Cruiseship News

SeaDream Cancels 2020 Sailings After Virus Outbreak

Norwegian-owned cruiseship operator SeaDream Yacht Club has cancelled all sailing for the remainder of 2020 after positive COVID-19 test results onboard one of its cruises, it said on Tuesday, dealing a fresh blow to the cruise industry.The decision follows an outbreak of the novel coronavirus aboard a voyage of its SeaDream I vessel in the Caribbean last week.“7 guests and 2 crew members have tested positive for Covid-19 by Barbados health authorities,” SeaDream said in a statement.Requirements for multiple negative PCR tests from guests before boarding had not been sufficient to prevent COVID-19 onboard, it said.“The company will now spend time to evaluate and see if it is possible to operate and have a high degree of certainty of not getting COVID…

MSC Cruises Returns to Thordon to Keep Seashore Clean

Thordon Bearings has received an order to supply a water-lubricated propeller shaft bearing solution to Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard for installation to MSC Seashore, the third Seaside Class cruiseship to which Thordon’s COMPAC system has been specified.As part of a scope of environmentally-sustainable technology to feature aboard the 339m long, twin screw vessel – the first of two enriched Seaside Evo Class ships scheduled to enter services in 2021 – Thordon will supply two 628mm (24.7in) diameter COMPAC propeller shaft bearings…

Marseille Fos to be 1st Electric Port in Med

The the main trade seaport of France, the Port of Marseille Fos has unveiled a new eco-friendly initiative that supports the port's goal of becoming the Mediterranean's first fully electric port by 2025.Marseille Fos CEO Hervé Martel said: “We are convinced that ecological transition is the springboard to economic growth. That’s why we are investing heavily to become the Mediterranean’s first 100% electric port by 2025."Among a string of new eco-friendly initiatives, the Marseille Fos port authority is to spend EUR 20 million over the next six years to extend shore-side electrical connections for berthed vessels to every ferry, cruiseship and repair quay within the Marseille eastern harbour.Already available on the Corsica ferry quays…

Marseille Fos Accelerates Air Emissions Cuts

Among a string of new eco-friendly initiatives, the Marseille Fos port authority is to spend $22 million over the next six years to extend shoreside electrical connections for berthed vessels to every ferry, cruiseship and repair quay within the Marseille eastern harbor.Already available on the Corsica ferry quays, the network will be expanded in two phases to cover North Africa ferry quays and the shiprepair hub by 2022 and the cruise terminal between 2022 and 2025. The zero…

MethaShip Project Projects Methanol as Future Fuel

The Methanol Institute has welcomed the findings of the MethaShip research project which has concluded that renewable Methanol offers a long term solution for the industry’s ambitious carbon emission reduction strategy.The MethaShip partners found that Methanol can offer a dramatic improvement in emissions reduction across multiple ship types once the IMO has established the statutory framework conditions necessary for an industry-wide reduction of CO2 emissions.“The whole shipping sector is facing major challenges with ever stricter emission regulations for ships, paired with a growing environmental awareness among ship owners and passengers alike,” says MethaShip Project Leader Daniel Sahnen of MEYER WERFT.

Cruising for a Better and Equal World

The cruiseship MS Koningsdam, will be the backdrop of the Women’s InternationalShipping and Trading Association’s Annual General Meeting (9-13 November). Departing in Port Everglades with stops in Miami and the Bahamas, this unusual meeting location will see participants discuss topics around the theme: "Always in Motion: Ever Changing". The conference will examine the changing regulatory landscape and its impact on maritime safety, security and the environment. Topics of interest to International Maritime Organization (IMO) , and its work on the Sustainable DevelopmentGoals, such as women leaders in the maritime industry will also be featured.

40% Cruise Ships Use Outdated Sewage Treatment Plants

ACO Marine has welcomed the findings reported in the Friends of the Earth 2016 Cruise Ship Report Card, the annual survey of cruise shipping’s impact on the environment, which highlights a growing need for the sector to update its sewage treatment technology. The annual FOE survey, published in June, documented the environmental footprint of 17 cruise lines and 171 cruise ships, finding that a significant proportion of vessels continue to operate out-dated sewage treatment plant. The FOE found that 40% of cruiseships continue to use 35-year-old technology, calling for an urgent upgrade to systems capable of preventing environmental damage from the discharge of poorly treated black, grey and galley waste water streams.

Treatment Standards Needed for Oily Galley Water

Marine regulators have been urged to introduce performance standards for the separation of fats from galley water before the oily mix enters the onboard treatment process and causes system failure. Currently there are no IMO standards for the separation of fats, oils and grease from galley water, despite the treated water having to comply with the MEPC 227(64) regulation, which does not allow the discharge of any oils. Mark Beavis, the Managing Director of water treatment specialist ACO Marine, said: “Galley water should be free of waste sludge, fats, oils and greases before it enters the treatment process otherwise biological overloading and system blockages can occur, causing system failure and possible pollution.

ACO Marine Unveils New PE Separators

Wastewater management specialist ACO Marine has introduced a new composite grease separator as part of its Lipator and Lipatomat product range. Manufactured from high-density polyethylene (PE) composite, ACO Marine’s new PE-Lipator (manual) and PE-Lipatomat (automatic) separators have been designed to meet market demand for more cost-effective, lighter units capable of delivering the same performance benefits as the stainless steel models, the company said. As with the stainless steel Lipator and Lipatomat units…

From Fire to Emissions, Ferry Debates Heat Up

Firefighting led a stream of topical debate at trade association Interferry’s 40th annual conference in Copenhagen last week – but not before a record 342 delegates came under fire from a leading Green politician claiming that ‘shipping is currently one of the unaddressed areas of air pollution’. Michael Cramer, German chair of the European Parliament’s transport and tourism committee, delivered a stinging opening address demanding that the ferry and shipping sectors become more environmentally sustainable. He said ‘most vessels are like hazardous waste incinerators because they burn heavy fuel oil which should be processed as highly toxic waste but is usually exhaled without sufficient filtering’.

Port of Seattle’s Cruise Season Underway

The Port of Seattle’s 2015 cruise season began May 1 at Smith Cove Cruise Terminal with the arrival of the Holland America Line Westerdam. The port expects 192 cruise ship calls this season, bringing an estimated 895,055 revenue passengers. “Each of these cruise ships contribute $2.5 million to the local economy, which comes out to over $400 million for this cruise season,” said Port Commissioner Stephanie Bowman. “We also want passengers to stay in the area an extra few days to spend more time and money in Washington state.

Thordon Bearings COMPAC System for Britannia

P&O Cruise’s new flagship Britannia was officially christened by the Queen yesterday at a naming ceremony in Southampton, U.K. The 3,647 passenger vessel, the largest cruise ship built by Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard for the British market, features a bevy of environmentally-friendly solutions, including Thordon Bearings’ COMPAC system to safeguard the marine environment against operational oil spills. Andy Edwards, Commercial Director, Thordon Bearings, said, “The delivery of Britannia – the largest cruiseship built for the U.K.

Costa Concordia's Schettino Awaits Verdict

Schettino accused over loss of cruiseship in January 2012. Charges include manslaughter, causing shipwreck, abandoning ship. The former captain of the doomed Costa Concordia on Wednesday gave his final address to a court where he is being tried over the loss of the giant cruiseliner, saying he had been made a scapegoat in a disaster in which 32 people died in January 2012. The court in Grosseto, Italy, may hand down a verdict as early as Wednesday evening for Schettino, 54, on charges of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship, defence lawyers said. Investigators severely criticised his handling of the disaster…

Baby Medevaced from Cruiseship in Gulf of Mexico

A Coast Guard helicopter crew medevaced an 8-month-old baby girl from the cruise ship Carnival Triumph early Monday morning, 140 miles southeast of Galveston. "It was very rewarding to be able to start a search-and-rescue career helping out a mother and her 8-month-old who really needed us at the time," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Daniel Grow, in reference to his first rescue as a qualified flight mechanic. At 7:15 p.m. Sunday, the Carnival Triumph's crew called Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston to request a medical evacuation for a baby suffering from seizures and trouble breathing, while the ship was about 230 miles southeast of Galveston. A Coast Guard flight surgeon concurred with the cruise ship's medical staff for the necessity of the medevac.

Marseille Fos Unveils Multimillion Growth Strategy

The Marseille Fos port authority has set out a vision for growth over the four years to 2018 in a strategic plan that puts developments costing $560 million at the heart of measures to offer clients a dynamic Euro-Mediterranean logistics and industrial cluster. The developments - including new projects and those already in the pipeline – target areas of activity with the greatest potential for strong growth and gaining market share. A key aim is to position the port as a viable European Gateway alternative to ports in the northern range.

SMM 2014 Witnesses Record Turnout

SMM was another full success. With more than 2,100 exhibitors from all around the world, including 150 first-timers, with 50,000 industry visitors and roughly 90,000 square metres of exhibition space, SMM has demonstrated once again what it means to be the leading international trade fair of the maritime industry. After four days brimming with activity, the 26th SMM came to a close today. "We set new records this year," said Bernd Aufderheide, CEO and President of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH. "The excellent turnout not only showed that companies are ready to meet the current challenges with determination, but it also revealed a growing appreciation for collaboration," he added.

Liberian Registry Appoints New Vice President

The Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR), a member of the YCF Group of companies and exclusive administrator of the world’s largest quality ship register, has appointed Christian Mollitor to the position of vice president. This newly created role represents a return to LISCR for Mollitor. Having formerly held the position of Assistant Department Head of Seafarer Certification and Documentation, he left the registry in 2001 to further develop his career. This…

Feature: Queen Mary 2 New Technology Melded to the North Atlantic Tradition

Confounding the skeptics who said the 70,300-gt Queen Elizabeth 2 would be the last transatlantic liner ever built, the 150,000-gt Queen Mary 2 is set to make her service debut in January 2004, signifying a $780-million investment in a luxury passenger ship structurally engineered for the North Atlantic. Destined to uphold and revitalize the Cunard liner tradition, the 30-knot QM2 will break new ground in passenger ship technology, while incorporating lessons learned with the 1969-commissioned QE2. The challenge of fulfilling an extremely tough schedule in a notoriously harsh environment, and of meeting rising customer expectations as to service quality, comfort and reliability in all conditions, permeates every aspect of the technical design.

News: ISPS Code for Ship Repair Facilities?

Lloyd Werft's Werner Lüken may not be too sure as to whether ship repair yards constitute "port facilities" under the ISPS Code but others do not share his doubts. Speaking at the Shiprepair Conference and Exhibition in London last month, he said he really didn't think that repair yards should be included under the Code's requirements and that newbuilding yards certainly shouldn't be. However, he admitted to being in ongoing discussions with the German authorities on the point and, as perhaps the world's most prominent cruiseship yard, there is a lot at stake. The arguments are complex and will keep lawyers busy for months. However, as Peter Rowat of the London Shipping Consultancy pointed out, whether or not repair facilities are covered by the Code's requirements is not really the issue.

Feature: New Potency in Electronic Control

German predilection for technological advance permeates all areas of primary business and industrial activity, to the undoubted benefit of the competitive standing of its international market players. In the maritime domain, a clear appreciation of the long-term operating benefits promised by the application of electronic regulation to massively powerful, two-stroke propulsion engines is denoted by Hapag-Lloyd's selection of K98ME diesels for its next generation of linehaul vessels. In explaining some of the rationale in opting for electronically controlled, 'cathedral' engines of the largest size produced to date, an article in a recent edition of the in-house publication Hapag-Lloyd News illustrated the pragmatic approach to state-of-the-art technology.

Dow Named VP of Public Affairs for Carnival

Corporation & plc. America. departments to coordinate policies and positions on various industry issues. Arison and Vice Chairman and COO Howard Frank. its need for a liaison with federal, state and local governments. said. past seven years. Tours' hotel division for two years. service and various other interests. Foundation and sits on several committees for the ICCL and NWCA. organization's North Star award in 1990. was chairman and a board member of the Alaska Native Tourism Council. Dow holds a B.A. Northern Colorado.

New Car Terminal at Marseilles Fos Port

Following a call for tenders in November last year, the Marseilles Fos port authority has chosen automotive logistics specialist TEA – part of the Charles Andre transport group - to develop and operate an import/export terminal for new cars at the Brule-Tabac quay in Fos. The decision was announced during a review of the port’s first five years under a revised management structure decreed by the French government in 2008. This established three governing bodies – the executive, supervisory and development boards – which are about to be renewed after completing their 2009-2013 terms of office.

SEMBCORP MARINE’S SEMBAWANG SHIPYARD TO REVITALISE 'VOYAGER OF THE SEAS'

Sembcorp Marine’s wholly-owned subsidiary Sembawang Shipyard has secured an agreement with RCL Cruises Ltd., a member of the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. group, to perform the extensive revitalisation of Royal Caribbean International’s 137,276-gross tonnage, passenger-ship 'Voyager of the Seas'. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that owns Royal Caribbean International, among other cruise brands. This milestone revitalisation contract will further boost Singapore’s status as a major Asian cruise hub and reinforce Sembawang Shipyard’s reputation as one of the world’s leading shipyards in the highly specialised segment of cruise ships repair, refurbishment and conversion. Mr. P.K.