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
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"
