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Maiden Voyage News

14 Feb 2024

Fincantieri Delivers Cruise Ship Sun Princess

Sun Princess (Photo: Fincantieri)

Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri announced it has delivered Sun Princess, the first in a series of two new liquefied natural gas (LNG ) fueled cruise ships for Princess Cruises.At about 178,000 gross tons, Sun Princess is the largest ship ever built in Italy, as well as the first LNG cruise ship ever built by Fincantieri, the shipbuilder said. The ship is also the first dual-fuel vessel powered primarily by LNG to enter the Princess fleet.Sun Princess is the first in Princess Cruises’ Sphere class. Its sister-ship is scheduled to be delivered in 2025.

03 Feb 2024

Americas Cup Innovation & a Carbon-Free Shipping Future

Image © AYRO  UNI PROD

The Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) represented by BMW Oracle Racing and the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), the Americas Cup defending champion, represented by Team Alinghi were entwined in a 2.5-year legal battle over multiple court cases, including hearings in the New York Supreme Court and the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court, prior to the 33rd edition of the race, due to take place in 2010.The parties disagreed about the location, format, and restrictions on boat design, all of which were changed by the courts prior to the race.

29 Jan 2024

World's Largest Cruise Ship Sets Sail, Bringing Concerns About Methane Emissions

Icon of the Seas (Photo: Royal Caribbean International)

The world's largest cruise ship is set for its maiden voyage on Saturday, but environmental groups are concerned that the liquefied natural gas-powered vessel - and other giant cruise liners to follow - will leak harmful methane into the atmosphere.Royal Caribbean International's Icon of the Seas sets sail from Miami with capacity for 8,000 passengers across 20 decks, taking advantage of the surging popularity of cruises.The ship is built to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which burns more cleanly than traditional marine fuel but poses greater risks for methane emissions.

25 Jan 2024

Maersk Names First Large Methanol-Enabled Vessel

Source: Maersk

The world’s first large methanol-enabled container ship has been named Ane Mærsk at a ceremony in the shipyard of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, South Korea.The 16,000 TEU vessel is named after Ane Mærsk Mc-Kinney Uggla, the Chair of the A.P. Moller Foundation and A.P. Moller Holding. Ane’s eldest granddaughter served as godmother, and christened the vessel by breaking a champagne bottle over the bow.Ane Mærsk is the first of Maersk’s 18 large methanol-enabled vessels that will be delivered between 2024 and 2025.

24 Jan 2024

Vroon Buys Livestock Carrier from the Tsuneishi Group

(Photo: Vroon)

Vroon announced it has acquired a livestock carrier from the Tsuneishi Group.The 83.9-meter-long vessel, Aurochs, purpose-built by Tsuneishi Group (Zhoushan) Shipbuilding Inc. in 2017, is the youngest livestock carrier operating in the global market.The ship will be renamed Friesian Express and managed by Vroon's Livestock Express team as the 13th vessel in the company's livestock fleet. The ship has just departed from Australia on its maiden voyage under our ownership.Following its restructuring last year


20 Dec 2023

China’s First Domestically Built Cruise Ship Delivered

Adora Magic City, China’s first domestically built cruise ship (Photo: CSSC SWS)

The first large cruise ship ever to be built in China has been delivered, potentially leading the way for a new market player to rise within the global cruise shipbuilding industry.The 5,246-passenger Adora Magic City, built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s (CSSC) Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) based on Fincantieri' Vista-class design, will commence its maiden voyage from Shanghai in January 2024, operated by Asian cruise line Adora Cruises.The Chinese-built ship will service the domestic market with four-to-five day sailings


07 Dec 2023

Maersk to Deploy First Large Methanol-Enabled Vessel on AE Trade

Source: Maersk

A.P. Moller - Maersk is about to launch the first of its 18 large methanol-enabled vessels currently on order. On February 9, 2024, it will enter service on the AE7 string connecting Asia and Europe, which includes port calls in Shanghai, Tanjung Pelepas, Colombo and Hamburg, with Ningbo, China, being its first destination.The container vessel built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in South Korea has a nominal capacity of 16,000 TEU and is equipped with a dual-fuel engine enabling


04 Dec 2023

Meyer Werft Delivers Cruise Ship Carnival Jubilee

(Photo: Meyer Werft)

German shipbuilder Meyer Werft announced it has delivered Carnival Jubilee, the latest cruise ship for Carnival Cruise Line.The 183,200 GT ship is 345.4 meters long, 42 meters wide and can accommodate 5,374 passengers in 2,626 passenger cabins, plus 1,551 crew. It has 20 decks.The RINA-classed Carnival Jubilee has a wide range of entertainment options and numerous restaurants. The highlight on the upper deck is the "Ultimate Playground" with a waterpark including large slides and the "BOLT" roller coaster.The newbuild is the first ship for Carnival Cruise Line to be built in Papenburg.

13 Sep 2023

Finnlines Names New RoPax Finnsirius

(Photo: Finnlines)

Finnlines on Wednesday held a naming ceremony in Naantali for its first of two new freight-passenger Superstar vessels, Finnsirius.The new ro-pax vessel, part of Finnlines €500-million Green Investment Program, was built by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Weihai, China.“Finnsirius is Finnlines’ new eco-efficient flagship, designed specifically for the fast-paced freight transport route between Finland and Sweden. At the same time, Finnsirius offers upgraded services and more travel comfort than the previous generation of ro-pax vessels.

21 Aug 2023

Video: Pyxis Ocean Sails with WindWings

Source: Cargill

Mitsubishi Corporation’s Pyxis Ocean, chartered by Cargill, is the first vessel to be retrofitted with two BAR Tech WindWings.The 37.5 meter sails were produced by Yara Marine Technologies and are expected to generate average fuel savings of up to 30% on new build vessels.The installation of the wings took place at the COSCO shipyard in China and the Pyxis Ocean is now on the water, conducting her maiden voyage.“The maritime industry is on a journey to decarbonize—it's not an easy one, but it is an exciting one,” said Jan Dieleman, President of Cargill’s Ocean transportation business.

15 Aug 2023

COSCO Takes Delivery of Methanol-Ready General Cargo Ship

Source: COSCO SHIPPING

COSCO SHIPPING Special Carriers has taken delivery of its second 68,000ton ice-class multi-purpose general cargo and pulp carrier, Green Kotka.The methanol-ready ship is the second in a series of ships built by Dalian COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry, a subsidiary of COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry. The series of ships are claimed to be the world's largest ice-class multi-purpose pulp ship built and delivered in China.The Green Kotka is 226.8 meters (744 feet) long and has a design speed of 14.8 knots.

14 Aug 2023

Mercuria and ÈTA Shipping Partner on Vessels with Modular Power Systems

Source: Mercuria

Global energy and commodity group, Mercuria, and Netherlands-based ÈTA Shipping have established a joint venture for the construction of six diesel-electric shortsea general cargo vessels with the option for another 10.The vessels will be built by Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering in China and will be owned by Mare Balticum BV, a subsidiary of Mercuria, with ÈTA Shipping acting as a minority shareholder. The maiden voyage of the first vessel is planned for the second quarter of 2025.ÈTA Shipping’s modular design of the ÈTA 6700 vessel involves an electric motor that powers the propeller.

04 Aug 2023

Pasha's New LNG-fueled Containership Makes Maiden Call in Honolulu

(Photo: Pasha Group)

Pasha Hawai‘i’s second liquefied natural gas-powered containership made its inaugural arrival at Honolulu Harbor’s Pier 51, completing the construction and delivery of the company’s ‘Ohana Class vessels.The vessel, Janet Marie, will serve the Hawai‘i/Mainland trade lane, joining the company’s first ‘Ohana Class ship, George III, which began service in August 2022. The new $225-plus million ship—built at Keppel AmFELS in Brownsville, Texas—began its maiden voyage from the Port of Long Beach


21 Jul 2023

Meyer Werft Delivers Silver Nova to Silversea Cruises

Silver Nova (Photo: Meyer Werft)

German shipbuilder Meyer Werft announced it has delivered the new environmentally advanced cruise ship Silver Nova to Royal Caribbean's luxury cruise line Silversea Cruises."We are very pleased to once again deliver a ship that will set new standards on the way to climate-neutral cruising. With the propulsion system, a combination of LNG, fuel cell system and batteries, the ship has the best possible measures to reduce emissions," said Jan Meyer, managing director of Meyer Werft.A


20 Jul 2023

$560M Explora I Delivered for MSC's New Luxury Cruise Brand

Explora I is the first of four new luxury cruise vessels for MSC's new luxury travel brand, a four ship buy totalling $2.6B. Image courtess Fincantieri

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


19 Jul 2023

Maersk's Methanol-fueld Feeder Ship Represents a 'Paradigm Shift', ABS' Wiernicki Says

(Photo: Odfjell SE)

A.P. Moller - Maersk's first-of-its-kind methanol dual-fuel containership represents a paradigm shift for the maritime industry as it continues its efforts to decarbonize, ABS chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki said.The 2,100 TEU feeder vessel, to be named Laura Maersk, was built to ABS Class at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and Hyundai Heavy Industries and features dual-fuel main and auxiliary engines from MAN Energy Solutions that are able to operate on cleaner-burning methanol.The ship was delivered earlier this month


18 Jul 2023

World’s First Methanol-fueled Containership Bunkers in Korea

(Image: Odfjell Terminals Korea)

Maersk's first-of-its-kind methanol dual-fuel containership made history on July 16 when it became the first to bunker methanol.The newly built vessel bunkered 1,000 metric tonnes of the cleaner burning fuel at Odfjell Terminals Korea in Ulsan  before embarking on its 21,500-kilometer maiden voyage toward Copenhagen, where she will be officially named in September.“This journey is an important step in our efforts to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, as it will allow


17 Jul 2023

World Fuel Services Completes First LNG Bunkering in China for Hapag-Lloyd

(Photo: World Fuel Services Corporation)

World Fuel Services Corporation has completed a milestone liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering operation for the refueling of a carrier at a Chinese port, with the new Hapag-Lloyd ship Berlin Express becoming only the second carrier to be refueled with bonded LNG in the port.With the support of both the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port authority and local supplier CNOOC, the dual-fuel Berlin Express took delivery of 6,000 cubic meters of bonded LNG fuel in an operation that lasted around 20 hours.

13 Jul 2023

Maersk Takes Delivery of World's First Methanol-fueled Container Feeder

Source: A. P. Moller – Maersk

Maersk has taken delivery of the world’s first container feeder to be fueled by methanol.The 2,100 TEU vessel was built at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and Hyundai Heavy Industries and features dual fuel main and auxiliary engines from MAN Energy Solutions that are able to operate on cleaner-burning methanol.The ABS-classed vessel, HMD Hull #4168, is embarking on its maiden voyage from Ulsan to Copenhagen for a naming ceremony in September, when the ships is expected to take the name Laura Maersk.

26 Jun 2023

Why the Titanic Disaster Continues to Enthrall

© nyiragongo / Adobe Stock

The question on many minds this week is why did some of the world’s richest men risk death to venture to the bottom of the sea in a cold and cramped “experimental” submersible for a chance to glimpse the wreck of the Titanic?The “unsinkable” ship that sunk on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic in 1912 after colliding with an iceberg is arguably the world’s most well-known boat. The Titanic is recognisable to more of the world’s population than, say, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria (Christopher Colombus’s fleet that launched the Spanish conquest of the Americas)


22 Jun 2023

Titanic Sub Pieces Found on Ocean Floor; No Survivors

(Photo: OceanGate Expeditions)

The five people aboard a missing submersible are thought to be dead, according to the company that owns the vessel, bringing a grim end on Thursday to the massive search for the vessel that was lost during a voyage to the Titanic."These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans," OceanGate Expeditions said in a statement. "Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families


22 Jun 2023

Titanic Sub Search: Debris Field Found, Oxygen Feared to Have Run Out

(File photo: OceanGate Expeditions)

The desperate search for a missing submersible near the wreck of the Titanic entered a critical juncture on Thursday when air was expected to run out for the five people aboard, but officials vowed to continue scouring the remote North Atlantic.A remotely operated vehicle deployed from a Canadian vessel to the ocean floor discovered a "debris field" near the Titanic, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday morning on Twitter, adding that experts were "evaluating the information."Another


21 Jun 2023

Search for Missing Titanic Sub Focuses on Area Where Sounds Detected

(File photo: OceanGate Expeditions)

Rescuers searching for a missing submersible near the wreck of the Titanic on Wednesday concentrated their efforts on a remote area of the North Atlantic where a series of undersea noises have been detected, though officials cautioned the sounds may not have originated from the vessel.With estimates suggesting the air supply on board the submersible could run out by Thursday morning, an international coalition of rescue teams has swept a vast expanse of the ocean for signs of the Titan


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