Tag Archives: Costa cruise

Brazil’s Santos Port Authority to Offer Reduced Fees for Cruise Ships

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Santos Port Authority (SPA) is offering reduced operational fees for cruise ships visiting the Port of Santos in Brazil, according to a press release.

As part of a new set of regulations introduced in October, discounted fees will be provided to cruise lines based on the volume of passengers travelling to the port onboard their ships.

The reduction in fees ranges from 10 to 60 per cent, with the maximum benefit offered to operators bringing more than 680,000 passengers.

SPA also provides discounts for various types of vessels that achieve a certain rating on a local index of sustainability and efficiency.

“This is another way to encourage operators who adopt best practices,” said SPA President Anderson Pomini.

The new regulation for discounted fees will be in effect for 12 months and may be extended based on the port authority’s evaluation of its effectiveness.

Operators will provisionally receive the discounts based on their own estimates, the Santos Port Authority explained.

Numbers will later be adjusted at the end of the cruise season based on actual data from SPA’s data system.

The regulation requires operators to inform SPA in advance about their estimated number of passengers and specific schedules.

As the largest homeport in Brazil, Santos is set to seeten cruise ships during the 2024-25 season.

In addition to welcoming transit calls, the port will serve as a base for three ships from MSC Cruises, including the MSC Grandiosa, the MSC Seaview and the MSC Splendida.

A fourth ship from the company, the MSC Armonia, is also scheduled to sail from Santos between February and March.

Costa Cruises is also offering cruises departing from the port onboard two ships: the Costa Diadema and the Costa Pacifica.

Brands visiting the port for transit calls include Princess Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Crystal and Villa Vie Residences.

Goddess of the Night Reportedly Detained by Italian Authorities

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The Goddess of the Night has reportedly been detained by Italian authorities while docked at the Port of Brindisi.

According to Reuters, the 2,720-guest vessel was seized on Wednesday following complaints about poor sanitary conditions onboard.

The ship, owned by Seajets, was impounded by order of local prosecutors to allow further investigations, the agency said.

The Goddess of the Night was chartered by the Italian government to serve as a floating hotel during the 50th Summit of the Group of Seven (G7).

The ship was supposed to accommodate police forces serving at the event, which is taking place in Italy’s Apulia region.

Since arriving in Brindisi earlier this week, however, the 103,000-ton vessel has been criticized for its poor sanitary condition, Reuters reported.

Unions claim that many cabins could not be used due to water leaks, broken air conditioning and malfunctioning toilets.

As a result, officers who were set to stay on the vessel have now been transferred to hotels and another ship, the news agency said.

Citing the local police forces, Reuters said that initial investigations carried out onboard showed “significant hygienic-sanitary criticalities and serious accommodation deficiencies.”

According to Italian media, the local government paid around 6.5 million euros to charter the Goddess of the Night for eight days.

The vessel was scheduled to house over 2,600 public security and police officers. In addition to the use of the ship’s staterooms and public areas, the charter deal included catering services, with three meals set to be served onboard per day.

Built for Carnival Corporation’s Costa Cruises brand, the Goddess of the Night was sold to Greece-based Seajets in early 2023.

The ship has been out of service since early 2020, the 2004-built ship is poised to soon launch service for a new cruise brand, Neonyx Cruises.

The first sailing of the brand, which will offer an adults-only product focused on parties and nightlife, is set to depart on July 15, 2024.

Adora Cruises’ Second Ship To Get Upsized

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According to a report from China Daily, the new vessel will be 17.4 meters longer than the 2023-built sister ship.

Currently under construction at China State Shipbuilding Company’s Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Yard in Shanghai, the cruise ship is scheduled to enter service in 2025.

At 141,000 gross tons, the newbuild will be roughly five percent larger than the 135,500-ton Adora Magic City, the report added.

Citing shipyard sources, China Daily also said that the new vessel will feature an optimized interior layout, in addition to enhanced facilities.

“China State Shipbuilding Company will continuously make efforts to enhance the second cruise ship’s design, craftsmanship, construction and facilities to achieve higher quality, greater efficiency and lower cost,” the report concluded.

With its construction started in August 2022, the second China-made cruise ship currently has 75 percent of its design workload finished, while 58 percent of the production design was completed.

Both the 2025 newbuild and the Adora Magic City feature a basic project based on Carnival Corporation’s Vista class.

Built to serve the Chinese domestic market, the vessels offer a series of customized features, including an expanded shopping area and a series of alterantive restaurants.

After five years in the making, the Adora Magic City kicked off a series of short cruises to the Far East departing from Shanghai in January.

Also built at the Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Yard, the 4,200-guest ship became the first large cruise ship ever constructed in China.

In addition to the two newbuilds, Adora Cruises also operates the former Costa Mediterranea. Now named Mediterranea, the 2003-built ship is offering a series of short cruises departing from Tianjin.