Ponant to expand its fleet to 12 ships by 2021
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- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines
- Published: 06 March 2018 06 March 2018
Ponant, the leader in expedition cruising and the only cruise line carrying the French flag, announced today the launch of two additional vessels which will expand its fleet to 12 ships with 2,000 crew members and 460 departures by 2021. "In an age when oversized ships are the norm, Ponant has made a strategic decision throughout its history to focus on small-ship cruising with all the intimacy and authenticity that it allows," the company said in a statement.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2018, Ponant specializes in destinations around the world that are inaccessible to larger ships such as Antarctica, the Arctic, Alaska, the Amazon, the Orinoco, Kimberley, Papua New Guinea, and even the roof of the world at the Geographic North Pole and the North-East Passage.
Ponant’s expansion includes construction of the fifth and sixth vessels in the innovative Explorers series. The new yacht-like ships, to be called Le Bellot and Le Surville, will launch in 2020 with sleek design, state-of-the-art ship technology and respect for the environment – they will comply with the international CLEANSHIP label (Bureau Veritas). Each ship will have 92 cabins that are elegantly appointed with warm and contemporary design and balconies overlooking the sea. In addition, each ship will feature four suites with bay windows and terraces to take advantage of extraordinary views.
They will join sister Explorers ships Le Lapérouse, Le Champlain, Le Bougainville and Le Dumont d’Urville, launching in 2018 and 2019. Like the four already ordered, construction of these two additional ships will be entrusted to Norwegian shipyard Vard, part of Fincantieri Group. Ponant also recently announced that it will launch the first electric hybrid cruise icebreaker with luxury appointments in 2021, yet another pioneering development in polar exploration.
These six Explorer ships will all offer the world’s first multi-sensory underwater lounge called “Blue Eye,” allowing passengers to discover and experience the underwater world via two portholes in the shape of a cetaceous eye, looking out into the marine world. There will be non-intrusive underwater lighting, and hydrophones integrated into the keel that retransmit the natural symphony of the deep water, as well as body listening sofas, which will discreetly vibrate in unison with the streaming aquatic acoustics.
Viking Cruises to order six more vessels from Fincantieri
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- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines
- Published: 06 March 2018 06 March 2018
During the Seatrade Cruise Global, the most important annual event in the cruise sector, currently under way in Fort Lauderdale (Florida, USA), Fincantieri and Viking have announced that they entered an agreement for six further ocean ships, which would lead to a total number of 16 units built in cooperation between the two companies, expanding the horizon of the partnership until 2027.
The understanding for the new ships, whose delivery is scheduled for the years 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, is subject to specific conditions. In fact, Fincantieri and the shipowner will develop an advanced project based on the successful characteristics of the previous ships, updated and revisited in line with the latest technologies available on the market.
Viking’s current ocean fleet includes ships having exclusively all-veranda staterooms, a gross tonnage of about 47,800 tons with accommodation for 930 passengers in 465 cabins.
As of today, Fincantieri has delivered four ships to Viking Ocean Cruises. The first of the series, Viking Star, has been built at the shipyard in Marghera and delivered in March 2015; the second the third and the fourth, Viking Sea, Viking Sky and Viking Sun, took the sea from the Ancona shipyard respectively in March 2016, January and September 2017. The further six units in the order book will be delivered respectively in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 (2 units) and 2023.
On the sidelines of today’s announcement, Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, commented: “We are proud to have trusted a start up which has proved highly successful. In 2012, in fact, the partnership with this prestigious ship owner began with two ships and as of today we nearly count 16 units. It’s an all-time record, the highest number of ships from one single ship owner for a shipyard, which makes Viking, already the worldwide first river cruise company, the leader also in the small ship ocean cruise market”. Bono then continued: “Furthermore, the agreement confirms the extraordinary moment of the demand in this sector. This allows Fincantieri to consolidate its worldwide leadership, laying the groundwork to enhance the order book with a workload ensuring today work safety for the next 10 years”.
ABB’s Azipod propulsion passes 100 cruise ship milestone with Ponant order
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- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines
- Published: 06 March 2018 06 March 2018
Azipod propulsion, the ABB technology that has become the industry standard in the cruise segment since its launch in 1990, has secured its 100th cruise ship order, winning a contract for powering the world’s first electric hybrid icebreaker.
The luxury polar expedition cruise ship, due delivery for the French cruise company Ponant in 2021, will feature two Azipod VI propulsion units fit for the most challenging ice conditions.
Upon delivery from Norway’s Vard Søviknes, a Fincantieri Company, the cruise ship will take passengers to unexplored destinations in Arctic and Antarctic waters. In the harsh conditions of ice-covered seas, Azipod units with 6-meter propellers and combined power of 34 MW will help the vessel achieve greater maneuverability and efficiency, as well as lower the environmental impact. Due to minimal noise and vibration, Azipod propulsion will also improve passenger and crew comfort.
“We are delighted that Ponant chose to rely on ABB’s leading expertise both in cruise and ice-going vessel propulsion for their pioneering vessel,” said Juha Koskela, Managing Director, ABB Marine & Ports. “Azipod units already power more than 80 vessels navigating in icy seas, and reaching the 100th cruise ship order highlights ABB’s commitment to a technology with superior performance, reliability, safety and environmental profile.”
Propulsion system of choice for cruise vessels around the world
The first Azipod order from a cruise ship customer in 1995 led to installations on board the Carnival Cruise Lines' Fantasy-class newbuildings Elation and Paradise. An order from Royal Caribbean Cruises came in 1997, with three Azipod units installed on the biggest cruise ship of its time – Voyager of the Seas. Other large cruise lines followed, selecting Azipod propulsion for their vessels.
“At the beginning of the 1990s, we entered the cruise market with a technology offering a 10-15% efficiency gain over conventional shaftline systems and a gearless construction that reduces environmental impact,” said Marcus Högblom, Head of the Passenger, Ice & Dry Cargo segment, ABB Marine & Ports. “Since then, the cruise market has been increasingly choosing Azipod propulsion. We estimate that energy savings equivalent to 700,000 tons of fuel have been made in the cruise sector due to the selection of Azipod.”
Options for Azipod propulsion now span 1.5MW to 22MW, and the technology has played a key role in developing ABB Marine & Ports’ strong position for environmentally-friendly electric propulsion.
Utilizing the ABB Ability Collaborative Operation Center infrastructure, ABB experts are able to monitor the operational parameters of the Azipod cruise fleet and coordinate remote equipment analysis, diagnostics, and predictive maintenance services.
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