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20 Feb 2024

ABB to Power First South American Built Hybrid-electric Polar Expedition Cruise Ship

(Image: Antarctica21)

ABB has been selected by the Astilleros y Servicios Navales S.A. (ASENAV) shipyard based in Chile to provide a power and propulsion system for Antarctica21’s newbuild boutique expedition ship Magellan Discoverer. Due for delivery in 2026, the vessel is the first hybrid-electric polar cruise ship featuring Azipod propulsion to be built in the Americas. Accommodating up to 96 passengers and 67 crew members, the vessel will be operating in the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and…

05 Feb 2024

Cruise Passenger Numbers Rebound at Port of New Orleans

(Photo: Port NOLA)

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) reports its cruise passenger numbers are back to pre-pandemic levels. The port said Monday that it finished calendar year 2023 with nearly 1.2 million cruise passenger movements and renewed commitments to the New Orleans cruise market from both oceangoing and river cruise lines.“The cruise business has rebounded in New Orleans and cruise line partners are confident in our Port NOLA cruise market,” said Port NOLA president and CEO Brandy D. Christian.

12 Feb 2024

Royal Caribbean Upbeat on 2024 Profit

© Roberto Sorin / Adobe Stock

Royal Caribbean Group projected 2024 profit above Wall Street expectations after robust demand for cruise vacations and steeper ticket prices helped it beat fourth-quarter earnings estimates on Thursday.With travelers opting for cruises instead of more expensive land-based vacation options, operators are experiencing record levels of bookings compared to pre-pandemic levels, giving them enough room to mark up ticket prices."2023 was an exceptional year, propelled by unmatched demand for our brands from new and loyal guests…

23 Jan 2024

SunStone Lines Up Multi-year Charters for Two Expedition Cruise Ships

(Photo: SunStone Maritime Group)

SunStone Maritime Group announced it has secured multi-year charters for two of its expedition cruise ships.The deals are for SunStone's Infinity Class vessels Ocean Explorer and the Ocean Odyssey, both built by China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) and delivered in 2021 and 2022 respectively.Under its new charter agreement, Ocean Explorer will return to polar cruising in October 2024 for SunStone's long-term client Quark Expeditions. The vessel, which ran aground in a remote part of Greenland last year…

30 Nov 2023

Viking Vela Floated Out

Source: Finantieri

Viking Vela, the first of a new series of cruise ships that Fincantieri is building for the shipowner Viking, has been floated out at the shipyard in Ancona. The delivery is scheduled for late 2024.The vessel will be placed in the small cruise ship segment. She will have a gross tonnage of about 54,300 tons, will be equipped with 499 cabins and will be able to accommodate 998 passengers on board.Viking Vela will spend its inaugural season sailing voyages in the Mediterranean and in Northern Europe.“Together with Fincantieri…

14 Nov 2023

Viking Expands Southeast Asia River Fleet

Source: Viking

Viking has announced the expansion of its river fleet in Southeast Asia with the new Viking Tonle.Designed for the Mekong River, the vessel will join its identical sister ship, the Viking Saigon, which debuted in 2022, and will sail between Kampong Cham, Cambodia, and Mỹ Tho, Vietnam, as part of Viking's 15-day Magnificent Mekong itinerary.The ship is under construction and is currently scheduled to debut in October 2025. To meet strong demand for Mekong River voyages, Viking…

27 Oct 2023

Royal Caribbean Raises Profit Target Again on Robust Cruise Vacation Demand

© aerial-drone / Adobe Stock

Royal Caribbean Group on Thursday lifted its full-year profit forecast for a third time and said bookings for the next year were "significantly outpacing" pre-pandemic levels by a wide margin, sending its shares up about 3%.Cruise operators are reaping the rewards as travelers gravitate to cruise vacations that are cheaper compared to taking a land-based holiday.This has given the companies the ability to hike itinerary prices, especially in North America and Europe, as occupancy…

03 Oct 2023

Belize to Make Biofuel from Problem Seaweed

© ENRIQUETA / Adobe Stock

Belize is developing a pilot project to convert the masses of foul-smelling sargassum seaweed swamping its pristine beaches into biofuel, its prime minister said in a statement published by regional Caribbean bloc CARICOM on Tuesday.Many Caribbean countries depend economically on drawing travelers from around the world to their white sand beaches, but since 2010 heaps of rotting seaweed have been massing on the shores for reasons scientists do not yet fully understand but suspect are related to climate change.Floating sargassum provides shelter and food for marine animals but as it washes asho

05 Sep 2023

SeaLink Marine & Tourism Names New Executive GM

David Hay (Photo: SeaLink Marine & Tourism)

Australian operator SeaLink Marine & Tourism announced the internal promotion of David Hay to the newly created role of Executive General Manager – Business Operations. Hay will commence the new role on October 4.SeaLink Marine & Tourism’s fleet of 113 vessels connect travelers to 16 islands around Australia and includes tourism and hospitality experiences in multiple capital city harbors and major rivers, as well as two island resorts on K’gari (Fraser Island). Contracted essential transport services with governments and private clients include ferry services for passenger…

18 May 2023

US Maritime Industry Working to Solve the People Puzzle

(Photo: Crowley)

For companies active in all parts of the commercial maritime sector, finding and holding onto the workers they need to build, operate and service the industry’s wide range of vessels has been challenging. Simply put, the labor market is tight, and the problem is not getting any easier to solve.Mike Ellis, CEO at American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL), said a continued shortage of qualified personnel has been the most pressing issue for ACBL—and probably for the barging industry as a whole. “There's been so much demand on people.

09 May 2023

Stena Line Acquires Ferry and RoRo Port Operations in Ventspils

(Photo: Stena Line)

Stena Line announced on Tuesday that it has acquired the operations of the ferry and RoRo terminals in the Port of Ventspils, Latvia, representing the latest in a range of investments in the Baltic region, including the addition of upgraded ferries and new ferry routes.The acquisition in Latvia is the latest among several moves to support Stena Line’s long-term expansion in the growing Baltic Sea region. Stena Line has operated the route between Ventspils and Nynäshamn, Sweden…

16 Feb 2023

2023 Shipbuilding Report: US Passenger Vessels

Casco Bay Line selected the Senesco to build a double ended hybrid electric ferry to replace an existing diesel boat. (Image: EBDG)

With travel and tourism nearing pre-2020 levels, and transit systems benefiting from a return to work, passenger vessels have seen renewed activity. In its year-end review, John Groundwater, Executive Director of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA), which advocates for the sector in Washington, D.C. wrote: “As we are nearing the end of the calendar year, we are delighted to report that our industry, and our members, are reporting far and wide that they have experienced very…

08 Sep 2022

World’s First Zero-emission Cruise Ship Ordered

Design rendering of Northern Xplorer’s zero-emission cruise ship (Image: Multi Maritime)

Northern Xplorer has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with Portuguese shipbuilder West Sea for the construction its maiden vessel, said to be the world’s first zero-emission cruise ship.West Sea intends to build the 250-passenger vessel at its facility in Viana do Costello north of Porto for expected delivery at the start of the 2025/2026 cruise season.“As a shipbuilder focused on advanced vessels and high quality, we very much look forward to working together with Northern Xplorer.

31 Aug 2022

Royal Caribbean Will Be Industry's First to Use SpaceX’s Starlink High-speed Internet

Royal Caribbean first trialed SpaceX’s Starlink on board Freedom of the Seas. (Photo: Royal Caribbean Group)

Royal Caribbean Group this week revealed it will be the industry's first cruise ship operator to implement SpaceX’s Starlink for onboard broadband internet service for guests and crew fleetwide.The cruise giant said on Tuesday it will immediately begin installing Starlink high-speed, low-latency connectivity on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises ships, along with all new vessels for each of its brands going forward. Initial installations…

28 Jul 2022

Royal Caribbean's Loss Narrows

© Jillian Cain / Adobe Stock

Cruise operator Royal Caribbean Group (RCL.N) on Thursday reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss as bookings rebounded and travelers splurged on cabanas, spa treatments and watches while onboard.The world's second-largest cruise line operator is the latest company to report good results as travelers, free of restrictions related to COVID-19, spend heavily on rental cars, airline tickets and hotels."Despite concerns about the U.S. and global economy, high inflation and amid geopolitical uncertainty…

25 Jul 2022

More Long Delays at UK's Port of Dover

© Eddie Cloud / Adobe Stock

Long queues of holidaymakers and lorries built up on Saturday outside the Port of Dover, Britain's main gateway to Europe, and officials said the disruption could be worse than the logjam seen on Friday.Travelers setting out at the start of the British school summer holidays, as well as the usual flow of goods lorries, have faced long delays because of slow border checks.The Kent Resilience Forum, which brings together local councils and emergency services, declared a "major incident"…

21 Jul 2022

US Cruise Operators' Recovery Runs Into Rough Weather

© TOimages / Adobe Stock

Andrea Mather's plans for a long-awaited summer cruise around the Hawaiian islands with her financial analyst husband unraveled after her booking with Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America was canceled due to a staffing shortage.It was the second time this year that the 55-year-old homemaker's plan to go on a cruise was scuppered.The cruise industry is sailing in choppy waters yet again as it has to deal with a storm of labor problems, red-hot inflation and recessionary threat…

27 Jun 2022

Carnival Fined $5 Million for Cybersecurity Violations

© Tamme / Adobe Stock

A New York state regulator on Friday fined cruise line operator Carnival Corp $5 million for "significant" cybersecurity violations, following four security breaches from 2019 to 2021 that exposed substantial amounts of sensitive customer data.New York's Department of Financial Services said Carnival violated a state cybersecurity regulation by failing to use multi-factor authentication that would make it harder for wrongdoers to access its internal network.It also said Carnival…

03 May 2022

Cruise Line Azamara Adds New Vessel to Its Fleet

Credit: Azamara

Cruise line Azamara has officially added Azamara Onward vessel to its now four-ship fleet on Tuesday, following a festive naming ceremony in Monte Carlo. The christening ceremony was led by the President of Azamara, Carol Cabezas, and Azamara Onward Godmother, Beth Santos, founder and CEO of global community and lifestyle brand Wanderful."We are thrilled to introduce Azamara Onward and share this special moment with our loyal guests," said Carol Cabezas, President of Azamara.

02 May 2022

Ferry Passenger Rescued After Going Overboard Near Galveston

A ferry passenger who fell into the water off Galveston, Texas, was rescued on Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston command center watchstanders received a report at 11:30 a.m. over VHF-FM channel 16 from personnel aboard the John W. Johnson, a nearby passenger vessel, who saw an adult male fall off the Gibb Gilchrist ferry in the vicinity of Seawolf Park.Sector Houston-Galveston command center personnel issued an urgent marine information broadcast while an already on-scene 45-foot Response Boat–Medium boat crew from Coast Guard Station Freeport diverted to assist.The RB–M boat crew located the person in the water, pulled the individual aboard and transferred the man to awaiting emergency medical services personnel at Coast Guard Station Galveston.

30 Mar 2022

US CDC Scraps COVID Warning for Cruise Travel After 2 Years

© Costin79 / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday removed its COVID-19 notice against cruise travel, around two years after introducing a warning scale showing the level of coronavirus transmission risk on cruise ships.The move offers a shot of hope to major U.S. cruise operators such as Carnival Corp, Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd that have struggled to bring in revenue since the pandemic started.Cruise operators had also said the health agency was discriminating against the industry…

15 Mar 2022

Australia to Lift Entry Ban for Cruise Ships After Two Years

© Aleksey Rudy / Adobe Stock

Australia on Tuesday said it would lift its entry ban for international cruise ships next month, effectively ending all major COVID-related travel bans after two years and boosting a tourism industry hit hard by the pandemic restrictions.Australia banned the entry of cruise ships in March 2020, when they were the source of about 20% of Australia's early coronavirus infections. The vessels became a flashpoint in its pandemic response after symptomatic passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney…

11 Mar 2022

What is the Insured’s Duty Under a Marine Insurance Policy? It Depends …

© Aerial Mike / Adobe Stock

The law governing marine insurance in the United States has long been a source of considerable confusion. And if there was once a clear set of principles applicable in such cases, the Supreme Court long ago muddied the waters with their infamous ruling in Wilburn Boat Co. v. Fireman’s Fund Ins. Co., 348 U.S. 310 (1955). That case, involving a fire on a houseboat on an inland man-made lake on the Texas-Oklahoma border, established the “litmus test” for when maritime law should…

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