Cruise industry was expected to reach 32 million passengers in 2020 globally, comparatively with 30 million passengers on the previous year. More passengers, bigger cruise lines. But then the forecasts have been negatively overtaken by Covid-19 pandemic, following the social distancing measures and travel restrictions. Cruise industry was the travel sector, which has been particularly badly hit and nearly devastated. Most of the Cruise Lines have decided to lay their ships at anchor, selling or scraping the older ones. Their revenues were nearly zero for months, so they have adopted ...

Debut contract with Dutch luxury yacht builder Oceanco on Azipod® technology installation project paves the way for broader cooperation on sustainable electric propulsion in a market expected to exceed $10 billion by 2025. Specified for a superyacht built to the highest sustainability standards, ABB’s integrated project scope covers the supply of two 2.5 MW Azipod® units, together with propulsion drives and controls. The Azipod® system is well-known for superior fuel efficiency and maneuverability over conventional setups across a broad variety of vessel types from cruise ships to tankers and ferries. ...

Confidence in the safety of cruise shipping and the economic impact of Coronavirus on potential demand will challenge the industry’s attempts at a full 2021 recovery, according to leading research and forecasting consultancy Maritime Strategies International. In its latest biannual report*, MSI notes that even with leading industry players keen to publicise advance ticket sales and enquiries as evidence of pent-up demand and with vaccines becoming available, it will take some time to rebuild confidence in the sector despite enhanced safety protocols and fewer passengers onboard. Of greater concern, however, ...

Today, the Schulte Group has announced the acquisition of Rescompany Systems Ltd. (Resco), a leading provider of advanced hospitality software solutions to the cruise industry. With its integrated ship to shore software systems, Resco is a perfect match and ideal addition to the services offered by Schulte Group member and digital technology company MariApps Marine Solutions (MariApps). Together, the two companies will be able to offer a comprehensive range of maritime solutions and state-of-the-art shipboard and office-based management systems on CLOUD and data analytics to the growing cruise sector. “Despite ...

A significant challenge when building a new superyacht is to fulfil the owner’s wish for a custom boat without spending large amounts of time and money on designing and building a hull from scratch. An innovative yacht platform concept Jeroen Jungschlager, Project Manager at C-Job, shares the company’s experience: “With our Northern European shipyard clients in the yacht building industry, we saw engineering design was taking quite a long time for each yacht. We had the idea that it could be improved and the process speeded up. Platforms are not ...

The lifting of the CDC’s ‘No-Sail Order’ puts cruise shipbuilding back on track and activities at resin applications specialist Bolidt have quickly ramped up in response. In what represents a significant step forward for the cruise industry, the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have given the green light for a phased resumption of passenger ship operations in the United States. Several cruise lines are now planning to relaunch in December, while others are set to follow in early 2021. With owners keen to deliver the best possible cruise ...

Daggerboards, once used only by the dinghy racing fraternity, are increasingly common in cruising boats. This is the insight of Travis McGarry, captain of the 66 foot, 22 ton Gunboat catamaran the Slim, an early convert to use Vesconite daggerboard bearings – the bearings which support these retractable daggerboards. McGarry describes how racing yacht technology is eventually adopted in cruising boats. Sailing enthusiasts, for instance, became familiar with daggerboards in the America’s Cup, where they were occasionally visible as competitors skimmed over the water at tremendous speeds. Thereafter, for performance ...

Overview At VesselsValue, our Trade platform allows us to measure demand for vessels through applying algorithms and analysis to satellite and terrestrial AIS vessel location data. This provides us with objective, real-time and historical data on Cruise ship activity, including stoppages, journeys and demand trends, at vessel, fleet and global level. On the 3rd February 2020, an outbreak of COVID-19 was reported on the Diamond Princess Cruise ship which was situated just off the Japanese coast. Over the next month, over 700 people tested positive and sadly 9 died. The ...

Greece on Saturday reopened six of its main ports to cruise ships for the first time in the coronavirus-shortened tourism season, but no ships are expected before three weeks. In a letter to the Cruise Lines International Association and three major cruise operators early this week, Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis said the ports of Piraeus in Athens, Rhodes, Iraklio, Volos, Corfu and Katakolo would accept passengers, state agency ANA reported. After docking at one of the six ports, cruise ships will be able to travel elsewhere in Greece, depending on ...

The cruise sector needs to think hard about how it can meet the social distancing requirements linked to COVID-19 while still delivering the expected luxurious experience of being onboard a cruise liner, all without destroying and bankrupting the industry. Christian Ioannou, Managing Director of MCTC Leisure, said that while the industry was being hit hard by COVID-19, life post virus would be very different. Costs will increase due to limitations in passenger numbers because of social distancing restrictions and there will be an increase in hygiene procedures and extra precautions ...

Genting Cruise Lines is pleased to announce that Dream Cruises’ Explorer Dream is the first cruise ship in the industry to receive the Certification in Infection Prevention for the Maritime industry (CIP-M) from the world’s leading classification society, DNV GL. The CIP-M certification of Explorer Dream is timely and in conjunction with Dream Cruises’ recent announcement that Explorer Dream will recommence operations in Taiwan from 26 July 2020 onwards, offering “Taiwan Island-Hopping” itineraries. Dream Cruises will be the first cruise line in the world to begin sailing after the global ...

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has been assisting hundreds of seafarers aboard the six Global Cruise Lines’ vessels currently in Tilbury and Bristol, in the United Kingdom. The seafarers have been stranded there because of global travel restrictions brought in to deal with the global pandemic. Crew on board the vessels have been stuck there for several months and many are now facing expired contracts and more than 12 months on board. The ITF and Global Cruise Lines have reached an agreement today that will see crew continue to ...

Trade association Interferry welcomes the European Commission’s guidance on the gradual relaxation of travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and relaunching of transportation links that will go into effect in advance of this summer’s travel and tourism season. Earlier, Interferry had issued its own ‘best practice’ guidelines for the safe resumption of passenger ferry services once local authorities provided the green light. “We welcome the growing signs in Europe and beyond that COVID-19 lockdown restrictions are starting to be eased,” says Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan. “The global ferry industry is ...

Sichterman has launched the first Libertas 15M and Felicitatem 20M at their shipyard in Workum, The Netherlands. With these aluminium yachts, the Dutch boutique yacht builder adds two vessels to its fleet, after the launch of the Inveni 18m in May 2019. Just like the Inveni 18M, the Libertas and the Felicitatem are the result of a collaboration between designer Cor D. Rover, naval architect Van Oossanen and yacht builder Workumer Yachtservice. Due to a smart building process and a disruptive interior program, the shipyard was able to complete the ...

Leading naval architecture and marine engineering firm Foreship has devised an initiative to limit the presence and spread of coronavirus and other pathogens on passenger ships and get the cruise sector back up and running. Entitled ‘Project Hygiea’, the four-step approach comprises interception, prevention, mitigation and evacuation. Foreship Business Development Director Mattias Jörgensen says that there is no “silver-bullet” solution for fighting viruses in the cruise industry. “However, by combining our own expertise with the knowledge of medical professionals and that of our extensive partner network, we have formulated a ...