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Western Mediterranean News

11 Oct 2023

Moby Selects Kongsberg Maritime for Ro-Ro Propulsion Upgrade

Source: Kongsberg Maritime courtesy of Moby

Kongsberg Maritime has won a contract to upgrade the propulsion systems on five ro-ro passenger ferries for Italian operator Moby. The vessel upgrades will together reduce CO2 emissions by more than 30,000 tons per year.Moby operates a fleet of ro-ro passenger ferries, operating in the western Mediterranean, including routes between the Italian mainland, Sicily, and Sardinia.Three of the ships, the Moby Vinci, the Sharden, and the Moby Aki, will all receive a Promas Lite propulsion system, which combines rudder and propeller into one propulsion unit.

11 Jul 2023

MEPC 80: Action Taken on Range of Environmental Regulations

Source: IMO

The IMO’s MEPC 80 session adopted the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships and advanced other environmental initiatives.The revised IMO GHG Strategy includes an enhanced common ambition to reach net-zero GHG emissions from international shipping close to 2050, a commitment to ensure an uptake of alternative zero and near-zero GHG fuels by 2030, as well as indicative check-points for 2030 and 2040:1. to reduce the total annual GHG emissions from international shipping by at least 20%, striving for 30%, by 2030, compared to 2008; and2.

19 Jun 2023

IMO to Review GHG Strategy and More at MEPC 80

MEPC 79 (Source: IMO)

The IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) - 80th session will meet at IMO Headquarters in London from July 3-7, and amongst key agenda items, the MEPC 80 session is expected to adopt an upgraded IMO greenhouse gas strategy.The revised IMO GHG Strategy will contain concrete greenhouse gas reduction targets for the sector and is expected to outline a range of technical and economic measures. Negotiations have been ongoing and will continue during the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 15)…

17 Jun 2022

Costa Toscana: Costa Cruises Christens New LNG-powered Flagship in Barcelona

Costa Toscana in Barcelona - Credit: Bartolomej Tomić

Italian cruise line Costa Cruises on Thursday held a christening ceremony for its new flagship, the Costa Toscana, in the port of Barcelona, Spain.The LNG-powered, Italian-flagged ship sailed away from Civitavecchia, Italy on Monday, making a stop in Naples on Thursday, before arriving in Barcelona on Thursday for the christening ceremony. The 337-meter ship is one of the largest ocean liners and can accommodate 6,554 passengers. Chanel, a Cuban-Spanish singer, dancer, and actress…

02 Dec 2021

Meyer Turku Delivers Costa Toscana to Costa Cruises

(Photo: Meyer Turku / Lavea Media)

Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku on Thursday announced it has delivered the 180,000 GT liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered cruise ship Costa Toscana to Costa Cruises. “With Costa Toscana we are turning a new page at the shipyard. We have been pushing our shipbuilding processes onward and are now seeing the results with this beautiful vessel. We are very proud of her and I feel confident that the guests onboard will really enjoy Costa Toscana in the coming years,” said Meyer Turku CEO Tim Meyer.The 337-meter…

12 May 2021

Cruise Shipping: Sea Cloud Spirit Delivered

Image courtesy Sea Cloud Cruises

Sea Cloud Spirit has been delivered to Sea Cloud Cruises from the Vigo, Spain shipyard, and its maiden voyage is set for September 14, 2021, for a 10-night roundtrip Rome to Rome. The plan is to have the ship spend the fall in the Western Mediterranean and the upcoming winter season in the Canary Islands. As cruising makes its return, the new build with a capacity of only 136 guests, is expected to become a nice alternative for younger guests looking for a smaller cruise experience.Sea Cloud Spirit is a modern sailing ship…

01 Feb 2021

Chantiers de l’Atlantique Delivers Cruise Ship MSC Virtuosa

(Photo: MSC Cruises)

MSC Cruises on Monday took delivery of its new flagship, MSC Virtuosa, built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint Nazaire, France.The occasion was marked by a small and private ceremony held at the shipyard attended by MSC Cruises' executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago, his wife Alexa Aponte-Vago and their children, as well as representatives from MSC Cruises newbuilds team along with shipyard executives and workers.“The delivery of MSC Virtuosa at such a challenging time for our industry symbolizes how as a family company we continue to look at the longer term and build our future…

22 Dec 2020

Fincantieri Delivers Costa Firenze to Costa Cruises

(Photo: Costa Cruises)

Carnival Corporation's Costa Cruises has taken delivery of the new cruise ship Costa Firenze designed and built by Fincantieri at its Marghera shipyard.With 135,500 gross tonnage and a capacity of more than 5,200 guests, the Costa Firenze is part of a €6 billion ($7.3 billion) development plan that includes seven new ships to be delivered for the Costa Group by 2023. Costa Firenze is the fourth of these new ships to be delivered with three more to come.“The handover of the new Costa Firenze is a sign of hope and restart for the whole cruise and tourism ecosystems.

03 Sep 2020

Carnival's Shares Surge as Costa Cruises Prepares to Sail

Costa Cruises is initially restarting sailing with two ships, Costa Deliziosa (pictured) and Costa Diadema, calling Italian ports. The one-week itineraries are being reserved exclusively for Italian guests. (Photo: Costa Cruises)

Carnival Corp’s shares surged 11% on Thursday after its Italian brand Costa Cruises said two of its ships would resume sailing this weekend, with more to follow.Cruise companies, among the worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, were forced to halt voyages for months after ships in Japan, Australia and California made headlines because of large numbers of infections onboard.So far this year, Carnival’s shares have lost nearly two-thirds of their value, while peer Royal Caribbean Cruises Group has lost about 45% and Norwegian Cruise Line Holding Ltd about 67%.Shares of Royal Caribbean were up 6% an

20 Aug 2020

Fincantieri Floats Out MSC Seashore

(Photo: Fincantieri)

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri announced Thursday it has floated out the new cruise ship MSC Seashore at its shipyard in Monfalcone. The vessel has been moved to a wet dock where interior outfitting work will continue until delivery to MSC Cruises in July 2021.MSC Seashore, which will be MSC Cruises’ longest ship at 339 metres and the largest and most innovative ever built in Italy, is the third of four vessels in MSC Cruises’ Seaside class, following MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview launched in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

30 Oct 2019

Med Countries Address Pollution

Pollution response can be faster and more effective when there is an established emergency communications and emergency system.Mediterranean Countries recently met at a regional workshop held in Brussels, Belgium (22-23 October), to explore the set-up of a common emergency communication system for marine pollution incidents that connects the entire Mediterranean region. During the event, representatives from 12 Mediterranean countries - Albania, Algeria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Egypt, France, Israel, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey - received training in the European Union's Common Emergency Communication and Information System for Marine Pollution from ships and off-shore units (CECIS).The participants…

21 Aug 2019

Kalmar Upgrades EUROGATE Tanger

Finnish manaufacturer of cargo-handling machinery Cargotec Oyj said that its subsidiary Kalmar has concluded an agreement with long-term customer EUROGATE Tanger in Morocco to upgrade the capabilities of four ZPMC ship-to-shore (STS) cranes.The order was booked in Cargotec's 2019 Q3 order intake, and the project is scheduled to commence in Q1 of 2020 and be completed in Q2 2021.The EUROGATE Tanger (EGT) container terminal is conveniently located on the Strait of Gibraltar in Morocco, making it the ideal transhipment hub for the western Mediterranean, Africa, as well as North and South America.With a quay length of 812 m, a terminal area of 400,000 m² and a water depth of up to 18 m, the facility is well-equipped to handle the new generation of container ships.

02 Aug 2019

Spanish NGO Boat Seeks Safe Haven for Med Migrants

A Spanish charity rescue boat sought safe port on Friday after Italy rejected its request to disembark 124 people saved from two migrant rafts in the Mediterranean, the organisation said.Non-governmental organisation (NGO) rescue boats have largely disappeared from the Mediterranean over the last year as governments have tightened controls. Charity ships that have rescued migrants have faced lengthy standoffs in their attempt to disembark those onboard.Barcelona-based NGO Open Arms rescued 55 people from a sinking raft on Thursday, among them two babies, and a further 69 people from another boat during Thursday night, the organisation said on Twitter.Two heavily pregnant women were among those rescued from the second raft…

02 Aug 2019

Spanish NGO Boat Seeks Safe Port for 124 People

A Spanish charity rescue boat sought safe port on Friday after Italy rejected its request to disembark 124 people saved from two migrant rafts in the Mediterranean, the organisation said.Non-governmental organisation (NGO) rescue boats have largely disappeared from the Mediterranean over the last year as governments have tightened controls. Charity ships that have rescued migrants have faced lengthy standoffs in their attempt to disembark those onboard.Barcelona-based NGO Open Arms rescued 55 people from a sinking raft on Thursday, among them two babies, and a further 69 people from another boat during Thursday night, the organisation said on Twitter.Two heavily pregnant women were among those rescued from the second raft…

16 Jul 2019

AIDA Orders 2 More LNG-Fueled Ships

AIDA Cruises, the German brand of Carnival Corporation & plc, informed that it is planning to commission two more LNG-powered ships with low-emission propulsion by 2023.AIDA has already been engaging in research into and development of the use of LNG in the cruise industry for over 10 years.With AIDAnova's launch at the end of 2018, the company commissioned the world's first cruise ship that can be operated entirely with low-emission LNG both at sea and in port.Two more of these innovative AIDA ships will be commissioned in 2021 and 2023 respectively."Thanks to the use of LNG, emissions of particulates and sulfur oxides are eliminated almost completely…

03 Jul 2019

Costa Cruise Unveils First LNG Cruise Ship

image credit: COSTA

Costa Smeralda will enter service in October 2019 and will be the first Costa ship fuelled by LNG, the "cleanest" fossil fuel in the world.Featuring over 2,600 staterooms, the upcoming Costa flagship will take its guests on a veritable “tour of Italy,” with lots of areas devoted to fun, flavours and festivity.Costa Cruises, the Italian brand of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world’s largest leisure travel company and cruise operator, will be awaiting the arrival of Costa Smeralda in October 2019…

27 Feb 2019

Costa Cruise Gets Her Funnel

Costa Smeralda will enter service in October 2019 and will be the first cruise ship for the world market fuelled by LNG, the “cleanest” fossil fuel in the world.Construction of the Costa Smeralda, the new flagship of the Costa Cruises fleet, is inching closer to completion ahead of her October delivery from Meyer Turku in Finland.The characteristic yellow funnel with the blue “C”, which has identified all the Italian company’s ships for the last 70 years, has now been installed.The funnel will not only be a symbol but is directly connected to one of the main technological innovations in the ship. Costa Smeralda will be the first cruise ship for the world market…

30 Jan 2019

2,275 Migrants Perish in Mediterranean in 2018

Six people died each day attempting to cross Mediterranean in 2018, the latest ‘Desperate Journeys’ report, released by the UN Refugee Agency said.According to the report by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), an estimated 2,275 died or went missing crossing the Mediterranean in 2018, despite a major drop in the number of arrivals reaching European shores.In total, 139,300 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe, the lowest number in five years, it said.“Saving lives at sea is not a choice, nor a matter of politics, but an age-old obligation,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “We can put an end to these tragedies by having the courage and vision to look beyond the next boat…

17 Dec 2018

Carnival to Launch Four Ships in 2019

Carnival Panorama (Photo: Carnival)

Carnival Corporation announced it will launch four new cruise ships in 2019 across three of its leading global brands – Carnival Cruise Line, America's Cruise Line; Costa Cruises, the largest European cruise operator; and Princess Cruises,  international premium cruise line. The world will get a preview of one of these spectacular new vessels when Carnival Cruise Line debuts a floral replica of its new Carnival Panorama sailing down Colorado Boulevard in the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day…

30 Nov 2018

REMPEC Promotes Spill Prevention and Response in Western Mediterranean

Response plans are essential to ensure reliable national and sub-regional systems for preparedness and response, trained personnel, basic equipment and contingency plans for combating marine pollution incidents.The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) , the International Maritime Organization (IMO) -administered pollution emergency response centre in the Mediterranean, facilitated the organization of a meeting of national authorities involved in the contingency plan for the Western Mediterraean.The Fifth Meeting of the competent national authorities in charge of the implementation of the Sub-Regional Contingency Plan between Algeria…

06 Nov 2018

Spanish Coast Guard: 17 Migrants Perish in Western Med

At least 17 migrants died in the space of 24 hours while trying to cross the sea from North Africa to Spain, and rescuers picked up more than 100 others, the Spanish coast guard said on Monday.Two rafts were found in the Western Mediterranean between the Iberian peninsula and Morocco and Algeria with 80 people aboard, and 13 dead. They were taken to the Spanish North African enclave of Melilla, the coast guard said.The coast guard also found four bodies and rescued 22 men in the Atlantic off the southern Spanish city of Cadiz.Spain has now become the main destination for undocumented migrants and refugees from Africa and the Middle East trying to reach Europe.More than 47,000 people made the treacherous journey to Spain, often on flimsy dinghies and rafts, between Jan. 1 and Oct.

31 Oct 2018

Kalmar Bags Eurogate Order

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, is to deliver two rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) to EUROGATE, Europe's leading shipping line-independent container terminal operator, for use in their Tanger S.A. terminal in Morocco.The order was booked in Cargotec's 2018 Q3 order intake, with delivery scheduled to take place during Q3 of 2019. The EUROGATE Tanger container terminal is conveniently located on the Strait of Gibraltar in Morocco, making it the ideal transhipment hub for the western Mediterranean, Africa and South America.With a quay length of 812 m, a terminal area of 400,000 m² and a water depth of up to 18 m, the facility is well-equipped to handle the new generation of container ships. All RTGs currently operating at the terminal have been supplied by Kalmar.

02 Oct 2018

Dozens Drown in Mediterranean Shipwreck

At least 34 migrants have died in a shipwreck in the western Mediterranean, which 26 people survived, the U.N. migration agency said on Tuesday, citing the Moroccan navy and a Spanish aid agency.Joel Millman, spokesman of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), told Reuters, "The boat was adrift since Sunday with 60 people aboard. At least 34 have drowned, it looks like there were 26 survivors."The information came from the Moroccan navy and a Spanish non-governmental organisation Caminando Fronteras, he said.A Moroccan official, asking not to be named, said 11 bodies had been recovered, adding that the dead were all migrants, not Moroccan nationals. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay and Zakia Abdennebi; editing by William Maclean)