Cruise Services News

Tallink Grupp announced it recently signed a charter agreement for its Latvian-flagged cruise vessel Romantika, which has also been hired to provide accommodation at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), taking place in Glasgow, Scotland on October 31– November 12.Several weeks ago, the company said it signed a charter agreement for its Tallinn-Helsinki route cruise vessel Silja Europa to provide accommodation services at the global climate conference in Glasgow from October 21 to November 14.

MAN Energy Solutions’ after-sales division in Augsburg, Germany—MAN PrimeServ Augsburg—has developed a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) solution that will be retrofitted aboard the MS Amadea, a cruise ship chartered by PHOENIX Reisen GmbH Bonn (Germany) and managed by BSM Cruise Services. Also known as Das Traumschiff, the Amadea is well-known in Germany as the main filming set for a very popular television series.The retrofit calls for the integration of two of MAN’s SCR systems…

Plans to develop a new cruise terminal at the Port of Seattle have been derailed by the coronavirus pandemic. The port announced Tuesday it has called off a request for industry proposals for a joint investment to build and operate a proposed new cruise terminal to serve the Alaska market.“Our current focus remains on public health,” said Port of Seattle Executive Director Steve Metruck. “We continue to work with public health partners and cruise stakeholders to determine the enhanced procedures that will make our cruise passenger terminals and facilities safe for the community…

Most cruise lines’ operations are now suspended but at the beginning of the year, BSM Cruise Services’ managed ships were deployed all around the world.Martin Springer, Managing Director BSM Cruise Services explains that, while all BSM’s managed vessels have advanced procedures and contingency plans in place for any crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has been an extreme situation.But he continues; “BSM Cruise Services’ commitment to building long-lasting customer relationships and…

Economic relief is on its way for Singapore's passenger vessel owners and operators, as well as passenger terminal operators, who have seen a drop in passenger volumes due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Heng Swee Keat, announced Thursday, as part of the Resilience Budget.The 50% port dues concession to passenger vessels from March 1 to August 31, announced by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's (MPA) in February, will extend for another four months until December 31, 2020.

Bernhard Schulte Cruise Services (BSCS) was awarded technical management of Jalesh Cruises’ new vessel, MS Karnika. (formerly Pacific Jewel).The 70,285-ton, 2,000-passenger Crown Princess-class cruise ship is presently undergoing comprehensive refurbishment at Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard in Singapore prior to entering service from Mumbai, India in mid-April 2019. MS Karnika will operate cruises from India and Dubai for the duration of 2019.BSCS Managing Director Les Royle and Deputy Managing Director Martin Springer worked closely with Jalesh Cruises on the new partnership.

India and Bangladesh discussed various issues pertaining to the protocol arrangements and improvement of inland water transportation between the two countries in the 19th Standing Committee meeting under ‘Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade’ (PIWTT)held at  New Delhi.The meeting was attended by high level delegations that included representatives of Ministries of  Shipping, External Affairs, Home, Finance, DONER and Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and officials from Bangladesh belonging toMinistry of Shipping, Board of Revenue, DG (Shipping)  and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA).The two sides agreed to consider inclusion of Rupnarayan river (National Waterway-86) from Geonkhali to Kolaghatin West Bengal in the protocol route.

Schulte Marine Concept (SMC) said it has won its first cruise ship contract with Portugal-based Mystic Cruises. Schulte Marine Concept the project management arm of maritime services company Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), working together with Bernhard Schulte Cruise Services (BS Cruise), will provide technical consultancy and newbuild supervision services to support construction of the oceangoing luxury expedition cruise ship, MS World Explorer. MS World Explorer will be built as a 126-meter long expedition cruise ship with a passenger capacity of 200 and a crew complement of 111.

Piraeus Port, Greece's largest, aims to increase its cruise traffic from 1 million passengers a year up to 1.5 million in the short-term and to 3 million long-term, its managing director, Fu Cheng Qiu, said on Friday. COSCO Shipping, which owns the world's fourth-largest container shipping fleet, bought 51 percent of the port's operating company last year, and plans significant investment to turn the port into a transhipment hub for rapidly growing trade between Asia and Eastern Europe. In a speech welcoming a first group of 250 Chinese cruise passengers in Piraeus, Fu, who took over last year, said COSCO also plans to upgrade cruise services to attract Chinese tourists and tap into the port's growth potential in the cruise industry in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Indian Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved MoU on passenger cruise services on the coastal and protocol routes between India and Bangladesh for starting regular movement of passengers and tourists in water crafts between the two countries. The operationalization of this MoU will promote people to people contact and cooperation between the two countries in respect of economic, social and cultural advancement. It will also generate employment opportunities for the people of India and Bangladesh. The Cabinet also approved MoU between India and Bangladesh for fairway development of Ashuganj-Zakiganj stretch of Kushiyara river and Sirajganj-Daikhawa stretch of Jamuna river in the Indo-Bangladesh protocol route .

The government of India is working on a policy to make India a global destination for cruise shipping and efforts are on to identify such circuits, besides a slew of steps, to boost infrastructure, Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari has said. According to a report by Press Trust of India, a high-level task force has been appointed and top global consultants are drawing up blueprint for it. Five circuits each are being identified for international and domestic cruise services and a report is likely by May this year. India, with 7,500 km of coastline, has taken steps on a war footing to promote cruise tour, which includes relaxation of policies and developing infrastructure. Mumbai has shown the way with a likely arrival of 100 cruise ships, he said.

Spanish shipping line Baleària said it has reached an agreement with the Italian shipyard Cantiere Navale Visentini to build two dual-fuel sister ferries, measuring 186.5 meters in length and a capacity for 810 people, 2,180 linear meters of cargo and 150 cars. The total investment in these vessels is some 200 million euros (approximately $215 million USD); they are expected to be operational by the end of 2018. The ships will reach speeds of 24 knots thanks to two dual engines with a total power of 20,600 KW.

China’s state-owned COSCO Shipping Corp plans to launch cruise services in the South China Sea in July, reports Reuters. The first route is expected to travel from Sanya to the Yongle Island, part of the Xisha Islands in Hainan province. Its part of Beijing’s plans to transform several islands in the disputed waterway into tourist destinations to bolster its territorial claims. "It is practical to stimulate the local economy through development of tourism, logistics and infrastructure facilities," Xu Lirong, chairman of COSCO Shipping, said. China COSCO Shipping signed a contract with China National Travel Service (HK) Group Corp and China Communications Construction Co Ltd in late April, to jointly establish a cruise company to offer tourism services in the South China Sea.

Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) and Optimum Ship Management (Optimum) have announced the launch of a new joint venture partnership, Hanseatic Cruise Services. Based in Singapore, Hanseatic Cruise Services will provide comprehensive, world class passenger vessel management services to third-party clients around the world. BSM is continuously working to expand and diversify its range of services. It believes that the cruise industry presents a significant opportunity for development, offering major growth potential.

After more than 92 years of operating from various locations in Wilmington, Calif., Nautilus International Holding Corp., along with its subsidiaries Metro Ports, Metro Cruise Services, Metro Shore Services and Metro Risk Management, is moving its headquarters into a new Long Beach facility on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. The new address is 3806 Worsham Ave., Long Beach, Calif., 90808. The post office box address is P.O. Box 93121, Long Beach, Calif., 90809-3121. General phone number is 310.816.6500310.816.6500 FREE. The new 40,000-square-foot headquarters is located on 2.57 acres at Pacific Pointe at Douglas Park. The company will shift approximately 65 executive and administrative personnel (with capacity to exceed 120) for the holding corporation and each of its subsidiaries.

FleetPro says it will manage the technical and hotel operational services of Haimark Line's newly acquired MS Saint Laurent” from May 3rd, 2015. Haimark Line, with offices in Denver, Chicago and Berlin will launch the highly popular Great Lakes and St Lawrence Seaway Cruises with the intimate 210 guest MS Saint Laurent (formerly known as Sea Voyager) which was purposely built for Great Lakes Cruises and expedition-focused exotic Central and South American sailings. The Saint Laurent will be completely updated and refurbished before entering into service. Including the addition of expedition cruise features such as a new fleet of zodiacs and refurbished outdoor areas idea for enjoying vistas.

MTN Communications (MTN) says it has extended the companies' 12-year relationship and will be introducing new communications services to its three-ship Regent Seven Seas Cruises fleet and five-ship Oceania Cruises operation. MTN explains that it delivers a complete communications solution including MTN Worldwide TV (MTN TV), Internet and voice services for passengers and crew, including the maritime-specific voice app for calling and messaging onboard and ship-to-shore. Prestige pioneered the launch of this app – MTN OceanPhone Mobile – onboard several of its vessels. OceanPhone Mobile leverages vessel Wi-Fi infrastructure and the reliable MTN network so crew can call and message with family and friends using their own smartphones and tablets.

Beth G. Neumann has joined Starboard Cruise Services as CEO and President, reporting to Starboard Chairman, Ed Brennan. Owned by renowned world leader in luxury, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Starboard is the largest and leading onboard retailer in the cruise industry. In her leadership role, Neumann will oversee Starboard’s worldwide operations, which includes 1,800 employees, working both on land and on board the ships of the company’s eight partner cruise lines. Starboard’s sister company, Onboard Media, will also report to Neumann as part of her responsibilities.

Metropolitan Stevedore Co., established in 1923 in Southern California and with business roots dating back to the 1850s gold rush era through its original San Francisco parent corporation, California Stevedore and Ballast Co., is celebrating its 90th anniversary. Through the years, Metropolitan Stevedore Co. became known as Metro, so in 2008 the decision was made to use Metro Ports as the new brand for the various key operating companies of Wilmington, Calif.-based Nautilus International Holding Corp.

The European Commission has found a €113.9 million Greek support for an infrastructure project of €120 million at the Port of Piraeus to be in line with EU state aid rules. The EU's official gazette 'Europa' reports that the EU Commission found that the project will further the objectives of EU transport policy and cohesion without unduly distorting competition in the internal market. In September 2012 Greece notified plans to support an investment project by OLP, the port authority, to extend existing infrastructure for cruise ships at the Port of Piraeus by 2 docking stations.

SATS announced it has through its subsidiaries, SATS Airport Services and SATS-Creuers Cruise Services (SATS-Creuers), entered into a share purchase agreement to acquire the entire issued share capital of Singapore Cruise Center for S$110 million from Temasek. Singapore Cruise Center is a Singapore-based terminal operator which manages and operates the award-winning international cruise terminal and regional ferry terminal at HarbourFront Center, along with the two ferry terminals at Tanah Merah and Pasir Panjang. It has a strong cash-generative and profitable business, reporting revenue of S$45 million and profit before tax of S$16.7 million for the financial year ended March 31, 2013.

Metro Cruise Services LLC entered a four-year agreement with the New York City Economic Development Corp. (NYCEDC), where it has been designated as the sole and exclusive operator of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal (BCT). This will be the first time in Metro’s company history that marine terminal and stevedore operations will be conducted in the Port of New York. Metro’s cruise brand has grown in the Northeast region in recent years, beginning with the providing of stevedore services in the Port of Boston to Crystal, RCI, Celebrity and Carnival cruise lines.

Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific interviews Melvin Vu of SATS-Creuers Cruise Services on trends in port development & management. What do you see as some of the current trends in terminal design and operation? Melvin Vu: Parallel to the strong overall growth of the cruise industry in the region, cruise lines are significantly adding to the vessel capacity and are deploying bigger ships here. It is safe to say that various destinations in Asia are fast becoming integral to cruise itineraries — as such, the burgeoning cruise demand is increasingly shaping and influencing terminal design and operations. What do you see as some of the current trends in terminal design and operation?