News

CMV acquires Pacific Pearl for British market

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 07 March 2016 07 March 2016

Alan Lam reporting

Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) has announced that the Pacific Pearl, the ship currently operated by P&O Cruises Australia, will join its fleet to commence operations from 9 June 2017 under the new name Columbus.

The 1,400-pax ship will be dedicated to the British cruise market, homeporting year round in London Tilbury, offering a traditional scenic British cruise experience.

Columbus, with 775 cabins, is the line’s fifth vessel and will become CMV’s new flagship. The company intends to target the adult only market for this ship, but in the 2017 summer season she will operate two sailing for all age groups.

“The successful introduction of Magellan in 2015,” said Christian Verhounig, CEO and Chairman of CMV, “has encouraged our group to accelerate its mid-term growth plans and the addition of Columbus to the fleet in 2017 is another important milestone in achieving our longer term growth objectives.”

This addition will increase CMV’s overall capacity to 125,000 in 2017.

“We are really pleased to welcome this fine ship to our fleet,” said Chris Coates, commercial director, “which we believe will be very well suited to our core British market who appreciate and value the many benefits of cruising on smaller to mid-sized more traditional vessels of this type. The introduction of Columbus, and her past association and popularity with the British cruise market spanning 13 years, will increase 2017 UK bed night capacity by 25% to 95,000 passengers.”

CMV’s 2017 summer itineraries will be on sale from 31 March 2016, following the Easter holidays. A special 2017 launch edition preview brochure will be released on 7April 2016.

Disney plans to order two 135,000 gross ton newbuildings at Meyer

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 03 March 2016 03 March 2016

The Walt Disney Company said it plans to build two 135,000 gross to cruise ships at Meyer Werft in Germany.

The company has entered into a memorandum of agreement with the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany. The schedule calls for the new ships to be completed in 2021 and 2023, the company said in a statement.

“While design plans, ship names and itineraries are still in development, the Walt Disney Imagineering team is already dreaming up exciting new innovations that will be uniquely fun and distinctly Disney,” said Jonathan Frontado, Public Relations Manager, Disney Cruise Line, in his blog.

“Each new ship will be approximately 135,000 gross tons – slightly larger than the newest Disney Cruise Line ships, the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy – and each is currently planned to include about 1,250 guest staterooms,” he continued.

Fincantieri teams up with Huarun Dadong Dockyard in ship repairs

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 03 March 2016 03 March 2016

Fincantieri, one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups, and Huarun Dadong Dockyard (HRDD), one of the largest Chinese shipyards specialized in ship repair and refitting activities, have signed in Shanghai an exclusive cooperation agreement in the field of ship repair and conversions aimed at serving the cruise ships based in China.

The understanding includes the development of technical skills, project management, and logistics procedures. In particular, Fincantieri, through its dedicated Ship Repair and Conversion business unit, will provide, as a worldwide reference operator of the cruise sector, its technical expertise, which, combined with the first class shipyard facilities of HRDD, will offer fundamental support to the emerging Chinese cruise sector and to the main foreign cruise companies which will operate on the local market. HRDD, in fact, is a leading group with modern facilities located at a very strategic geographical position near the new Cruise Terminal of Shanghai. The shipyard which avails of five drydocks, has a rich experience on a broad range of ship types and skilled resources which make it particularly suitable also for the cruise ship sector.

Fincantieri had started an internationalization and rooting strategy in this market with the agreements made in 2014 in the cruise sector for the local market, and subsequently established a branch office in China, headquartered in Shanghai, the Fincantieri (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd.

The Chinese Ministry of Transport (MOT) projects China to be the second largest global cruise market after the U.S. in the next several years based on economic growth, increased spending power of Chinese consumers and internal demand in this sector. China could see 4.5 million cruise passengers by 2020, according to the MOT, and exceed 10 million within 20 years. This expansion could require more than 100 passenger ships. The potential collaborations as the ones between Fincantieri and HRDD aim at supporting the MOT’s expansion policies in the cruise sector and the increase of the entire tourism in China, estimated in a double-digit growth each year from 2014.

Between 2013 and 2015 the number of ships deployed in Asia was increased by 10%, reaching 52 units of 26 brands, with an offer of 1,065 cruises. Besides placing latest-generation ships, specifically built for the customers of that area, the main cruise operators, active in this segment, are also pursuing a dedicated brand creation policy and alliances with other local operators.