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
