertainment and lectures; indoor and outdoor plunge pools; butler service for all guests; and an almost 1:1 guest-to-staff ratio.

And then there is the technology: innovative zero-speed stabilizer fins, 50% larger than standard to provide greater stability cutting roll by more than 85%; the highest passenger ship ice class rating – Polar Class 6; redundancies in propulsion, navigation, safety systems and food refrigeration; state-of-the-art bridge systems; and a GPS dynamic positioning system allowing for stationary positioning without an anchor, reducing environmental impact and enhancing safety during Zodiac operations.

MSC group appoints Ungerer to head yet unnamed luxury brand

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 11 September 2019 11 September 2019

MSC Group said that industry veteran Michael Ungerer has joined its cruises business as CEO of MSC’s new luxury brand. He will join MSC with over 30 years of senior management experience in cruising as well as in luxury hospitality.

Ungerer will be based out of the company’s global headquarters in Geneva and will report to Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Group’s cruises business and broader passenger division. Ungerer, 53, is an Austrian citizen and holds an Executive MBA from INSEAD where he also graduated from the Independent Director Programme (IDP).

Vago commented in a statement: “I am particularly pleased to make this announcement as it marks a key step forward in the set-up of the organizational structure that will lead the development of our new luxury brand. For us, this was a natural progression of the work done across our contemporary brand MSC Cruises since its inception, including with the development of our highly-successful premium ship-within-the-ship concept MSC Yacht Club.

Earlier this year, MSC confirmed an order for four luxury cruise ships to be built by Fincantieri for a total value exceeding €2 billion. The vessels will have gross tonnage of approximately 64,000 and will feature the latest and most advanced environmental and maritime technologies available. Additionally, these super-yachts – which will introduce to the luxury segment a broad range of new guest experiences and other activities as well as feature generous ratios of public spaces - will also showcase a highly-innovative design.

The first of the four vessels will be delivered by Spring 2023. The remaining three will come into service one per year over the following three years through 2026.

MSC Magnifica to be lengthened by 23 metres in 2021 for UK market

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 10 September 2019 10 September 2019

MSC Magnifica, the 95,128 gross ton ship of MSC Cruises that entered service in 2009, will be lengthened by 23 metres in 2021 and once the work has been completed, it will operate a series of cruises from Southampton in the UK, the company said in a statement.

“The newly refurbished MSC Magnifica will undergo a transformation adding 23 meters to the ship that will deliver an additional 7,000 m2 of added space to the ship. This will result in 215 extra cabins, bringing the total number of balcony cabins to 63% of the overall ship, a new water park, a redesigned kids area, plus additional features such as two new restaurants and a new shopping area,” the company said.

MSC Magnifica is a unit of the Musica class and it currently has length of 294 metres and beam of 32 metres. The ship was built in France and it entered service in January 2009. It did not say where the work would be carried out or whether other ships of the class would also be lengthened at some point.

On the technical side, MSC Magnifica will feature two new major and important onboard environmental advances to complement a wide range of existing leading-edge environmental technologies across the company’s entire fleet: a state-of-the-art Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system and next-generation Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) system. SCR technology helps reduce nitrogen oxide into pure nitrogen and water through advanced active emissions control technology.

MSC Cruises also took the opportunity to install a state-of-the-art advanced wastewater treatment system on board that meets the highest standards and that purifies used wastewater to near tap-water quality.

The system meets the so-called ‘Baltic Standard’ and treats the wastewater to a higher standard than most waste standards available in cities around the world. To help reduce and continuously minimize emissions also while in port, the ship will be able to ‘plug in’ to the local power grid wherever such systems are available at berth.

MSC Cruises, which has its headquarters in Geneva, has stated earlier that it plans to upgrade an existing ship with an aim to operate it on the UK market. MSC Magnifica will make 24 cruises from Southampton between May and October 2021. It did not disclose where the ship would be based after that.

In 2015 the four Lirica class of ships underwent a significant renovation as part of the €130 million ‘Renaissance project’, to improve facilities and enhance the onboard experience. All ships were lengthened as part of the programme.

Norway’s race against time in reinventing its cruise business future

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 07 September 2019 07 September 2019

Alan Lam reporting from Norway

Norway’s has always been known for both its rich maritime heritage and imaginative innovations. With the offshore industry languishing in the doldrums, the country’s shipbuilders, designers, and suppliers were forced to rethink, regroup, and re-invent themselves. They now have a fresh focus on the cruise and ferry industry.

This week one of our correspondents is in Sunnmøre to see first hand how the country’s maritime industry is being transformed by this new focus.

About seventy percent of all advanced seagoing vessels in the world were once designed or built in this region. Five years ago, because of the violent decline in the offshore sector, the industry suddenly found itself no longer fit for purpose and, in some cases, facing extinction. Demands for its products and expertise evaporated.

In the true Norwegian spirit of innovation and adaptation, the maritime sector soon re-organised itself and refocused on passenger vessels, more specifically on medium-to-small-sized and technologically advanced cruise ships and ro-pax units. We have already seen an array of hybrid and battery-powered ships being built and delivered by shipyards located in Sunnmøre and its neighbouring regions.

The global cruise market is expanding rapidly, with demands, sustainability, and regulatory environment evolving in tandem. Shipbuilders and suppliers are multiplying all over the world. Norway needs to act quickly and accordingly in order to stay ahead of the game in the maritime industry marketplace.

The Norwegian government is progressively implementing ever-more strict environmental control measures against the shipping industry. From 2026, seven years from now, only zero-emission vessels will be allowed to sail in some of the most popular fjord areas. This restriction is likely to be extended to a much wider geography, probably to include the entire Norwegian coastal region. So for the industry this is a race against time. Its response is a strategy called “fast innovation”.

Our correspondent is currently speaking to local shipyards, suppliers and other stakeholders. A full feature on this topic will appear in the winter issue of CruiseBusiness.com Magazine.

Cruise industry contributes to Bahamas relief efforts

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 06 September 2019 06 September 2019

Several cruise shipping companies have said they would contribute to relief efforts in the Bahamas after the hurricane Dorian, which caused widespread devastation.

MSC Cruises said it has formed a high-level delegation of comprised of members of MSC Group’s U.S. senior management team as well as leadership of its philanthropic arm, the MSC Foundation.

The team is on its way to Nassau for meetings with local officials, community leaders and key relief and recovery organisations to determine most urgent relief needs and areas for long-term support.

MSC Cruises is also providing and delivering goods of primary necessity, providing semi-permanent prefabricated modular housing for areas most affected, and making available MSC Group geared container ships for cargo relief service from the U.S. to The Bahamas.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) said for more than half a century, we've made many friends and many memories. The Bahamas is also home to more than 500 of our colleagues who work at Perfect Day at CocoCay and the Grand Bahama Shipyard.

“So in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, we're rolling up our sleeves to help our friends, and inviting our guests to help.

Royal Caribbean is committing $1 million to Dorian disaster relief, and ITM—our partner in the Holistica joint venture that is developing the Grand Lucayan resort in Freeport—is also donating an additional $100,000,” the company said in a statement.

To make sure our donations go where they can do the most good, we are collaborating with the Bahamian government and our non-profit partner, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), and a network of Bahamian charities and other local organizations, including the Bahamas Feeding Network.

We are loading all kinds of goods onto our ships— generators, water, cleaning supplies, clean sheets, towels, and more—for direct delivery to the Bahamas. The trained employee volunteers we call the GO Team are on their way to assist with relief efforts. And we're taking special care of coworkers and their families who were affected by the storm.

And we're matching every dollar of guest and employee donations to PADF so they can help our friends as well. We can't make every bad memory of Dorian go away. But we can start making things better—today. If you want to contribute please click this LINK and get started.

Continuing its ongoing efforts to assist and support residents of The Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian, Carnival Cruise Line has announced that two ships departing from U.S. homeports next week will make stops in Freeport to distribute food, water and relief supplies.

The stops at Freeport to deliver supplies will be part of Carnival Pride's seven-day cruise from Baltimore departing Sept. 8 and Carnival Liberty's four-day cruise from Port Canaveral departing Sept. 9.

These efforts are in addition to supplies being transported to the Bahamas via the already announced agreement with Tropical Shipping and The Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency to deliver items donated by residents of Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. A container ship with the first shipment of supplies departed for Freeport this evening.

Additionally, Carnival Corporation's philanthropic arm, Carnival Foundation, and its nine global cruise line brands together with the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation, have pledged to donate $2 million in funding and in-kind support for hurricane relief efforts in The Bahamas.

Carnival has also asked employees and guests to join the effort through online giving tools, and over the next few days, will ramp up a donation program at its U.S. homeports as guests board their cruises. Organizations supported by these online efforts include Direct Relief and World Central Kitchen.

"The Bahamian people are resilient with an unwavering spirit and Carnival and its employees are fully committed to helping residents rebuild and recover in the aftermath of the storm," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. "The devastation of the Bahamas is truly tragic and heartbreaking and we are keeping them in our thoughts as we continue to offer our support and assistance."