Fincantieri Delivers Mein Schiff Relax in Monfalcone

Fincantieri has delivered the new Mein Schiff Relax to TUI Cruises, with the ship being handed over on Friday in Monfalcone.

Fincantieri said in a press release that the vessel is the first of two InTUltion class new concept cruise ships that are dual fuel powered (Liquid Natural Gas and Marine Gas Oil) that Fincantieri is building for TUI Cruises. The sister ship will set sail in mid-2026.

According to the press release, the Italian Minister for Relations with Parliament, Luca Ciriani, attended the ceremony, welcomed by Biagio Mazzotta, and Pierroberto Folgiero, chairman, CEO and managing director of Fincantieri.

The event was also attended by Luigi Matarazzo, general manager of the Fincantieri Merchant Ships Division, as well as Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises, Frank Kuhlmann, chief financial officer of TUI Cruises and Captain Tom Roth.

The company said that this unit forms the backbone of TUI Cruises’ new fleet, based on a first-in-class project developed by Fincantieri.

The project focuses on energy efficiency and aims to reduce operational consumption and minimize environmental impact in compliance with the latest regulations. According to Fincantieri, the ship’s ability to use low-emission fuels marks a step towards climate-neutral cruising.

The ship also features catalytic converters meeting Euro 6 standards, a generative turbine using the residual heat from the diesel generators and an electrical shore-power connection. This ensures almost emission-free operations while in port (about 40 per cent of operating time).

The ship also has a waste treatment system that can transform organic materials into recyclable components.

P&O Cruises Australia Loses Vista Class Newbuilding

P&O Cruises Australia Loses Vista Class Newbuilding

Carnival Corporation has revealed that the new 133,500 gross ton cruise ship, originally designated for P&O Cruises Australia brand, will join Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet in late 2019.

The 4,200-passenger ship, being the third vessel in the company’s Vista class, is currently under construction at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard in Italy.

The ship’s name, homeport and itinerary details will be announced at a later date, according to Carnival.

Instead of the Vista-class cruise ship, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Splendor, built in 2008, will be transferred to P&O Cruises Australia in late 2019, the company said.

The first Vista-class ship, the 133,500 gross ton Carnival Vista, was handed over to Carnival Cruise Line in April 2016.

Carnival Cruise Line has now two additional ships joining its fleet – Carnival Horizon, which is scheduled to be delivered in March 2018, and the third, yet-to-be-named Vista-class vessel.

Earlier this year, Carnival Corporation finalized contracts with Fincantieri to build five new cruise vessels, including the one intended for P&O Cruises Australia, as part of a memorandum of agreement signed in 2015.

Including the five new ship orders with Fincantieri, Carnival Corporation has a total of 16 new ships scheduled to be delivered between 2016 and 2020.

MSC hails strength of UK market as first Seaside ship floated out

 MSC hails strength of UK market as first Seaside ship floated out

Click the image for a unique video of how she is looking at the float out.

MSC Cruises has celebrated the ‘float out’ of its newest ship MSC Seaside as UK sales show ‘strength’.

The first of the cruise line’s new Seaside-class ships transferred from dry to wet dock at the Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard in Trieste, Italy, at the weekend.

Speaking at the event, UK managing director Antonio Paradiso said he was pleased with the strong response the operator was already seeing from the British market.

“This is another exciting milestone in our ambitious expansion plans as we see the second of our 11 next-generation ships entering the final stages of her construction.

“MSC Seaside has been specifically designed to provide our guests with a unique onboard experience in warmer regions.

“The UK market is very important and we are delighted with the strength of sales for MSC Seaside so far. The Caribbean continues to be an ever popular destination for UK holidaymakers.”

The ship, which will launch in December 2017, will homeport in Miami and complete year round sailing in the Caribbean.

At 323 metres long the ship will feature a maximum capacity of 5,179 guests on completion and is the first of two identical ships in the Seaside generation. Her sister ship MSC Seaview will enter service in spring 2018.