Cruise News

Two people were killed and five others were missing after a small motor boat collided with a cruise ship on the Danube River north of Budapest late on Saturday, Hungarian police said on Sunday.Disaster response units, including 95 personnel, 25 vessels and drones were still searching for the five missing people along the entire Hungarian section of the Danube downstream from the site, police said in a statement.A spokesperson for the Budapest police, Soma Csecsi, said eight adults…

Shares of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings fell more than 12% after the operator's downbeat first-quarter revenue overshadowed a raise in annual profit forecast on Wednesday.Expectations for cruise operators have generally become high after strong booking trends and demand drove up their results and shares last year.Shares of Norwegian and its rival Carnival have seen their growth temper from those highs, in part due to concerns around cost pressures and their brands' exposure to the Middle East conflict.Meanwhile…

The uniquely painted Norwegian Aqua was launched at the Fincantieri  Marghera (Venice) shipyard, the first vessel in the Prima Plus class for Norwegian Cruise Line's (NCL).With external work now complete, the yard and its partners will forcus on completing the ship for its scheduled April 2025 delivery.“We are thrilled to celebrate another milestone together with our partners at Fincantieri, who are an integral part of the Prima class ships' journey and support us in evolving the extraordinary experience we design and deliver to our guests…

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.

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…

Cruise operator Carnival on Friday joined the growing list of companies flagging a potential hit to their operations following attacks on ships in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthis."We believe that the instability in the Red Sea region currently impacting shipping could have an impact on our results of operations," Carnival said in a regulatory filing.The company's U.S.-listed shares fell nearly 2% in morning trade.The attacks, which the Houthis say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza…

HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) has announced Alex Delamere-White’s official appointment as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), following six months as acting interim CCO.Based out of the new HX HQ in London, Delamere-White will bring the global functions under one leadership model to further fuel HX’s long-term growth plans, including newly evolved roles for Nathaniel Sherborne and Jim Sayer. Sayer is appointed to SVP Global Marketing bringing together the global marketing functions under his leadership.

The steel cutting ceremony for the seventh and final vessel in the Infinity series of expedition cruise ships took place at the Haimen shipyard of China Merchants Heavy Industries (CMHI).The PC6 expedition cruise ship, yet to be named, will embark on a long-term charter upon its delivery, the ship is technically identical to the rest of the Infinity vessels.The Infinity-class newbuilds, featuring up to 95 passenger cabins, each equipped with bathrooms and most with balconies, promise an immersive and comfortable experience for travellers.

Shell LNG has completed the first bunkering of MSC Euribia in Rotterdam, under the agreement with MSC Cruises S.A for Shell Western LNG B.V. (Shell) to provide marine fuels for the line’s second LNG powered newbuild. MSC Euribia is currently operating in northern Europe.This new agreement is in addition to the ongoing cooperation between MSC Cruises and Shell toward achieving broader shared decarbonization objectives, a collaboration which has been in place since 2021.Shell said both companies see LNG as an important lever in supporting their ambition for net-zero emissions by 2050.

Finnish shipping company Wasaline announced it has started operating with certified biogas one day a week from October 13, in preparation for the EU emissions trading system that will come into force next year.The company, which operates the route connecting Vaasa, Finland and Umeå, Sweden, said it will use certified biogas aboard its ro-pax vessel Aurora Botnia for all Friday departures through December 22 as part of its “Green Fridays” pilot project.Biogas is more expensive than liquefied natural gas (LNG)…

Amsterdam took a first step toward banning large cruise liners under broader plans to reduce mass tourism and pollution, officials said on Friday.Once implemented, the measures adopted by the city council would bring the Dutch capital into line with other high-profile European cities, including Barcelona, Dubrovnik and Venice, that have already cut cruise liner numbers or are considering doing so.The council approved the proposed ban on Thursday. "The motivation ... was to reduce the number of tourists…

Canada on Friday banned cruise ships from dumping sewage and dirty water close to shore, and said it would impose fines of up to C$250,000 ($190,000) for offending vessels.A range of anti-pollution measures introduced on a voluntary basis in April 2022 will become obligatory with immediate effect, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said in a statement.Environmental groups said Ottawa had ignored the largest source of liquid pollution from cruise ships: the water used to clean exhaust gas cleaning systems…

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri said on Monday it had signed a contract worth more than $436 million to deliver a second luxury vessel for Four Seasons Yachts. Fincantieri had won a first order from Four Season Yachts last year."Today's result also bears witness to the start of the orders recovery for the sector, at the same time reinforcing Fincantieri's leadership in the new extra-luxury segment based on haute hotellerie," Fincantieri CEO Pierroberto Folgiero said in a statement.Four Seasons Yachts…

Meyer Turku Group has published its 2022 financial results indicating a positive turnaround on the previous year.The Group’s turnover was 1.30 billion euros, up about 200 million euros on 2021. The loss for the financial year was 15.6 million euros, which was less than the previous year's 17 million euros.Meyer Turku CEO Tim Meyer comments on the result: "During 2022, we were particularly affected by the difficult availability of materials and overall increased costs, especially on materials and financing.

Mobile Cable Positioning Devices can quickly accommodate vessels of many sizes and shapes, making shore power available almost immediately, a boon to the industry’s ambitious decarbonization goalsOne of the keys to reaching Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) target of net-zero carbon cruising globally by 2050 is switching from diesel burning engines to shoreside electricity while in port. Although the technology can significantly reduce emissions to address climate change and improve air quality…

One of Europe’s largest ferry route and port operators, Stena Line, said it has signed a new deal with U.K. port operator Peel Ports to operate its 12 Quays port and ferry terminal in Birkenhead until the beginning of the 22nd Century. The Swedish company has operated twice daily ferry services to Belfast since 2011 and this new deal will see them continue to operate there for at least another 77 years, until 2100.The value of the deal has not been disclosed.Stena Line operates six routes and 12 vessels across the region and Birkenhead has been a key focus for investment in recent years.

The world's top passenger port is installing a network shore power systems for cruise ships that, once completed, will be the largest of its kind globally.PowerCon said it has been tapped as a subcontractor to deliver five systems that will supply shore power for cruise ships at PortMiami's V (Virgin), F (Carnival), A (Royal Caribbean), B (Norwegian Cruise Line) and MSC Cruise Line terminals.The Denmark-based engineering and manufacturing company said it has established a local subsidiary…

On January 13, two cruise ships plugged into the newly completed shore power expansion at the Port of San Diego cruise ship terminal for the first time – a doubling of the previous capacity.The Disney Wonder and the Insignia were able to simultaneously use shore power rather than running their diesel engines while at berth. Previously, only one cruise vessel could plug in.The recent addition of the new station along with the initial one installed in 2010 make it possible for the…

Anglo-Eastern Univan Group and the shareholders of Cruise Management International and CMI Leisure Management have signed a letter of intent regarding the sale of CMI to Anglo-Eastern. The move effectively opens up a new sector—expedition cruising—for Anglo Eastern's ship management operations. The sale and purchase are expected to be finalized in July 2022, following the standard due diligence. CMI will continue to be based in Miami, from where the group’s companies will maintain their business and operations.

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has delivered the ocean cruise ship Viking Mars to the shipowner Viking. The ship was delivered on Thursday at the shipyard in Ancona.The 227 meters long Viking Mars will be placed in the small cruise ship segment. Like its sister ships, the Viking Mars is about 47,800 tons, 465 cabins with accommodation for 930 passengers."Viking Mars”, the eighth of this class, has been designed by experienced naval architects and engineers, including an interior design team of Los Angeles-based Rottet Studios and London-based SMC Design…

Royal Caribbean Group on Thursday flagged slow summer demand for European cruises due to the Ukraine crisis, after a dull first quarter as it reeled under a resurgence in COVID infections in some parts of the world.Shares of the cruise operator fell about 5% to $73.87 after Royal Caribbean Group said higher fuel and food costs, spurred by inflationary and supply chain-related challenges, are expected to weigh on 2022 earnings.The company said while bookings for Europe sailings improved throughout the first quarter, they slowed following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in late February.

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.

Finland-based cruise shipbuilder Meyer Turku saw its full-year 2021 net loss widen, despite a somewhat higher turnover compared to 2020. Still, the company said it was a "satisfactory result in the midst of a protracted pandemic."The company's turnover was EUR 1.08 billion. It is somewhat higher than in the previous year, but the result for the financial year was a loss of EUR 17.0 million, Meyer Turku said.Tim Meyer, CEO said: “Exceptional times lasted longer than expected. The global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, such as labor and material mobility, affected our operations as well.