Cruise Ship News

Greece's tourism jewel, Santorini, welcomed its first cruise ship of the year on Sunday after thousands of small earthquakes in February created a state of emergency, forced thousands to flee and had locals fearing the season would be lost.Millions of tourists flock to Santorini every year, squeezing along its whitewashed cobbled streets to view its famous cliff-top sunset. The increased seismic activity - unprecedented even in a country as quake-prone as Greece - had prompted authorities to shut schools…

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest cruise company, is advancing greater fuel efficiency for propulsion through hull designs and new hardware and technology, along with underwater drone inspection and cleaning trials.This work is done through complementary strategies focused on maximizing hydrodynamic performance and enhancing ongoing hull maintenance, which reduces a ship’s underwater drag. Here's a synopsis of the CCL strategy:Hull Designs: When selecting the optimal hull design…

Resorts World Cruises announced the return of two iconic Asian cruise brands – StarCruises and Dream Cruises. The Resorts World Cruises brand was used temporarily to restart cruising in Asia post-Covid and will be reverting to its roots over the last 30 years. The brand transition period will take approximately three months with the renewed ambition to reinforce StarCruises and Dream Cruises as pioneers of the Asian and global cruising industry.Launched in June 2022, Resorts World Cruises has welcomed close to 2 million passengers, setting the foundation for this momentous transformation.

German shipyard Meyer Werft has launched the zero4cruise project with project partners including Freudenberg e-Power Systems and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).The project aims to develop climate-friendly and low emission energy systems for cruise ships, focusing on fuel cell technology powered by green methanol.The hybrid energy system will combine PEM fuel cells with a methanol reformer and battery systems to optimize efficiency and ensure ships can operate carbon-neutral…

The Greek parliament on Wednesday approved a bill increasing a daily tax on short-term rental and hotel accommodation and charging cruise ship visitors a levy to cope with the impact of natural disasters on its economy.Due to climate change, Greece is facing an increased number of extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts and forest-fires, which strain its public finances. Tourism is the main driver of its economy, which emerged from a debt crisis in 2018.From 2025, the…

SunStone Maritime Group has launched its latest expedition cruise vessel, Douglas Mawson, at China Merchants Heavy Industry.With a capacity up to 170 passengers and 102 crew, the vessel features advanced safety systems, energy-efficient operations and eco-friendly technologies designed to minimize environmental impact.Built with Ulstein’s revolutionary X-Bow® design, the vessel is IceClass 1A and Polar Class 6, ensuring safe and efficient operations in some of the world’s most challenging environments.

HX (formerly known as Hurtigruten Expeditions) has partnered with the University of Tasmania, Australia, and its Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) on a training program for Antarctic cruise passengers.For the first time, HX’s guests and expedition teams will have the opportunity to explore Antarctic and polar science with world-leading researchers in a university-developed program that blends immersive learning with real-world experiences – with the online course…

Hurtigruten has released updated plans for its Sea Zero project, the zero-emission ship scheduled to debut in 2030.With the help of large batteries and sails, the ship will be able to sail entirely emission-free during normal operation, with energy consumption reduced by 40-50%.Hurtigruten initially announced its Sea Zero project in October 2022, and then unveiled its first set of renderings in summer 2023. This latest advancement was developed in the Norwegian city of Ålesund by Vard…

The Transport Emission Control Team at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has released a study of methane slip and other emissions from an LNG-powered marine engine operating under real-life conditions.The now published study ‘Methane slip and other emissions from newbuild LNG engine under real-world operation of a state-of-the art cruise ship' details the results of a study conducted on the newbuild cruise ship MSC World Europa. One of its five engines, a Wartsila 46DF…

German federal and state governments will invest 400 million euros ($445.84 million) in Meyer Werft, one of the world's top makers of cruise ships, for an 80% stake to secure the future of the company, a local government minister said on Wednesday.The support plan also includes guarantees for 2.6 billion euros in loans for the family-owned company, said Olaf Lies, economy minister in the state of Lower Saxony.Meyer Werft's home state agreed the support plan together with the Berlin government and other stakeholders.The shipbuilder with a 229-year history boasts full order books but is facing a

Corvus Energy has received Type Approval from RINA for its large-scale marine energy storage system, the Blue Whale ESS. RINA Type Approval confirms that the Blue Whale ESS complies with RINA Rules for the Certification of Lithium Battery Systems. This approval, along with recently awarded type approval from DNV, demonstrate that the large-scale energy storage system complies with the most stringent regulations and safety requirements in the industry.The result of a multimillion-dollar development program…

Viking Vesta, the newest cruise ship which Fincantieri is building for the shipowner Viking, has been floated out at the shipyard in Ancona, Italy.The vessel will enter service in the summer of 2025, offering itineraries in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.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 accommodate 998 passengers. The new unit, along with its sister ship Viking Vela…

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has selected Star International to provide safety maintenance for its three-strong fleet of smaller-sized cruise ships.The five-year partnership includes the annual inspection and repair of firefighting systems and life-saving equipment (including SOLAS inflatable lifejackets) onboard the Bolette, Borealis and Balmoral.Star’s Managing Director, Matthew Ball, commented: “Having worked with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines on a number of occasions recently, we were delighted when they approached us for this long-term contract to help safeguard their passengers and crew.

Auramarine has won an order from Meyer Turku shipyard for a methanol fuel supply system and associated equipment for the luxury Mein Schiff 7 cruise vessel owned by TUI Cruises.Auramarine’s equipment deliveries began in 2023 and continued over the spring of 2024. Sea trials were conducted in May 2024, and the vessel is scheduled for delivery over the summer this year. The methanol-ready newbuild is the first of its kind in the maritime industry and aligns with TUI Cruises’ sustainability strategy of offering the first climate-neutral cruises by 2030.

Meyer Turku Group's results for 2023 indicate the company's turnover was 1.43 billion euros, which means a growth of 10.6% compared to the previous year.Both the turnover and the number of personnel have been growing for three consecutive years. The loss for the financial year 2023 was 103.8 MEUR (i.e. -7.2% of the turnover).The fiscal year 2023 of the shipyard company was affected by the ship deals that were closed before the covid pandemic, the new prototype ship project and the loss provision for the ship to be delivered in 2024.Beyond that…

Carnival Corporation's Cunard cruise line announced it has taken delivery of its newest cruise ship, Queen Anne, from Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri.The newbuild was officially handed over on Friday during a ceremony at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Venice. The 114,000-ton ship spans 14 decks and has capacity for up to 3,000 passengers.Queen Anne, the 249th ship to sail under the Cunard flag – and the third built by Fincantieri – will now set sail for Southampton ahead of her seven-night maiden voyage to Lisbon on May 3. She will arrive in her homeport on April 27.

Carnival Corporation has released its 14th annual sustainability report detailing how it achieved several 2030 environmental goals well in advance.The company is producing 10+% less absolute GHG emissions today than in 2011, its peak historical year, despite increasing capacity by roughly 30% since that time. Tracking toward its 2030 goal four years ahead of schedule, the company formally committed to reducing its GHG intensity by at least 20% by 2026 (versus 2019 levels; measured on a lower berth capacity basis).

SunStone Maritime Group has announced the long-term summer charter of the Infinity vessel, Ocean Victory, with a new client.From April 2025, the Ocean Victory will be trading in the Mediterranean Sea during northern hemisphere summer seasons for Spanish luxury cruise operator, Alma Cruceros.Alma Cruceros is a Spanish operator planning itineraries covering Spanish destinations in the Mediterranean, as well as Northern and Western Africa and the Canary Islands. The cruise product will be designed for Spanish speaking passengers in all areas from music…

Singapore-based Seatrium has secured a series of major contracts for vessel repairs, upgrades and conversions, set for completion by the end of 2025.With an aggregate value of S$350 million ($259 million), the contracts have reinforced Seatrium’s reputation as a one of the market leaders in vessel repairs, upgrades and conversions.The diverse range of complex contracts secured by Seatrium Repairs and Upgrades include the upgrades and conversions of Floating Storage Regasification Units (FSRU)…

In October 2023, Almaco successfully delivered a project for the newbuild Carnival Jubilee at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg. The catering project consisted of a full visual turnkey delivery of all the ship’s provision stores.Additionally, Almaco supported the yard with manpower for work consisting of fixed furniture installation in over 1,000 cabins. This second project was delivered in December 2023.Meyer Werft and Carnival Cruises chose Almaco to plan, design, build, supply and commission all the provision areas onboard Carnival Jubilee.

“Turku is building the real big ships,” said Meyer Turku CEO Tim Meyer.Meyer is not exaggerating. The yard’s latest newbuild, Icon of the Seas—the first ship of Royal Caribbean’s Icon class—is 248,655 GT, making it the largest cruise ship ever constructed.In general, the cruise ships rolling out of the nearly 300-year-old Finnish shipyard have been steadily increasing in size since the Meyer Group took full ownership in 2015. “We are proud to say Turku has been a first-mover in building these big new classes for Royal Caribbean…

Digital network provider Marlink has completed the integration of internet services on Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot to provide three LEO solutions for the ship’s polar itineraries.The installation is the first in the maritime sector to combine Marlink’s Sealink GEO VSAT, with Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Iridium LEO services. The agreement with Ponant reflects Marlink’s ability to provide guaranteed throughput VSAT services with emerging high speed, low latency LEO services.The…

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…