Cruise Shipping News

Chantiers de l’Atlantique selected Brunvoll as the supplier of main propulsion for Orient Express Silenseas’s new cruise ships, which are going to become the world’s largest sailing ships. The order is for two vessels, with another two as option.The delivery from Brunvoll is a propulsion system consisting of a twin-screw configuration with a controllable pitch propeller with a diameter of 3.9 meters. The propellers are designed to be fully feathering to limit drag while sailing.

Hurtigruten is working towards drastically reducing and recycling edible food waste from its fleet operations. A specially designed reactor at one of its ports converts edible food waste into compost used to grow vegetables for Hurtigruten.The initiative encompasses a comprehensive approach to waste management, starting with the sorting of edible food waste onboard Hurtigruten's Original Coastal Express ships during their year-round schedule along the coast of Norway, calling at 34 ports from Bergen in the south to Kirkenes in the north.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has ordered eight new ships, the most comprehensive newbuild order in its history.The order represents nearly 25,000 additional berths, with new classes of ships for each of its three brands and the construction of a multi-ship pier at Great Stirrup Cay, the company’s private island destination in the Bahamas.The new ships are scheduled for delivery over a 10-year period, between 2026 and 2036. Following the delivery of four Prima-Plus class ships from 2025 through 2028…

Italian marine engineering consultancy RINA has secured a contract from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) to carry out a comprehensive Global Investment Plan Study aimed at steering the cruise sector towards a sustainable future.The research will provide a worldwide scenario focused on the cruise sector, mapping real-time energy needs, infrastructure and regulations with foresight scenarios extending to 2050.The cruise sector is recognized as one of the most active in driving the shipping industry towards greater sustainability.Today…

A global alternative investment firm Strategic Value Partners has entered into agreement with Hornblower Group to acquire the majority ownership of the company in exchange for significant equity investment. As part of the agreement, Crestview Partners retained minority ownership in the business, and the decision was made to sell or wind down the company’s overnight cruises unit American Queen Voyages.Aside from significant minority stake in the business, Crestview will become the sole owner of Journey Beyond…

“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…

The total investment in six luxury ships for Explora Journeys worth $3.7BMSC Group Cruises Division confirmed the order of two hydrogen ships for its luxury brand Explora Journeys with Fincantieri, confirming its commitment to achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050. The contracts are conditional on obtaining financing for the shipowner.The two new ships will pursue the use of liquid hydrogen fuel cells for hotel operations while in port, to eliminate carbon emissions with engines turned off.

Norwegian Viva, the second of six new generation cruise ships of the new Prima class for Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), was delivered at Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard.At 143,500 gross tons, almost 300 meters in length and with a capacity to accommodate around 3,100 passengers, Norwegian Prima and her sister ships will form the backbone of NCL's future fleet. Deliveries are expected until 2028.The Prima class is based on a prototype project developed by Fincantieri which enhances the consolidated characteristics of NCL's freedom and flexibility with an innovative product configuration…

MSC Group Cruise Division -- Explora Journeys -- saw the launch by Fincantieri of Explora I, the first of four new luxury cruise vessels for MSC's new luxury travel brand. The first ship cost $560m, part of a four-ship newbuild plan for a cumulative $2.6B.The event was attended by Gianluigi Aponte - Founder and President of the MSC Group, Pierfrancesco Vago - Executive President of the Cruise Division of the MSC Group, the godmother of the ship Zoe Africa Vago, and for Fincantieri Pierroberto Folgiero…

The Port of Seattle is installing a third shore power system at Pier 66, making it the world’s first port with three systems for cruise ships.The port receives over 200 cruise vessels in a typical season between April and October, and adding a third shore power system is a major component of the port’s Waterfront Clean Energy Strategy.The new shore power connection is expected to be fully operational by the 2024 Alaska cruise season.The contract for the shore power system components was awarded in November 2022 to Watts Marine.

Zinus has won a contract with PowerCon to supply the Port of Oslo with a shore power solution.The aim of the project is to make shore power available for all cruise ships that visit the Port of Oslo.Zinus’s CRU500 is an all-in-one cable management system that integrates with PowerCon’s shoreside electro distribution station and the cruise vessel. The CRU500 can be moved and operated as one unit with cables and cable management system, including both power and signal cables.Jens Eirik Hagen…

Expedition cruise company SunStone Maritime Group A/S recently received its sixth Infinity class vessel, the Ocean Albatros. Final documentswere signed on Thursday, April 20, completing delivery of the vessel from the CMHI Shipyard in Haimen, China, to the SunStone companies. The ship will be on a year-round charter to Albatros Expeditions.Infinity Class Vessels are 104 m long and 18 m wide, with a draft of 5.1 m. They feature a passenger capacity between 130 and 200 and a crew capacity between 85 and 115.

Maritime Protection, a brand of Survitec, won an order for a set of nitrogen systems for installation on an LNG-powered cruise ship. The scope of supply is for two nitrogen generators, feed-air compressors, valves, and control cabinets. Scheduled for delivery in 2025, the 51,950-gt newbuild is the first cruise ship for this Japanese owner to be built in Europe. There is an option for a second vessel. About ten LNG-fuelled cruise ships are currently in operation, with a further 25 set to join the global fleet over the next five years.Engines operating on LNG…

RWO recently completed two installations of its next-gen advanced water treatment system (AWTS); the CleanSewage Membrane Reactor (CS-MBR), for Celebrity Cruises. The sewage treatment plant on the Celebrity Solstice-class vessels, Celebrity Silhouette and Celebrity Reflection, have been upgraded to the CS-MBR system, with an additional three orders placed to complete the fleet-wide upgrade.RWO’s CS-MBR is a sustainable biological treatment technology that has been designed to minimize a vessel’s impact on the environment…

SunStone Maritime Group A/S took delivery of two Infinity class ships -- Sylvia Earle and Ocean Odyssey -- from the CMHI Shipyard in Haimen, China. The pair are the fourth and the fifth of the Infinity class delivered from China Merchant Heavy Industries, and both will be on long-term, year-round charter: the SYLVIA EARLE with Aurora Expeditions, and the OCEAN ODYSSEY with Vantage Deluxe World Travel.The Infinity series of ships represents a collaboration between European design and technology and Chinese shipbuilding.Infinity class ships measure 104 x 18m with a 5.1m draft.

As the cruise industry rebounds from its COVID hiatus, more than 25 cruise lines, designers, outfitters and sustainable accreditation experts are scheduled to be sharing their expertise at this year’s Cruise Conversations Live, taking place at Cruise Ship Interiors Expo America June 7–8, 2022. Cruise Conversations Live’s official Conference Partner is Passenger Ship Interior & Refurbishment Review and the official sponsor is NEWH. The conference will give life to the conversations everyone is talking about in the cruise interiors industry…

ABB inked a deal with Chantiers de l’Atlantique for Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection to supply the electric propulsion systems and remote support for the luxury cruise operator’s two forthcoming mega-yachts. The ships are the second and third in a series that began with Ritz-Carlton Evrima, to start operations later this year, also featuring ABB technologies on board.With a capacity of 456 passengers, the two yachts will be larger than the 298-passenger Evrima while maintaining the exclusivity and personalized service that differentiate Ritz-Carlton.

Bureau Veritas (BV) delivered an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Chantiers de l’Atlantique for its sailing propulsion system, Solid Sail, tailored for the large ships market.Solid Sail is a 1,200 sq. m. rigid sail made of composite panels assembled together, which was developed specifically for large vessels. The system overcomes the usual size limitations of standard fabric sails. Moreover, the rigidity of the sail panels induces less flapping and therefore increases the estimated…

MEYER Group, aleading shipbuilding consortium with three modern, large-scale shipyards in Europe, has joined forces with ADMARES Marine, a leader in floating real estate, to form a new joint venture. Headquartered in Turku, Finland, MEYER Floating Solutions is focused on developing and manufacturing high quality floating real estate.“MEYER Group had recognized great potential in the floating solutions business and identified ADMARES Marine as the market leader in this developing industry.

A new study by GF Piping Systems and Foreship shows HVAC applications on passenger ships offer significant potential for improvement. The study, comparing a baseline steel piping system with pre-insulated polyethylene pipes in an air conditioning chilled water system revealed that plastic is more efficient in four areas: It decreases fuel consumption, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, lowers costs, and slightly improves EEXI and CII values.GF Piping Systems, the Swiss flow solutions provider…

The NEcOLEAP project, led by Meyer Turku, is determined to design and build a climate-neutral cruise ship.Meyer Turku was selected to take part in Business Finland’s financing project for leading companies and their partner ecosystems, which aims to help companies to increase their RDI investments in Finland. Meyer’s NEcOLEAP project develops carbon-neutral and sustainable technological solutions for cruise ships through an extensive partnership network. The goal is to secure a billion-order cruise ship order for Turku Shipyard.According to the shipyard…

The 185,000-gt cruis ships Carnival Celebration was floated out to the outfitting keel at Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, with the LNG-powered ship marking the culmination of Carnival Cruise Lines 50th birthday. The float-out started on Friday morning local time with the opening of the building dock valves and will culminate over the weekend. “The Float out marks the beginning of a very intensive phase in the ships construction, as the inside features and venues start taking form.

Ester Percossi can still hear the screams, feel the cold and see the terror in people's eyes.She is one of the survivors of the shipwreck of the Costa Concordia, the luxury cruise liner that capsized after hitting rocks just off the coast of the small Italian island of Giglio on Jan. 13, 2012, killing 32 people in one of Europe's worst maritime disasters.Percossi and other survivors have returned to the island to pay tribute to the dead and again thank the islanders who, in the dark and dead of winter…