Marlink Integrates Starlink LEO Connectivity for TUI's Mein Schiff Fleet
Marlink reports it is providing new capabilities to long-term customer TUI Cruises on its Mein Schiff fleet, augmenting its managed hybrid network solution with Starlink LEO connectivity.Marlink will install its Sealink NextGen network solution â combining low-latency LEO connectivity with global 4G/5G and C/Ku-band VSAT - on the combined fleet of six existing Mein Schiff vessels and two newbuildings. These different connectivity links will be orchestrated by Marlinkâs SD-WAN solutionâŠ
"Green" Loan Secured for Low-Emission Cruise Ship
Fincantieri signed a "green" construction loan for a maximum amount of $461m with Intesa Sanpaolo (IMI Corporate & Investment Banking Division) and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), the proceeds of which will be used to cover the financial needs linked to the construction of the Mein Schiff Relax, the first of two newly designed dual-fuel inTUItion class cruise ships (Liquid Natural Gas - LNG and Marine Gas Oil - MGO) that Fincantieri is building for TUI Cruises, a joint venture between the TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises.
Meyer Turku Increased Turnover in 2022
Meyer Turku Group has published its 2022 financial results indicating a positive turnaround on the previous year.The Groupâs 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.
Royal Caribbean Names Laursen EVP, Head of Marine
Royal Caribbean Group named Palle Laursen as executive vice president, head of marine, effective May 1, 2023. Laursen will report to Royal Caribbean Groupâs President and CEO Jason Liberty and will join the companyâs Executive Committee.With this newly created position, the company will centralize its global and brand marine operations functions under Laursen. He will oversee all marine operations for the companyâs entire fleet, as well as strategic oversight of marine operations of its TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd CruisesâŠ
Royal Caribbean Inks Shipbuilding Partnership Agreement in Finland
One of the world's largest cruise companies Royal Caribbean Group announced it has signed a declaration with the aim to chart the way forward for innovative and sustainable shipbuilding in Finland.The declaration, signed with the Finnish government, represented by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (MEAE) and shipbuilder Meyer Turku Oy, has been signed with the goal to advance innovation, strengthen competitiveness and bolster the maritime industry's ecosystem, U.S.
TUI Cruises' Mein Schiff 6 Connects to Shore Power in Kiel
TUI Cruises said a second vessel in its cruise ship fleet has successfully tested the use of shore power in port.Earlier this week, the German cruise ship operator's Mein Schiff 6 received shore power for the first time in SEEHAFEN KIEL Cruise GmbH & Co. KG (Port of Kiel), making it the second TUI Cruises ship behind Mein Schiff 4 to have made a shore power connection.Technicians and engineers carried out various tests of the shore power system before connecting the plugs of the Kiel shore power system to the sockets of Mein Schiff 6.
Norway's OSM Maritime Buys New Zealand's Kingston Offshore Services
Norway's offshore and maritime services provider OSM Maritime (OSM) has bought New Zealandâs oil and gas and offshore marine service firm Kingston Offshore Services. "The acquisition was completed on June 30th and aims to further strengthen OSMâs current operations and services in Oceania," OSM said.The companyâs founder, Kurt Aldam will become part of OSM, in the organization that will be headed by OSMâs Oceania MD, Casey Munyard. "Both our existing and our potential customers will enjoy access to a large seafarer crew pool which is supported by a globally leading organization.
First Steel Cut for TUI Cruises' LNG-powered Cruise Ship
The first steel cutting ceremony was held for the first of two LNG-powered ships for the cruise ship operator TUI Cruises.Shipbuilder Fincantieri said Wednesday that the construction start-up ceremony had taken place in the presence of Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI, and Luigi Matarazzo, General Manager Merchant Ship Division of Fincantieri, in San Giorgio di Nogaro (Udine) at Centro Servizi Navali, a company specialized in logistics and production of sheet metal for the Fincantieri yards located in northeastern Italy.
Meyer Turku Begins Building TUI Cruises' Methanol-ready Cruise Ship
Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku announced it has cut first steel for Mein Schiff 7, the latest new cruise ship for Germany's TUI Cruises. Notably, the 111,500 GT cruise ship will be able to run on methanol fuel.âAfter two years of pandemics, we have returned to our course and will continue to grow as planned,â said TUI Cruises CEO Wybcke Meier, during an official steel cutting ceremony held at the Turku shipyard on Tuesday.âMein Schiff 7 will take us forward in our work for more environmentally friendly cruise tourism. The ship will be built so that it can be used with methanol.
'Exceptional times lasted longer than expected," Meyer Turku CEO Says as Loss Widens
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: âExceptional times lasted longer than expected. The global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, such as labor and material mobility, affected our operations as well.
BW Offshore Sells FPSO Umuroa for Scrap
After it last month said it would recycle its FPSO BW Cidade de São Vicente, FPSO owner BW Offshore has now agreed to sell another FPSO for scrap, this time the FPSO Umuroa.The company said Monday it had signed an agreement to recycle the FPSO Umuroa in compliance with the Hong Kong International Convention at Baijnath Melaram (âthe Yardâ) in India. "The sale will generate USD 13.5 million in net liquidity. The yard is certified to ISO standards and has been issued with a StatementâŠ
TUI Reports Loss as Omicron Trumps Summer Recovery
TUI reported an operating loss of over 2 billion euros ($2.26 billion) for its 2020-2021 financial year and said it may need to cut winter capacity as the Omicron coronavirus variant overshadows hopes of a rebound next summer.The world's largest holiday company has struggled since pandemic restrictions wreaked havoc on the tourism industry, leaving its hotels, airlines and cruises largely empty since March 2020.It expects travel bookings to return to pre-pandemic levels by summer 2022 but the Omicron variant has prevented it from giving an outlook for the current fiscal year running from Oct.
No Cruise Ship Cheer for Cape Town Amid Omicron Alarm
The docking of the Europa passenger liner in Cape Town on Tuesday was meant to be a ribbon-cutting celebration marking the official start of the cruise ship season in South Africaâs top tourist hub, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.But international travel curbs on southern Africa, where the new Omicron coronavirus here variant was first identified, have blown expectations of a bumper tourist season out of the water.The multi-story luxury liner is the first to dock atâŠ
Wallem Names Managing Director, Ship Agency for Indochina
Maritime solutions provider Wallem Group has appointed Leonard Tui as Managing Director, Ship Agency for Indochina, as part of efforts to expand its global reach and enhance its regional service offering, Tui joins Wallem from Höegh Autoliners, bringing with him 17 yearsâ experience in maritime operations and logistics management. In his previous role as Head of Operations at Höeghâs Tokyo office, Tui oversaw the East Asian, Southeast Asian, and Oceanian markets, serving 15 countriesâŠ
Crew on TUI Cruise Ship Test Positive for Coronavirus
A cruise ship carrying about 920 passengers was expected to dock at Piraeus port near Athens, after 12 of its crew members tested positive for the coronavirus, an official at Greece's Civil Protection agency said on Monday.The Mein Shiff 6, operated by TUI Cruises, departed from Heraklion in Crete on Sunday with all passengers having tested negative before boarding.But sample tests on 150 crew members out of a total of 666, detected 12 infections. The ship's operators TUI Cruises said six of the 12 had since tested negative."They are all asymptomatic," the civil protection official said.
BW Offshore's FPSO Stuck in New Zealand
FPSO-leasing company BW Offshore has been unable to remove the Umuroa FPSO from the Tui field in New Zealand following the contract termination, client liquidation, and the country's court and environment regulator intervention.The company was in October 2019 informed by the client Tamarind Taranaki (TTL), a subsidiary of Tamarind Resource, the FPSO contract would not be extended after December 31, 2019.BW Offshore then said it would undertake work to disconnect and demobilize the FPSOâŠ
AIDA Cruises Seeking German Government Aid
Carnival Corpâs AIDA cruise operator is among a list of companies seeking state aid from the German government, the Business Insider website reported on Thursday.AIDA is seeking about half a billion euros ($591 million) in state aid, Business Insider said, citing a government list of companies requesting support, which also includes shipbuilder MV Werften and steel producer Georgsmarienhuette.The finance ministry declined to comment.AIDA is examining whether financing schemes offered by the government are suitable for the company, a spokesman said, adding he was not aware of any considerations
How Will the Cruise Industry Recover from Coronavirus?
On Sunday the first major cruise ship to take to the Mediterranean in almost five months sailed out of the Italian city of Genoa. Passengers on the MSC Grandiosa were tested for coronavirus before stepping on board. The shipâwhich has brought in an array of strict measures to limit the spread of the virusâwill stop at three Italian ports and the Maltese capital Valletta in a seven-day voyage. But will these measures be enough to help the sector survive the pandemic? A lot is riding on the success of this Italian cruise.After allâŠ
Royal Caribbean Takes Full Ownership of Silversea Cruises
Royal Caribbean Group has acquired the remaining shares of Silversea Cruises, a specialist in the ultra-luxury and expedition cruising, after previously buying a two-thirds share of the cruise line in July 2018.The remaining one-third stake held by Heritage Cruise Holding Ltd. was paid for in the form of 5.2 million shares of Royal Caribbean Group common stock, which represents about 2.5% of the total common stock."Silversea has been a great fit for our company from the very first day," said Richard D. Fain, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group.
TUI Plans Capital Increase, Germany Could Help
TUI is planning a share sale to raise up to 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion), as the world's largest holiday company looks to ride out the coronavirus-linked travel slump, people close to the matter said.No decisions have been taken and a number of options are still on the table, the people said, adding a possible equity injection by a German government rescue fund was being discussed.Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov, who owns 25% of the London-listed firm, is expected to invest pro-rata in any rights issue, which could be decided in the coming weeks, the sources said.TUI and the German fina
TUI Cruise Ship Crew Tests Negative for COVID-19 in Repeat Test
Twelve crew members of a cruise ship that docked at Piraeus port near Athens on Tuesday tested negative for the novel coronavirus in repeat checks by Greek health authorities, the ship's operator TUI Cruises said.The Mein Shiff 6 cruise ship had departed from Heraklion in Crete on Sunday with all 922 passengers having tested negative before boarding.But sample tests on 150 members out of the ship's total crew of 666, conducted at a land lab, detected 12 COVID-19 infections.Sailing off the island of Milos, the cruise liner made its way back to Piraeus, the country's biggest port, with better access to health services and equipped to deal with any emergency.
BW Offshore, New Zealand Gov't Reach Umuroa FPSO Settlement
FPSO operator BW Offshore has reached a settlement with the New Zealand government over the FPSO Umuroa, which has been stuck at the Tui field, around 50 kilometers off the coast of Taranaki, for months.BW Offshore has been unable to remove its FPSO from the Tui field following the contract termination, client liquidation, and the country's court and environment regulator intervention.Client Tamarind Taranaki in October 2019 said it wouldn't extend the FPSO contract after December 31âŠ
Carnival Cashes In On COVID Rebound
Cruises are renowned for their gargantuan all-you-can-eat buffets. Cruise company Carnival is stuffing its face again with a $1 billion equity raise â its third such helping after Chief Executive Arnold Donald feasted on a combined $2.5 billion in share offerings late last year. Itâs not clear that Donald needs the financial calories this time round: Carnival had cash to ride out 15 months of zero sales, assuming monthly cash burn of $600 million, at the end of 2020.Despite ships remaining moored, investors canât seem to get enough: shares are priced at a mere 3% discount to Mondayâs close.