Istanbul - Thousands of Russian tourists began arriving in Turkey on Tuesday, boosting hopes for its tourism sector after a two-month suspension in flights imposed by Moscow due to concerns about a surge in COVID-19 cases in April
Brussels - European Union countries agreed on Friday to an easing of travel restrictions over summer that will allow fully vaccinated tourists to avoid tests or quarantines and broaden the list of EU regions from which it is safe to travel. Ambassadors from the 27 EU member states approved a modified European Commission proposal that people who have been fully vaccinated for 14 days should be able to travel freely from one EU country to another
"Shipping companies will have to comply with measures established by the health ministry... to guarantee total security, both for cruise passengers and for the cities where they land," the transport ministry tweeted on Saturday.
Rome - The Italian Lower House on Wednesday gave definitive approval to a decree banning cruise ships from mooring in Venice. The decree was passed by 370 votes to 16 with 29 abstentions. Cruise ships have been stopped from landing in the centre of Venice
London - Fresh outbreaks of COVID-19 and travel curbs are deterring tourists from flocking back to Thailand's beaches and Turkey's bazaars, stalling a recovery in tourism, a crucial source of foreign currency and a large employer for many emerging markets. Global tourism suffered its worst year ever in 2020
Taranto - Global Ports Holding, the largest independent terminal operator cruises globally, is now the new concessionaire for traffic support and support services port cruises of Taranto. The international holding will act through the subsidiaries Port Operation Holding and Global Ports Melita. Taranto Cruise Port will have in concession, for the next 20 years, a part of the maritime state-owned areas and assets located on the San Cataldo pier
"The chance to have a stable presence in this port has materialized and, as has already happened elsewhere, we are working with our competitors, who in this case I would define as "industry colleagues": the goal is to find together the best solution to transform Genoa in a large cruise hub"
Heavy ash fall had halted the evacuation efforts somewhat due to poor visibility, according to St. Vincent's National Emergency Management Organisation.
CDC said the next phase of the CDC's conditional sail order will include simulated voyages to will allow crew and port personnel to practice new COVID-19 operational procedures with volunteers before sailing with passengers.
Vaccination certificates may help re-launch Greek cruises. Pandemic keeps cruise liners idling in dock for past year
This was stated in a notice published by the Coast Guard of Genoa, the main Italian port.
Cagliari - Valeria Mangiarotti, lawyer, has recently been vice-president of MedCruise, the association that brings together the cruise ports of the Mediterranean, under the new mandate of Aris Batsoulis. Not entirely a new entry, that of Mangiarotti, who had already held this position in the past. COVID 19 and environment in her agenda
Trieste - Fincantieri, in close cooperation with the virology lab of the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, ICGEB, has developed an innovative next-generation air sanitation system called "Safe Air", which will further significantly improve the quality and cleanliness of the air on board cruise ships
London - The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) have expressed their support for the safe resumption of cruise ship operations following the COVID-19 pandemic. In a joint statement, the organizations also encouraged their member states and relevant national and local authorities to designate all seafarers and marine personnel within their jurisdictions as key workers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday issued a framework for a phased resumption of cruise ship operations after a no-sail order issued in March in response to the coronavirus pandemic expires on Saturday
La Spezia - It took five hours yesterday to complete the first refueling of LNG in Italy on the quay, from ship to ship. La Spezia, the only national port to make the operation possible, will be replicated in three weeks. Always with "Costa Smeralda", the flagship of the Genoese company, which points its bow on the Gulf of Poets every Sunday until mid-November
Genova - Is Costa Cruises mounting a comeback in Asia? It would appear so, as multiple Taiwan-based travel agencies have listed departures aboard the "Costa Serena" out of Taiwanese homeports this coming December. Pulled from service in China in January, the Asia-based "Serena" has been sitting idle since
Papenburg - German shipbuilder Meyer Werft has handed over "Iona", a 180,000-ton LNG-powered cruise ship, to the British shipping company P&O Cruises. With the delivery, the new flagship of the cruise line will be integrated into the P&O Cruises fleet in order to be ready for service when the Biritsh cruise industry restarts
Cruise ships were home to the some of the earliest clusters of COVID-19 as the pandemic spread globally early this year. In March, U.S. authorities issued a no-sail order for all cruise ships that remains in place
"They are all asymptomatic. There are PCR test kits on board. The vessel will most likely return to Piraeus port for repeat rapid COVID-19 tests," an official at the Civil Protection Agency said.
Hoping to set sail again, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings said they submitted a report to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detailing health and safety protocols
Trieste - Is it possible to return to travel carefree without worries about the world health situation? The answer is yes, thanks to the new models of protected cruises that aim to create a "security bubble" on board. We tried this experience aboard "Costa Deliziosa" during her second voyage after the resumption of operations
Video clips on Twitter showed passengers in orange life jackets as helicopters circled above the ship. The ship was sailing a route between Turku in Finland and the Swedish capital, Stockholm
Details and opening of sales of the new winter itineraries will soon be available on the company's website and from travel agencies.
The guests embarking on Costa Deliziosa for her first three September cruises will all be residents of Italy; embarkation will be carried out in accordance with the procedures set out in the Costa Safety Protocol
Hong Kong - Genting Hong Kong held its first creditors meeting Monday as it pursues a restructuring. Leading up to the virtual meeting, the company paid bank fees that were due last week.Previously, Genting HK reported missing the payment of €3.7m in bank fees relating to newbuilds "Global Dream" and a sister vessel
To obtain certification from RINA, specific training modules for crews have been created in strict compliance with the new health protocols and with the associated shipboard management system implemented by Costa
"MSC Cruises is confident that bookings will return to growth in the coming weeks thanks to the charm of the proposed itinerary."
The MSC Grandiosa departed tonight for Civitavecchia with about 650 passengers on board
“For the port of Genoa it was a great satisfaction to host this cruise”, said in this interview the president of the port, Paolo Signorini
The departures available at present are September 6, 13, 20 and 27 for Costa Deliziosa, and September 19 for Costa Diadema
Berlin - TUI has reached an agreement with the German government on an additional aid package worth 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) to provide sufficient liquidity, the tour operator said on Wednesday as the company is hit by the coronavirus pandemic
Hamburg - Germany-based Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has announced plans to commence sailing by the end of this month with the implementation of hygiene and preventive measures. The cruises will first begin from Hamburg on the "Europa 2" luxury ship and the "Hanseatic" inspiration expedition ship
Miami - The world’s largest cruise liner company Carnival Corporation is about to shed 13 ships from its fleet though demolition and sales deals as it works on cutting maintenance costs and curbing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its business.
Southampton - P&O Cruises announced that the "Oceana" has been sold and will leave the fleet. It makes the 2000-built 2,016-guest ship the first "modern" cruise ship sold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A buyer or a sales price was not named. P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said: “Whilst we and many of our guests will miss "Oceana", her departure will allow us to focus on our remaining ships in the fleet"
The terminal, which could be designed by the world-renowned architect Renzo Piano, will be built in the area of the ancient port, the most prestigious area of the city, a few hundred meters from the largest historical center in Europe
Spain is to uphold a ban on cruise liners from docking at its ports to stop the spread of COVID-19, according to a ministerial order published on Saturday
Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s on Tuesday downgraded bonds of Carnival Corp to junk status, forecasting continued weak demand for the cruise industry hammered by the pandemic
Miami - “Due to the ongoing situation within the U.S. related to COVID-19, CLIA member cruise lines have decided to voluntarily extend the period of suspended passenger operations,” the association said in a statement. “It is increasingly clear that more time will be needed to resolve barriers to resumption in the United States.”
New Zealand on Monday extended a ban on cruise ships arriving in the country and tightened measures for visitors to exit quarantine, after reporting more coronavirus cases linked to overseas travel
Miami - Filipino crew members on Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Celebrity ships have moved to federal court, demanding immediate repatriation by the company. Ryan Maunes Maglana filed a lawsuit, on behalf of all Filipino crew on Celebrity’s 14 ships, in a federal court in Miami on May 21. He said he and his co-workers have been held against their will without pay for more than two months
Miami - Virgin Voyages, the new adults only cruise line that was originally scheduled to debut this spring, will now sail its first cruise on October 16, 2020. Virgin Voyages has canceled all cruises through October 15, 2020. The cruise line has also rescheduled the Richard’s Birthday Bash sailing for July 14th, 2021
"The drop in revenues for shipping companies is dramatic. On Sicily and Sardinia the drop is 100% 60% to 90% on the smaller islands. We believe that public aid is necessary, as was done for Alitalia."
The companies, based in Genoa (Costa) and Geneva (Msc), share the Italian market, and are planning shorter-than-usual cruises with stops only at domestic ports.
London - The United Kingdom government has introduced a multimillion-pound coronavirus support package to keep the flow of goods and services running smoothly in and out of the UK, and around the country, throughout the pandemic
Nearly 150 cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed among crew members of an Italian cruise ship docked in Japan after health authorities finished testing everyone on board, an official said on Saturday.
Helsinki - Finnish technology group Wärtsilä has received an order to devpelop a design for up to six new luxury expedition cruise vessels to be owned and operated by Amundsen Expeditions. As informed, the 200-passenger newbuilds are primarily intended for the growing Chinese market
According to industry sources, the companies are already preparing new provisions to ensure safety on board their ships "even with the emergency closed" and also "after the possible spread of the Coronavirus vaccine"
Miami - Hundreds of healthy cruise ship passengers began to disembark from the "Coral Princess" Sunday at PortMiami for their journey home. Three people died of the coronavirus
The company said it was experiencing a huge decline in travel bookings and freight volumes and that passenger figures were not expected recover until well into 2021
"They're dying on the ship," Trump said, adding, "I'm going to do what's right, not only for us but for humanity." The remarks contrast with his response in February to a different cruise ship, the Grand Princess, which he said should remain at sea instead of coming into port in California
Australia ordered two cruise ships to leave its waters on Thursday, after a liner that docked in Sydney Harbour last week became the primary source of infection in the country’s coronavirus outbreak
Four passengers have died on board the MS Zaandam, a cruise ship currently off the coast of Panama with dozens of guests suffering from influenza-like symptoms
"As previously communicated, the cruises currently underway are ending their current itinerary only to allow guests to disembark and return home"
Miami - Carnival Corp., the largest player in a cruise industry reeling from the effects of the coronavirus, said it expects a loss this fiscal year and is taking steps to improve liquidity. The efforts include cutting investments and expenses and looking for additional financing, Carnival said in a statement Monday
The project was born from the collaboration between Gnv / Msc and the Rina group. It would take 10 days to transform the first ferry into a hospital. The Coronavirus epidemic is devastating the Italian economy and has already killed nearly 700 people
Genoa - At the end of a nine-year investigation, the European Commission established that the public 846 million euros paid to the Tirrenia company between 2009 and 2020 are not state aid.
La polizia di frontiera ha "respinto" ieri sera un gruppo di persone provenienti dalle zone rosse del Nord Italia che volevano imbarcarsi su un traghetto della Tirrenia diretto in Sardegna
The century-old Amsterdam canal boat "Gerarda Johanna" looks like a classic with wood paneling, but beneath its floorboards lies a high-tech underbelly: rows of lithium ion batteries, 66 in all, with an electric drive train powering its propeller.
"In considerazione del suo esemplare comportamento, il Presidente della Repubblica ha conferito motu proprio l'onorificenza di Commendatore al Merito della Repubblica Italiana al Comandante della Diamond Princess Gennaro Arma". Lo comunica il Quirinale in una nota
"Vittima eccellente" del coronavirus, il settore crocieristico sta soffrendo più di altri: quello che preoccupa è la situazione estiva, e soprattutto per il Mediterraneo dove le prenotazioni per l’estate 2021 e 2022 sono diminuite già del 40%.
A Japanese cruise operator filed for bankruptcy on Monday after its restaurant ship Luminous Kobe 2, which offered buffets and night views of the western port city of Kobe
The European Commission has concluded that some Italian government's measures in favour of Tirrenia are incompatible with EU rules
The rapid spread of the coronavirus disease is taking a toll on the $46 billion global ocean cruise industry. Many see Asia as a potential growth area for cruise tourism
U.S. President Donald Trump has thanked Cambodia for taking in the castaway cruise ship MS Westerdam in a rare message to a country that is one of China’s closest allies and has often been at odds with Washington
Vietnam has denied two cruise ships permission to dock due to fears of coronavirus infections on board, Vietnamese state media and a cruise operator reported on Friday
Thailand has barred passengers from Holland America’s cruise ship MS Westerdam from disembarking. The Netherlands-flagged ship was sailing off the southern coast of Vietnam
Dozens more people on a cruise ship quarantined in a Japanese port tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday and thousands of passengers remained confined to their cabins, only allowed on deck briefly for fresh air
Around 3,700 people are facing at least two weeks locked away on a cruise liner anchored off Japan after health officials confirmed on Wednesday that 10 people on the ship had tested positive for coronavirus and more cases were possible
Hong Kong was testing over 1,800 passengers and crew on a cruise ship for a coronavirus that originated in Wuhan
Some 6,000 people are being kept on board an Italian cruise ship as tests are carried out on two Chinese passengers suspected of having caught coronavirus
In preparations to host the 2022 World Cup, Qetaifan Projects, a Katara Hospitality owned company signed a memorandum of understanding with Admares
Hundreds of people in small rowing boats protested in front of Venice’s St Mark’s Square on Sunday to denounce what they say is a proliferation of motor boats that have crowded the waters of the lagoon city
The Piraeus Port Authority, a subsidiary of China’s Cosco Shipping Group, anticipates a further increase in 2020, according to Deputy Manager for Public and Investor Relations Nektarios Demenopoulos
Carnival Corporation, the world's largest leisure travel company, said it will launch four new cruise ships in 2020 across four of its global cruise line brands – Iona for P&O Cruises UK, Britain's favorite cruise line
After the order of three hybrid sto/ro ultra large green vessels at Jinling Shipyard back in 2018, Finnlines is pleased to announce that it has recently signed an order for two ro-pax vessels from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai), previously known as AVIC Weihai. Today, both shipyards are part of China Merchants Group
Genova - “Scarlet Lady”,the first Virgin Voyages’ cruise ship under construction at the Fincantier-Sestri Ponente shipyard, has successfully completed sea trials carried out in recent weeks. This is a fundamental step in the construction of a ship
Genoa - Now that the Council of State has rejected the appeal by the Venice Port Authority, and that a new government is about to settle in Rome, the “Venis Cruise” project, for a new cruise terminal in Venice outside its lagoon
Mangalia - Canadian transport provider Seaspan Ferries will be adding two new liquid natural gas (LNG) – battery hybrid ferries to its fleet in 2021. The 149-meter-long vessels will be constructed by Damen Shipyards Gorinchem at their Mangalia Shipyard in Romania, with construction scheduled to begin in 2019
Ancona - Thursday 30th and Friday 31st Ancona will welcome operators from Albania, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, Slovenia and all Italian region facing Adriatic See for a the two-day opportunity for discussion, business networking and an in-depth study of the cruise, ferry and nautical sector.
Venice - “Without dredging, the port of Venice is blocked. We have been waiting too long for the approval from the Interregional Authority for Public Works, which hasn’t come: the situation is critical, and we are suffering as a result.”
Anchorage - Federal investigators are due in Alaska on Tuesday to try to find out why two sightseeing planes collided in mid-air over open water during daylight hours, killing at least four tourists.
Miami - Having just completed another record year, optimism remains high in the cruise industry as the business leaders, port and government officials, suppliers and other vendors all gather for one of the industry’s largest business conferences - Seatrade Cruise Global 2019 in Miami, Florida
Mumbai - Costa Cruises, the first and only international cruise company to offer regular cruises directly from Mumbai to Cochin, Cochin to Maldives, Maldives to Mumbai, confirmed its strong interest in developing the Indian cruise market, by just completing their third successful India season
Oslo - Cruise vessel had 1,373 passengers and crew. Vessel nearly ran aground as engines failed.
Oslo - Passenger airlift suspended as tow begins. Stricken vessel heads towards Norwegian port.
New York - With around 20 expedition ships entering the cruise market between 2018 and 2020, over 10 in 2019, travellers are setting sights on destinations that were previously out of reach, some only accessible now by cruise ship
Genoa - It will offer a series of unprecedented innovations created specifically for Chinese customers, which will introduce guests to Italian culture, lifestyle and excellence, beginning with the interior, which is inspired by the city of Venice.
Monfalcone - It is the symbol of Made in Italy exported to China. And for Fincantieri and Costa it was a week of great celebrations distributed in the hubs of Monfalcone and Trieste with the delivery of Costa Venezia, the first ship of the Genoese company expressly built for the Asian market
Naples - Finnish RoRo and passenger services operator Finnlines, part of the Grimaldi Group, is designing and developing a new roll-on/roll-off passenger (RoPax) concept. The new class of ships, named Superstar, will be bigger than the company’s existing Star class which represents the largest ships in the Finnlines’ fleet
Santa Cruz de Tenerife - And where is the smoke? This is the first impression after a trip between Canary Islands and Madeira with “AidaNova”. In fact, no special emissions were ever noticed by the smokestack of the new flagship of Aida Kreuzfahrten during the stay on board
London - The crews searched for about 83 hours, covering 3,707 square miles.
Koblenz - The Koblenz Higher Regional Court recently confirmed that tour operators cannot be held liable by cruise passengers for gym injuries sustained during large swells
Genoa - Yesterday, at the Palacrociere terminal, the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority and Costa Cruises signed the renewal of the contract to extend until 2044 the concession to the Italian company.
Genoa - “Kilic 1” was in serious distress due to a fire onboard.
Genoa - The Italian Ministry of Transportation, has refused to renew the concession to operate a fast maritime passenger transport service on the Messina-Reggio Calabria route.
Genoa - The first of this highly-innovative new generation of ships will come into service in Spring 2023 .
Genoa - The video published on the social networks by the Tunisian crew of the Ulysse ferry, which collided last Sunday with the Csl Virginia containership, is provoking controversy.
Miami - Cruise vacations are growing increasingly popular in Asian markets, according to the latest report from trade association Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). Asian-sourced ocean cruise passenger numbers hit another record high in 2017 with more than four million taking an ocean cruise (up 20.6%)
Genova - The Board of Directors of GNV has approved the company’s results for 2017, which show the firm has yet again improved its financial performance, including revenues and assets. GNV recorded growth across all major performance indicators
