News

Deltamarin to manage Titanic II project development

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 16 April 2013 16 April 2013

Blue Star Line Pty Ltd Chairman Professor Clive Palmer has announced the shipping company has signed a contract with Deltamarin for the project development phase for the Titanic II project.

Blue Star Line has undertaken the task of building Titanic II, a replica of the original RMS Titanic, which is scheduled to sail from Southampton to New York on her maiden passenger voyage in 2016.

Titanic II, a full scale version of the original ship, is being designed by the Finland-based Deltamarin and will be built by leading Chinese shipbuilders CSC Jinling Shipyard, which since 1996 has built vessels for customers from more than 20 countries Professor Palmer said the new contract with Deltamarin was signed this month and covers a detailed schedule of events including the commencement of construction and the keel laying.

"The scope of work for the contract includes the establishment of project steering committees and a management team," he said.

"Deltamarin will be responsible for coordinating the various parties involved in the project including the shipyard, architects, interior designers and operations managers."

Professor Palmer said Deltamarin will undertake a full review of the Titanic II project to ensure the vessel will be compliant with all current safety and construction regulations. While every bit as luxurious as the original, Titanic II will have every modern amenity along with 21st century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems.

Fred Olsen adds two departure ports, extends Liverpool season 2014

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 11 April 2013 11 April 2013

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, the British operator of four medium sized ships, will add two departure ports in 2014 whereby it will sail from 10 ports around the UK, a summary of the line’s next year’s programme mailed by cruise retailer cruise.co.uk shows.

The company will also expand its offering of cruises from Liverpool next year.

Fred. Olsen will operate four departures from Avonmouth, one of the two new depaeture ports, between the end of April and mid-June, with the 28,000 gross ton Boudicca based there.

The company will also move close to London by operating three cruises from Tilbury on the River Thames by Black Watch, which is also of 28,000 gross tons. These cruises will take place in November-December. It already operates cruises from Harwich.

In Liverpool in the north west, the company will have 10 departures that sail between the end of June and the end of December. These cruises will be operated by Boudicca and include a 28 night round voyage to the Black Sea and back in October plus a 16 night cruise to northern Norway in the following month.

Staff works overtime as Oasis of the Seas’ Trans-Atlantic voyage meets “unprecedented demand” in UK

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 10 April 2013 10 April 2013

Following last week’s announcement that the world’s largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, would embark on its first ever European season and transatlantic sailing out of Southampton in the UK, thousands of holiday hungry Brits have pre-registered their interest to be first in the queue to make a booking when it makes its debut in autumn 2014. “The unprecedented demand is the highest ever volume of pre-booking registrations ever seen by Royal Caribbean International,” the company said in a statement.

With the limited cruises set to go on sale on Thursday 11 April 2013, holidaymakers keen to secure their ultimate holiday experience have made the most of the cruise line’s amazing news to get their first pick of the itineraries by registering their interest in droves.

Oasis of the Seas’ European season went on sale to members of Royal Caribbean International’s loyalty club, Crown and Anchor, on 9 April 2013 to a phenomenal reaction. Reservations team members are working overtime, part time workers have been drafted in to work full time and people from other departments across the business are answering phones and taking bookings.

Jo Rzymowska, associate vice president and general manager, Royal Caribbean International, UK and Ireland, explains: “The thousands and thousands of pre-registrations to be one of the first to book Oasis of the Seas’ European cruises are simply mind-blowing and the ship really is living up to its incredible reputation as being a game changer for the industry. We are delighted with the huge reaction from guests and the ship’s first ever transatlantic sailing from the UK is, without a doubt, a really hot holiday ticket.

We traditionally always open sales to our loyalty club members first, and the call volume into our call centre has been beyond all expectations. We have increased the size of the team and have contingency team members ready across the whole business to handle the peak in calls we are expecting when the ship opens for general sale on Thursday at midday.”

As part of the innovative cruise ship’s first ever European season, guests will be able to enjoy hot Mediterranean destinations such as Rome, Palma and Capri. Oasis of the Seas will also pay a visit to British shores when it calls into Southampton on 15 October 2014, a first for the English port, which for five years has served as the summer base for Independence of the Seas. The 13-night westbound transatlantic sailing will depart Rotterdam in The Netherlands before calling into Southampton and Vigo in Spain before arriving into Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Lead-in cabins start at £899 based on a 14 October 2014 departure in Rotterdam.