Virgin Group News

Virgin Voyages, the cruise brand from Richard Branson's Virgin Group, said on Friday it has raised $550 million in fresh capital to expand into new international markets.The funding was led by Ares Management with participation from existing investors, including British conglomerate Virgin Group and venture capital firm Bain Capital.Launched at the end of 2021, Virgin Voyages operates three ships servicing the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. It plans to operate in Australia and…

Richard Branson’s cruise line Virgin Voyages announced it has partnered with independent sustainability experts, the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), along with three waste-based sustainable fuel providers to deliver low carbon fuels to the marine industry. Argent Energy, GoodFuels and Twelve are collaborating with the cruise line to further advance Virgin Voyages’ commitment of reaching net zero by 2050.Recognizing there is currently no one-size-fits-all, low-carbon fuel solution…

Italian shipbuilding group Fincanieri said it has delivered the new cruise ship, Valiant Lady, and launched another, Resilient Lady, for operator Virgin Voyages at its Sestri Ponente shipyard in Genoa.The newbuilds are the second and third of four ships which Virgin Voyages, part of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, ordered from Fincantieri.Valiant Lady and Resilient Lady, as well as sister ship Scarlet Lady delivered last year, weigh about 110,000 gross tons, are 278 meters long and 38 wide.

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri said it has presented Scarlet Lady, the first of four new cruise ships it is building for new cruise ship operator Virgin Voyages, part of Richard Branson’s Virgin Group.The 110,00-gross-ton Scarlet Lady, constructed at the builder's shipyard in Genoa Sestri Ponente, is 278 meters long and 38 meters wide. Virgin Voyages second ship, Valiant Lady, currently under construction in the same yard, will be delivered in 2021, while the third and the fourth units…

“Scarlet Lady”, the first of four ships which Virgin Voyages ordered to Fincantieri, touched the water for the first time for Virgin Voyages on Friday at the shipyard in Genoa Sestri Ponente.The first ship from the new cruise brand of Virgin Group  starts revenue service from the Port of Miami in April 2020.Interior fittings will now begin, leading the ship to its delivery, scheduled at the beginning of 2020, said a press release from the shipyard.The event was attended, among others, for the ship owner by Tom McAlpin, Virgin Voyages President and CEO, while Fincantieri was represented by Luigi Matarazzo, Senior Executive Vice President Merchant Ships Business Unit and Paolo Capobianco, director of the shipyard.

Cruise line Virgin Voyages has assigned Wärtsilä the responsibility of the maintenance of its three brand new cruise ships due to enter service in 2020, 2021 and 2022.The comprehensive 10-year Optimized Maintenance Agreement, signed on April 30, 2018, gives extensive responsibility of maintenance to Wärtsilä, who will ensure that vessels are powered and operated reliably, efficiently and sustainably.Wärtsilä’s Dynamic Maintenance Planning allows maintenance operations to be carried out based on remotely monitored and analyzed real-time performance data.

A steel cutting ceremony held today at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente (Genoa) shipyard marked the official start of construction for the second of three cruise ships on order for Virgin Voyages (part of Virgin Group). During the event, Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Voyages President and CEO Tom McAlpin, welcomed by Giampiero Massolo and Giuseppe Bono, Chairman and CEO of Fincantieri, also revealed the name of the series’  first ship, which is currently under construction at the yard: Scarlet Lady…

Dubai-based port operator DP World has partnered with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Hyperloop One to create a new venture that aims to provide hyperloop-enabled cargo systems.DP World and the U.S.-based Virgin Hyperloop One introduced their vision for “the future of on-demand freight transportation” at an event on April 29 at the historic vessel Queen Elizabeth 2.The joint venture, called DP World Cargospeed, will set out to be the world’s first to ship cargo with hyperloop technology.

A keel laying ceremony was held at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyard in Genoa, Italy for the first of three new cruise ships to be built for the Virgin Group’s new cruise line arm Virgin Voyages. The ceremony was attended by Richard Branson, founder of Virgin; Tom McAlpin, President and CEO of Virgin Voyages; Alberto Maestrini, Fincantieri General Manager; Giovanni Toti, President of the Liguria Region; Marco Bucci, the mayor of Genoa; and other authorities. Each of the new ships will weigh about 110…

Wärtsilä said it has secured contracts to provide a scope of power and navigational control solutions for three new 2,800 passenger cruise vessels being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy for Virgin Voyages, the latest of the international Virgin Group's travel businesses. An order for Wärtsilä engines, hybrid exhaust cleaning scrubber systems and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems was booked in 2016, followed by an order for the Wärtsilä integrated navigation systems in March 2017.

A steel cutting ceremony has signaled the start of construction for the first of three new cruise ships for the Virgin Group’s new cruise line, Virgin Voyages. The three new ships are being built by Fincantieri at its shipyard in Genoa, Italy for scheduled deliveries in 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively. The combined order value is about 2 billion euros. Each ship will weigh about 110,000 gross tons, be 278 meters long and 38 wide. The ships will feature over 1,400 guest cabins that can host more than 2,700 passengers, accompanied by 1,150 crew members on board.

Ship construction contracts valued at approximately 2 billion euros between Fincantieri and Virgin Voyages (part of Virgin Group of companies) for three new cruise ships have been finalized and are now effective. The three units will be built at the shipyard in Sestri Ponente (Genoa) with delivery scheduled for 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively. Each ship will weigh about 110,000 gross tons, be 278 meters long and 38 wide. The ships will feature over 1,400 guest cabins that can host more than 2,800 passengers, accompanied by 1,100 crew members on board to deliver the famed Virgin service. These ships will stand out for original design and craftsmanship.

The former chief executive of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd sued Richard Branson's Virgin Group in federal court in Miami for $300 million on Wednesday over plans by the British billionaire to launch his own luxury cruise line.   The lawsuit by Colin Veitch, who oversaw Norwegian from 2000 to 2008, claims that Virgin muscled him out of a joint venture to break into the industry with massive ships capable of carrying thousands of passengers and operating as floating resorts, according to court documents.     (Reporting by Zachary Fagenson; Editing by David Adams and Eric Walsh)

Former Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Colin Veitch has filed suit against Richard Branson for $300 million claiming that Virgin essentially stole his ideas and business plans to enter the lucrative luxury cruise industry by building a pair of state-of-the-art ships capable of carrying 4,200 passengers each. Veitch claims he planned the start-up operation, lined up financing to build the first ship and worked out a tentative commitment with a German shipyard, according to an article by Curt Anderson, legal affairs writer for the Associated Press. Veitch was CEO of Norwegian from 2000 to 2008. According to the AP, Veitch is asking for $300 million in damages in the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Miami federal court. He is also asking the court to shut down Virgin Cruises.

Virgin Cruises will launch its first luxury liner in 2020 from Miami, British tycoon Richard Branson announced, placing his bets on medium-sized "boutique" ships. The Virgin Group founder said he had signed a binding letter of intent with Italy's Fincantieri to build three 110,000-ton ships, to debut in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Each ship would carry 2,860 passengers, based on double occupancy, and 1,150 crewmembers. With characteristic flair, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, sporting a skipper's hat, arrived in downtown Miami's Museum Park via helicopter and a cloud of Virgin-red smoke. Branson announced formation of the cruise line in December 2014. Bain Capital is the financing partner.