Tomas Tillberg News

SunStone Ships has ordered a seventh cruise vessel in its INFINITY class. Designed by Ulstein Design & Solutions AS, these vessels were the first to introduce the patented X-BOW design in the cruise industry.“We have signed a new contract with the CMHI Haimen yard for the construction of a new X-BOW expedition cruise vessel of the ULSTEIN CX103 design,” said Lars Ståle Skoge, commercial director at Ulstein Design & Solutions.Although all the SunStone vessels in this class are designed on the same platform…

Not long ago, at the start of 2020, the market for passenger vessel construction was booming, with record orders rolling in across the size spectrum, from small passenger vessels all the way up to the world’s largest mega cruise liners.But then passenger vessels of all types and sizes began to empty out as COVID-19 spread. A large number of ferries were taken out of service or left operating with drastically reduced ridership (or in some cases, none at all) while the cruise industry—a related but separate species—was brought to a virtual standstill.

As the global cruise industry enjoys it most robust period of growth ever, the question invariably becomes: How long can it last?Cruising, which is a blend of the hospitality and maritime businesses, continues to grow at a historic pace. The Cruise Trends & Industry Outlook publication from Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) projects a passenger count of 30 million in 2019 – up nearly 2 million from the previous year. By year end 2019 CLIA members – a veritable ‘who’s who’ of the largest brands – will have 272 vessels…

Designer Tomas Tillberg’s quest for freedom breaks down barriers and expands to China, where his team builds China’s first expedition cruise ships putting Antarctica - and the most remote, mysterious parts of the world - within reach.All for freedom. Freedom for all. Tomas Tillberg could be Harley Davidson’s new poster boy. As he views the open road from behind his handle bars, he’s filled with an amazing feeling of personal freedom.With formal training from Royal Academy of Arts in Stockholm, Tillberg’s artistry expresses his aspiration for independence.

China earns cruise newbuild business, aims for ship financeWhile China has steadily built shipbuilding market share, cruise ship construction –  more specifically mastering the logistical complexities inherent in cruise ship design, outfit and construction – has proved elusive. But it appears that Chinese shipbuilders have turned the corner, with contracts signed for the first cruise newbuilds. We were in Tianjin, China, earlier this year for the 4th Annual China Maritime Finance Forum for a look behind the covers of passenger vessel in China…

Last week in Tianjin, China, the Intercontinental Tianjinyujiapu Hotel & Residences played host to The 4th China Maritime Finance (DFTP) Summit, a two-day event which saw nearly 800 delegates from across China gather for discussions on all matters maritime finance, including day one, Wednesday, April 25, dedicated exclusively to the growth and future for China’s cruise industry. As the exclusive international media outside of China to cover the event, Maritime Reporter & Engineering…

Niels-Erik Lund began his passenger ship career in 1969 as a trainee in a Danish passenger shipping company, DFDS. In the nearly 50 years since, the passenger and cruise shipping industry has changed many times over, with consistent growth being the only similarity between then an now. Today Lund, President & CEO of Sunstone Ships, Inc., has an unfettered view of the expedition cruise sector that he helped to create. With the expedition and luxury cruise segments set for fast growth, Maritime Reporter spoke to Lund to help put the market in better perspective.

SunStone Ships, Inc. and China Merchants Industry Holdings Co., Ltd. (CMIH) have signed a framework agreement for the construction of four expedition vessels with options for an additional six vessels. The new vessels will be part of the SunStone Fleet and chartered to new and existing clients. CMIH has entered into an agreement with Ulstein Design & Solutions, who will supply the vessel’s design and equipment package, as well as the supervision for the building of the vessels.

Cruise ship and passenger vessel design are unique in the maritime world, evolving with time and style, demanding efficient power and safety for these cities at sea. Tomas Tillberg of Tillberg Design International is a renowned “go to” source for perspective and insight in this regard. For those not familiar, can you kindly give an overview of how you found your way in to cruise and passenger vessel design? I grew up with design being discussed at home and helped in the office very early on, visiting clients together with my father and helping in other ways.

Modern cruise ships can cost upwards of a billion and built to last more than 25 years, so the platforms must be built for change, as evolving style & taste, material innovation & maritime regulation dictate. “Built to stand the test of time” is the mantra, so in seeking insight on modern cruise design we sought insights from a designer that also has stood the test of time, Tomas Tillberg of Tillberg Design International. Mr. Tillberg, as a long-tenured and well-respected member of the Cruise Ship design community…

I must admit that exploring the historical nature of our business is one of my favorite endeavors, and this month we are pleased to continue our series of articles in celebration of our 75th anniversary. Patricia Keefe again graces our pages with her overview of the creation and fate of what is arguably the greatest if not most famous ship in the history of U.S. shipbuilding, the passenger liner SS United States. The SS United States is one of those ships that  has intricately interwoven itself into the culture of this industry…

The Tillberg name is synonymous with luxurious cruise ship design, often serving as the masterminds in the creation of images and themes that will capture the essence of the each vessel's itinerary and passenger base. MR/EN spoke with two generations of the Tillbergs — founder Robert — and son Tomas — to discuss their philosophies, ideas and creations for a business that is expediently working to meet the cruise industry's newbuild boom. From the time he was a young man attending college in Sweden, Tomas Tillberg longed for the day that he could join his father, Robert Tillberg, at work designing and dreaming up new ideas for the cruise ship industry.

As a child, I often noticed a framed postcard that hung in the living room of my parents' home in Long Island. It was a simple silver rimmed frame with blue matting that showed back and front of the postcard — the front depicting a large ship with red, white and blue smokestacks — the back holding an autograph of former President Dwight Eisenhower (see photo below). For years, I passed this by as if it were of no significance. However, I would have never thought that one day I'd be writing about this framed postcard. The "large ship" to which I am referring is the United States Lines flagship, the S.S. United States, which my mother, Evelyn (Sullivan) Ciardiello, traveled on from New York to Europe in 1963 — 11 years after the vessel held its maiden voyage on July 3, 1952.