Tag Archives: cruise-news

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.

TUI’s Mein Schiff 7 Delivered by Meyer Turku

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The new Mein Schiff 7 was officially delivered to TUI Cruises today at the Meyer Turku Shipyard in Finland, according to a press release.

The 2,894-guest vessel is the first built by the shipyard with methanol capability, Meyer Turku said in a prepared statement.

At the official signing ceremony, the shipyard was represented by CEO Tim Meyer and Head of Projects Tom Degerman, while TUI Cruises was represented by CEO Wybcke Meier and CFO Frank Kuhlmann.

The Mein Schiff 7 is the seventh ship of the Mein Schiff series built by the shipyard, Meyer Turku highlighted.

“Mein Schiff 7’s symbolic start of production, the steel cutting ceremony, took place at our shipyard on June 14, 2022,” said Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku.

“We are very proud to have delivered the Mein Schiff 7 to TUI Cruises today, less than two years later. This was made possible by our long-standing and close cooperation.”

The Mein Schiff 7 is also the first ship in the Mein Schiff fleet to run exclusively on low-emission marine diesel (with a maximum sulfur content of 0.1%).

The 111,500-ton ship has a shore power connection and is equipped with catalytic converters, the shipyard said.

In addition, the Mein Schiff 7 is built so that it can also run on methanol, which with the green methanol of the future, will make the ship’s propulsion power almost CO2-neutral.

“Receiving this ship is a special moment for us. Ten years ago, we acquired our first Blu Motion class ship here in Turku, and by 2019 we had built a total of six vessels,” said Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises.

“We would like to thank the Meyer Turku shipyard for the excellent cooperation and the development of our well-being fleet. We are now sailing on the Mein Schiff 7 to Kiel, where we will welcome the first guests on board on June 12,” she added.

Mystic’s World Explorer Completes Five Years in Service

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Introduced as Mystic Cruises’ first-ever ocean-going cruise ship, the World Explorer recently completed five years in operation.

Built by the West Sea Shipyard in Viana do Castelo, Portugal, the 200-guest vessel was commissioned during a special ceremony on April 6, 2019.

The event, which took place at the ship’s building dock, was hosted by Mystic Cruises’ CEO Mário Ferreira and included former French First Lady Carla Bruni serving as the Explorer’s godmother.

Responsible for commanding the ship during its inaugural season, Captains Alex Zakalashnnyuk from Russia, Filipe Sousa from Portugal, and Terje Willassen from Norway were also present.

While the christening ceremony took place in April, the World Explorer only entered service a few months later, in early August.

Initially operated by Mystic’s German brand Nicko Cruises, the vessel spent its inaugural season sailing in Northern Europe.

The program included both expedition and traditional cruising, with itineraries visiting Iceland, Greenland, the Norwegian Fjords, and the Baltic Sea.

Chartered to Quark Expeditions for the 2019-20 season in Antarctica, the vessel also offered a repositioning cruise to Brazil before arriving at the Frozen Continent in late October.

Since resuming service after the pandemic, the World Explorer has been sailing under charter for Belgium-based Rivages du Monde during summers.

In 2024, the ship’s season includes a series of itineraries in Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and South America.

Upon completing the chartered program, the 9,300-ton ship is set to return to Antarctica for another season under Quark Expeditions’ flag.

After being acquired by the company in April, the World Explorer is set to be operated by Windstar Cruises starting in late 2026.

Renamed Star Explorer, the vessel is expected to undergo a major refurbishment before joining the fleet of the upscale cruise operator for itineraries across the world.

In line with other Windstar Cruises vessels, the Explorer is set to offer a new marina, in addition to a sun deck in its bow and a new range of dining venues.