Luxury Cruise Operator News

SunStone Maritime Group has announced the long-term summer charter of the Infinity vessel, Ocean Victory, with a new client.From April 2025, the Ocean Victory will be trading in the Mediterranean Sea during northern hemisphere summer seasons for Spanish luxury cruise operator, Alma Cruceros.Alma Cruceros is a Spanish operator planning itineraries covering Spanish destinations in the Mediterranean, as well as Northern and Western Africa and the Canary Islands. The cruise product will be designed for Spanish speaking passengers in all areas from music…

Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri announced it has delivered the first vessel for luxury cruise operator Viking equipped with an emissions reducing hydrogen fuel cell system.Identical to Viking’s other ocean ships, the 47,800 ton Viking Neptune is fitted with a small hydrogen fuel system, making it the cruise industry’s first ship to test the use of hydrogen power for on board operations. “We are especially proud to welcome this newest sister ship to our ocean fleet, as it also marks a significant advancement in testing hydrogen as a future fuel for our vessels…

ABB inked a deal with Chantiers de l’Atlantique for Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection to supply the electric propulsion systems and remote support for the luxury cruise operator’s two forthcoming mega-yachts. The ships are the second and third in a series that began with Ritz-Carlton Evrima, to start operations later this year, also featuring ABB technologies on board.With a capacity of 456 passengers, the two yachts will be larger than the 298-passenger Evrima while maintaining the exclusivity and personalized service that differentiate Ritz-Carlton.

Norwegian-owned cruiseship operator SeaDream Yacht Club has cancelled all sailing for the remainder of 2020 after positive COVID-19 test results onboard one of its cruises, it said on Tuesday, dealing a fresh blow to the cruise industry.The decision follows an outbreak of the novel coronavirus aboard a voyage of its SeaDream I vessel in the Caribbean last week.“7 guests and 2 crew members have tested positive for Covid-19 by Barbados health authorities,” SeaDream said in a statement.Requirements for multiple negative PCR tests from guests before boarding had not been sufficient to prevent COVID-19 onboard, it said.“The company will now spend time to evaluate and see if it is possible to operate and have a high degree of certainty of not getting COVID…

SeaDream Yacht Club has halted a cruise in the Caribbean following several positive coronavirus tests among passengers, the company said on Friday.The SeaDream I vessel has returned to port in Barbados and all passengers are currently being re-tested, the privately owned company said in a statement.“The ship’s medical staff has tested all crew members and all tests have come back negative,” SeaDream said.Cruise ships were home to the some of the earliest clusters of COVID-19 as the pandemic spread globally early this year…

Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest luxury cruise operator, emitted nearly 10 times more sulphur oxide (SOX) around European coasts than did all  260 million European cars in 2017,  said Transport & Environment.Royal Caribbean Cruises, the world’s second largest, is second, yet four times worse than the European car fleet, revealed a new analysis by sustainable transport group.SOX emissions form sulphate (SO4) aerosols that increase human health risks and contribute to acidification in terrestrial and aquatic environments.In absolute terms, Spain, Italy and Greece, closely followed by France and Norway, are the European countries most exposed to SOX air pollution from cruise vessels while Barcelona…

The first steel cut on May 9, 2017 at the VARD shipyard in Tulcea, Romania marks the official start of the construction of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ first of two new-build expedition ships. In an official ceremony Karl J. Pojer, CEO of the luxury cruise operator, gave the official start signal for the construction process of HANSEATIC nature, and Roger Vassdal, Senior Vice President for VARD’s operations in Romania, handed over a symbolic steel silhouette of HANSEATIC nature to the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ board of directors.

The luxury cruise operator Windstar Cruises will drydock ship following last week’s grounding in a remote region of Panama. Windstar reports that Star Pride experienced a grounding while coming into anchor at Isla de Coiba, Panama. As a result the ship's December 26, January 2 and January 9 voyages have been cancelled. According to a statement on the Windstar Cruises Facebook page, Star Pride was “coming into anchor” at Isla de Coiba, off the coast of Panama shortly after 6 a.m. CST on Dec. The cruise line said all passengers and crew were safe after the incident, and guests left the ship as scheduled for the day’s private island event. "As the safety and security of guests and crew is of the utmost priority, the current Star Pride cruise is canceled.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCLH.O) said it would buy Prestige Cruises International Inc from its owner Apollo Global Management LLC (APO.N) in a $3 billion deal to expand its high-end luxury cruise offerings. Shares of Norwegian Cruise, the world's third-largest cruise operator, were up 13 percent at $37.57 in early trading. Prestige, which in January registered with U.S. regulators for an initial public offering, owns upper-premium cruise operator Oceania Cruises and luxury cruise operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The company operates eight ships, with about 6,500 berths.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises passengers can now remain in touch in the most remote corners of the world. The luxury cruise operator is adding OnAir’s mobile phone services, already deployed on MS EUROPA, to its two Expedition ships, MS HANSEATIC and MS BREMEN. OnAir’s satellite service was designed to allow passengers to use their own mobile devices just as they do on dry land, for calls, text messages, email and mobile data. Usage is billed by the passenger’s mobile operator, in the same way as international roaming, making it very simple to use.

Carnival Corp. announced the resignation of Larry Pimentel, president and CEO of its Cunard Line Limited unit. Pamela Conover, COO of Cunard, has been given the additional title of president and will replace Pimentel as head of the luxury cruise operator. Both management changes are effective immediately. Pimentel has served at the helm of Cunard Line, which is comprised of both the Cunard and Seabourn cruise brands, since 1998, when the Miami-based combined entity was formed, following Carnival Corp.'s acquisition of Cunard. Prior to that he spent six years as president and COO of Seabourn Cruise Line, formerly based in San Francisco. Pimentel resigned for personal reasons, citing a desire to spend more time with his family.