Cruiseships News

Zelim’s SWIFT man overboard recovery device has received full type approval from classification society Lloyd’s Register, paving the way for the maritime industry’s widespread use of the sea survival safety system.Did You Know? It is estimated that only 17% to 25% of passengers that fall from cruiseships voyages survive. And of all the 308 man overboard incidents reported to the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Board (MAIB) between 2015 and 2023, 40% lost their lives.A Certificate…

On October 31st, 2019, George A. (Sandy) Thomson, the founder of Thordon Bearings and a pioneer in the development of advanced polymer materials, was presented with the 2019 Elmer A. Sperry Award in recognition of “leading the innovation in water-lubricated propeller shaft bearings” in marine transportation through the use of polymeric compounds.The award was presented to Mr. Thomson at the SNAME Maritime Convention, in Tacoma, USA, by the Chairman of the Board of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST), Mr.

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…

Since the founding in 2016, cyber defence company Naval Dome has won awards for its Endpoint cyber defense system and achieved the highest level of security certification from classification society DNV GL, helping to protect merchant ships, cruise ships and yachts from cyber-attack.In 2019, Naval Dome optimized Endpoint with a “Dashboard” App, providing maritime users with  a clear picture of the cyber status of all critical systems on board the ship, designed to allow users…

French cargo and cruise port Marseille Fos had a relatively stable year in 2018 with traffic of more than 81 million tonnes, up 1%.The performances included a seventh consecutive year of growth in container traffic, which rose 2% for 1.4 million teu, and a 12% increase in dry bulks at 15.2MT. Meanwhile cruise numbers leapt 15% to 1.7 million passengers.Infrastructure development and maintenance spending of €60 million featured further logistics park expansion. Alongside this, agreements were reached on major industrial implantations. The 2019 capex budget of €85m has earmarked €58m for development projects. These include ongoing work to link the two Fos container terminals via a quay extension, which is due for handover in April 2020.

ACO Marine has been awarded contracts to supply its wastewater treatment technology as retrofit solutions to river cruise vessels operating on European waterways. The 232-passenger capacity sisters Ukraina and Moldavia, undergoing refit work at the Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company’s fleet maintenance base in Izmail, Ukraine, will each be retrofitted with a Maripur NF 250 unit. In a separate agreement, a Maripur NF 150 unit will also be supplied to Linz Shipyard for retrofit to the 150-passenger capacity river cruise vessel Carissima. Due to space limitations aboard all these vessels, ACO Marine will use the ships’ existing holding tanks as a bioreactor in the first stage of the treatment process.

The two main construction projects in the Marseille harbor area of leading French port Marseille Fos are nearing completion following a decisive stage in works costing almost €64 million ($70.6 mln) that will cater for mega-ships by enlarging the Passe Nord port entrance and recommissioning the giant No.10 drydock. The drydock has been flooded for the first time since work started in January 2014 to enable flotation of a new 9,100 tonne dock gate and three 4,500 tonne caissons – under construction there since March - that will form the remodelled ends of sea walls guarding the harbor entrance.

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.

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.

PPG announced the launch of SIGMAGLIDE 1290, a 100% silicone binder fouling release system that it said utilizes dynamic surface regeneration technology to eliminate slime problems and increase fuel savings compared to existing fouling release products. Through chemical engineering of the 100% pure silicone binder system at a molecular level, PPG has been able to design what it calls the optimal configuration for the silicone coating surface. This results in an increased silicone density at the surface to such a degree that slime organisms do not recognize it as a surface substrate and have no chance to settle on it. This significantly extends the effectiveness of the coating, PPG Said.

Worldwide sales of SAM Electronics and L-3 Valmarine’s latest NACOS Platinum series of integrated navigation and automation systems now exceed 130 following commissioning of configurations for Carnival Cruise Lines’ new 130,000-gt liner, Carnival Breeze, under construction by Fincantieri, and two 143,500-gt cruiseships being built at Meyer Werft’s Papenburg yard for NCL. Due for delivery in 2013 and 2014, the NCL vessels will be the largest to be built in Germany. The third in Carnival’s Dream class and due for delivery next spring…

Italian ferry operator Tirrenia has been awarded Rina’s COMFORT class notation for two high speed ferries. The 1,800-passenger 43 knot Scorpio, and the recently built 2,700-passenger 29 knot Bithya, have been recognized by Italian classification society RINA as compliant with COMFORT Class. The certification has been awarded to the two ships following a comprehensive series of tests carried out during normal operations at sea. Scorpio serves the Civitavecchia to Olbia route and Bithya serves the Genova to Porto Torres route. At the end of the tests, the ships have been found compliant with the noise and vibration limits established by RINA to ensure an outstanding level of passenger comfort.

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.

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.

Cammell Laird (Gibraltar) has won the contract to repair the former Holland America Line cruise vessel Rotterdam, the vessel arriving in Gibraltar on July 11, 2004, and due to stay at the yard for between six and 12 months. Rotterdam is one of the oldest if not the oldest cruise ships afloat, and it is the intention of the Dutch Government, after the repairs, to tow the cruiseship to her final resting berth in Rotterdam. The grand old lady will have hotel and conference facilities and part of the vessel will become a Museum allowing people from all over the world to see the luxury of this vessel. Works will include various amounts of steel and pipe work, cleaning, upgrades, drydocking, painting.

Six of the former Renaissance cruiseships now owned by Cruiseinvest LLC, a Marshall Islands-incorporated company, have been reflagged to the Marshall Islands, Cruiseinvest, and International Registries Inc, the managers of the Marshall Islands maritime and corporate registers, said in a joint announcement today (Wednesday 5 December 2001). "We required a register and flag administration known for its integrity to match the quality of our superb new cruiseships and to give us business flexibility, and the Marshall Islands fulfilled these needs," said Dominique Prunier, chief executive of Cruiseinvest Management S.A., a Marshall Islands company which manages the Cruiseinvest fleet and which has an office in Paris to oversee the management of the fleet.

Six of the former Renaissance cruiseships now owned by Cruiseinvest LLC, a Marshall Islands-incorporated company, have been reflagged to the Marshall Islands, Cruiseinvest, and International Registries Inc, the managers of the Marshall Islands maritime and corporate registers, said in a joint announcement on December 5. "We required a register and flag administration known for its integrity to match the quality of our superb new cruiseships and to give us business flexibility, and the Marshall Islands fulfilled these needs," said Dominique Prunier, chief executive of Cruiseinvest Management S.A., a Marshall Islands company which manages the Cruiseinvest fleet and which has an office in Paris to oversee the management of the fleet.

Northern Ireland’s Mivan has won contracts to outfit the interior of two cruiseships. The contracts, totalling around £3m, will be undertaken in the Bahamas and in Malta. Mivan will help refit Royal Caribbean International’s 73,192 grt Sovereign of the Seas at Grand Bahamas Shipyard (GBS) in Freeport, and carry out the conversion of Cunard’s 24,492 grt Caronia, to be renamed Saga Ruby for her new owners Saga Shipping at Malta Drydocks. Mivan Chief Executive, Dr. Ivan McCabrey, “This has been an excellent year for Mivan in the cruiseship sector with around £6m of new contracts secured to date. The Sovereign of the Seas contract will be completed by early December 2004 over a three-week period.

Interest in the European cruise ship repair market is currently focused on which shipyard will win the $31.3 million contract to repair the 1968-built, 70,327-grt cruiseship Queen Elizabeth II, owned by Cunard Line. There are currently three shipyards shortlisted for the work — Bremerhaven’s Lloyd Werft, Hamburg’s Blohm + Voss Repair and the U.K.’s A&P Southampton. The contract is expected to be awarded soon, with the drydocking dates scheduled for between November 12 and December 11. Now part of the Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) group, Cunard has also announced the drydocking programs for two other cruiseships in its fleet — the 1973-built…

Oslo-based Aker Kvaerner Yards is irony in action. It serves an ancient industry dominated by older generation, yet is led by a fresh faced young executive. It prospers in a capital and equipment intensive market, yet is helping to re-define some of these relationships via the Internet. The organization is the largest shipbuilding consortium in Europe, yet good prospects for growth lie in smaller, compact yards. Once the cover of the book is read, though, it is increasingly easy to see why Karl Erik Kjelstad, 36, was tapped to lead one of the top shipbuilding consortiums in the world. Aker Kvaerner Yards is a collection of 16 yards and approximately 16,500 employees that generates an annual turnover of nearly $3 billion.

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Schat-Harding has won a major contract to supply the lifeboats, davits and fast rescue craft to the Cunard newbuilding cruiseship Queen Mary II, under construction at France's Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard. Schat-Harding will also supply full sets of lifesaving equipment to the two cruiseships building for Mediterranean Shipping Company at Chantiers.

As a response to the marine market's demand for higher power concentrations and increased plant reliability, deliverable at competitive cost, the new offering from Rolls-Royce is stimulating fresh interest within a conservative shipping industry in gas turbine-based solutions. Building on the company's huge investments in aero engine technology over the past decade, the MT30 gas turbine has been specifically prepared for shipboard applications, combining power density and operating attributes in a manner intended to widen the appeal of gas turbine power among the maritime community. With 36-MW obtainable from a compact unit of barely 9-m (30-ft) in length…