The midship section of the Global Dream arrives in Wismar
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- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines
- Published: 23 November 2019 23 November 2019
After having been towed 50 miles for nearly a whole day at sea, the hull of the cruise ship Global Dream has arrived safely at the place where it will be assembled and fitted out. Thousands of impressed onlookers watched it come into the Port of Wismar at about 4 p.m. on 23 November.
“We’re glad that the entire transport procedure – from undocking in Warnemünde to securing in the dock hall – proceeded so smoothly,” said Peter Fetten, CEO of MV Werften. “The haulage job was a milestone in the production plan. We superbly mastered this vital step today, also thanks to great project partners at our side.
Two oceangoing tugs towed the centre section of the Global Dream from the MV Werften Warnemünde location proceeding at a speed of about two knots (just under 2.5 mph) in the Baltic. After seven hours on the open sea, the midship section arrived at the island of Poel in the Bay of Wismar in the early morning of 23 November. There four more assistance tugs joined the convoy. The passage of 15 nautical miles (17 land miles) into the Port of Wismar lasted about eight hours. The hull reached the Wismar dock hall at about 5.30 p.m. and was then secured.
The entire operation, from the flooding of the Warnemünde dock to the docking in Wismar, took three days.
The Global Dream will now be finally assembled in the dock hall in Wismar. After undocking next year, she will be finally fitted out at the recently renovated Quay 4. A 125 m high crane specially acquired for work on the Global Class ships will be used to install for instance deck structures such as a water park and an innovative roller coaster. The Global Dream, the flagship of the Global Class, is designed for the fast-growing Asian market. With her length of 342 m and width of 46 m, she will have a maximum passenger capacity of up to 9,500, which is the world record. The Global Dream is due for delivery to Dream Cruises in 2021.
Midsection of Global Dream leaving Rostock
Fincantieri and Ponant sign MoA for the construction of two new-generation cruise ships
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- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines
- Published: 20 November 2019 20 November 2019
Fincantieri has signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA), worth about 300 million euro, for the construction and design of two new-generation luxury expedition cruise vessels for the French cruise company Ponant, a subsidiary of Artemis Group (holding company of the Pinault family). The MoA also envisages an option for one further sister ship.
The finalization of the contract is subject to the fulfilment of technical and financial conditions.
The new units, due for delivery both in 2022, will represent an evolution of the Ponant Explorers class vessels. They will be operated in the South Pacific areas for Paul Gauguin Cruises brand as well as the eponymous ship acquired recently by Ponant, thus bringing the number of ships under this brand to three. They will be built by Vard group’s production network, and they will be about 11.000 gross tons with the capacity to accommodate about 230 passengers on board.
They will be equipped with cutting-edge technology in terms of environment protection, featuring the most extensive battery package application in the market, allowing smokeless operation at anchor, in ports and in environmentally sensitive areas. Furthermore, the agreement paves the way to further cooperation between Ponant, Fincantieri and Vard for the development of other environmentally friendly projects.
Jean Emmanuel Sauvée, CEO of Ponant, commented: “We are delighted to continue our historic collaboration with Fincantieri. This agreement for two additional ships allows us to develop Paul Gauguin brand acquired a few weeks ago and consolidates our position as the world leader of luxury expedition cruise. For the first time in the world of cruising, these two new vessels will cut their engines and cease all emissions each day during each stop, for nearly ten hours per day. Small-capacity ships at the cutting edge of technology and environmental preservation: this project fully matches our philosophy of sustainable tourism."
The CEO of Fincantieri, Giuseppe Bono, stated: “We cannot but welcome with great pleasure the acknowledgement of the partnership with a ship owner like Ponant for this new-generation project, strongly inspired by environmental protection, which takes us to 13 units for them”. Bono concluded: “The strengthening of the commercial relations with our clients, as well as the consolidation of the production network of the Group and of the synergies we develop within it, are the best possible feedbacks highlighting the success of our strategies."
Valiant Lady, Virgin Voyages second ship, to cruise from Barcelona summer 2021
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
- Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines
- Published: 19 November 2019 19 November 2019
Virgin Voyages, the new cruise venture in Sir Richard Branson’s business empire, said their second ship will be called Valiant Lady and that it will sail on three different seven night Mediterranean itineraries out of Barcelona, Spain when it debuts in May 2021.
Itinerary 1 includes Barcelona, Ibiza, Monte Carlo, Marseille and Olbia.
Itinerary 2 includes Barcelona, Ibiza, Toulon, Ajaccio, Marina di Carrara and Cagliari.
Itinerary 3 includes Barcelona, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga and the British port of Gibraltar.
“We are thrilled to unveil the name of our second ship - Valiant Lady - and to deliver on our commitment to offer travelers a sea change in how they can experience cruising in this fantastic part of the world. Our Sailors will fall in love with the places we go and the moments and memories they will be able to create on our gorgeous ship. After all, there is no better way to sail the seven seas than doing it the Virgin way,” said Tom McAlpin, CEO of Virgin Voyages.
The Miami based company has four 110,000 gross ton ships on order at Fincantieri in Italy.
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