Tag Archives: Black Watch

Fred Olsen to fly passengers home after Black Watch fire

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by Phil Davies

Almost 700 Fred Olsen Cruise Lines passengers are to be flown home from Madeira today (Monday) by private charter flights following a fire on board the ship Black Watch.

Crew extinguished the fire in the auxiliary engine room on Friday morning and there were no injuries to passengers or crew.

But the fire damaged three of the ship’s seven auxiliary engines, which generate electrical power on board. Some electrical power was then restored to the ship.

Black Watch, which originally entered service in 1972, was on a 13-night ‘Portuguese Island & Cities’ cruise which left Dover on June 25 with 696 mainly British passengers and 365 crew on board.

The vessel had left Ponta Delgada in the Azores on Thursday with the line describing weather conditions as good with calm seas.

“There has been some cabling damage on board, which is affecting lighting and communications, but all other services are working as normal,” the line said.

“However, the cabling damage has prevented the other two main engines from running, and it is anticipated that the repairs will cause disruption to guests during the re-cabling.

“Therefore, we have made the decision – in the best interests of guests’ comfort and enjoyment – to fly them home from Funchal.”

Three charter flights will return passengers to Stansted and Gatwick. Affected passengers will be offered a full refund, 50% off a future cruise and the cost of out of pocket expenses.

Special arrangements have been made for passengers who are unable to fly for medical reasons, the company said.

Managing director Mike Rodwell flew out to join the ship in Funchal on Saturday with a support team of senior executives to address passengers and ask for any feedback.

He circulated a letter to cabins on board the ship yesterday afternoon and fully briefed passengers, advising them of the latest situation.

“Fred Olsen appreciates guests’ understanding and co-operation with these new arrangements. All guests will be compensated for loss of enjoyment and facilities.

Black Watch arrived at the Atlantic island capital of Funchal on Saturday afternoon.

“We hope that Black Watch will be able to undertake her next cruise – a nine-night ‘Norwegian Fjords’ cruise from Tilbury on 8th July 2016 – as scheduled,” the company said.

“The safety of all guests and crew on board Black Watch is Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ utmost priority.”

Fred Olsen reports record start to 2016

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Fred Olsen Cruise Lines is claiming a 27% hike in sales in the first week of January.
The seven days represented the line’s most successful in its history for both yield and volumes with an increasing number of bookings by first-time cruise passengers.


The line says 80% of people booking new five-night Norwegian fjords cruises from Newcastle are first-time cruisers, and are seven years younger than the Fred Olsen average.
The boost over the same record breaking period last year means that some 2016 departures are now sold out.


Sales and marketing director, Nathan Philpot, said: “We are in a very fortunate position that our smaller ships provide us with the ability to create and tailor-make such rich itineraries, for example, our popular river and waterways cruises on shallow-drafted Braemar.


“Our regional departures also give us the significant benefit of making a Fred Olsen cruise even more accessible to our guests.


“A number of our sailings for 2016 are already sold out, or only have a handful of cabins left. We will be moving our largest ship, Balmoral, to Newcastle this year, which was an ambitious decision, but the travel trade have been extremely supportive, and our sales in the north-east are well ahead of expectations.”


He added: “A key strategic driver for us is to attract new guests to the brand. Whilst we have a very high repeat rate – with a significant number of Fred Olsen cruisers returning time and time again – January has seen the share of ‘new to cruise’ guests shift by seven percentage points, and the average guest age has fallen by 11 months across the fleet.


“This is against a backdrop within the cruise industry that has seen the average age grow by five years, with an increasing reliance on existing customers.”


The line’s 2017/18 cruise programme is being released in March, which will see its fleet of four ships sail from ten UK departure ports to more than 200 destinations worldwide.

Fred. Olsen’s four ships converge on Bergen

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All four ships in Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ fleet have come together for the first time in Bergen today (Tuesday).

Balmoral, Braemar, Boudicca and Black Watch carrying almost 4,000 passengers have converged on Norway’s second city for a joint ‘Four Bs in Bergen’ celebration.

All four ships arrived in the port of Bergen at 8am and will depart at 6pm.

The Fred Olsen Company originated in the village of Hvitsten, outside Oslo, in 1848, when three Olsen brothers – Fredrik Christian, Petter and Andreas – bought their first ships and began an international shipping company.

The company is now into the fifth generation of the family.

Managing director, Mike Rodwell, said: “This is a very special occasion for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, and we know that the city of Bergen is looking forward to welcoming our fleet on this unique day.

“We are committed to the city of Bergen – known as the ‘Gateway to the Fjords’ – on our Norwegian cruise itineraries.

“The Olsen association with Bergen can be traced a long way back, probably as far as the original Olsen brothers themselves, and we shared in a very successful partnership with Bergen Line during the 1960s and 1970s.

“In fact, the number of days that Fred Olsen ships have spent in Bergen from 2006 to 2015 is 176 in total, and we know that the city is a highlight to many of our guests on cruises to our historic homeland.”