Celebrity Solstice Asia Season Cancelled; Set for Mexican Riviera Instead

Celebrity Cruises has announced a deployment move for the Celebrity Solstice, as the Royal Caribbean Group brand said it would cancel the ship’s 2022-2023 season in Asia.

Instead, the ship will reposition to the Mexican Riviera, the company said.

“We have made the difficult decision to cancel our Asia season due to the ongoing uncertainty around when international operations might fully restart in this region. Our guests have the option to apply their current booking to select Asia sailings in our 2023-2024 season, or, they may choose a full refund,” read a statement from Celebrity.

“We thank our guests for their patience and understanding as the world continues to reopen and we continue to work through unique circumstances. We will reposition Celebrity Solstice to sail a season of Mexican Riviera itineraries beginning in September.”

The Solstice was scheduled to move to Asia in the fall after a summer season of Alaska cruises, sailing mainly from Seattle. 

After her Alaska season, the ship was scheduled for longer itineraries, including deployments in Japan in October and then moving to Southeast Asia in November and December.

Royal Caribbean International announces 274-night world cruise

Royal Caribbean International has revealed its inaugural Ultimate World Cruise for 2023.

The 274-night voyage will visit all seven continents, across more than 150 destinations in 65 countries.

Serenade of the Seas will depart from Miami on 10 December 2023, sailing through to 10 September 2024.

Bookings can be made by phone with an exclusive one-week window through to 26 October for Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society Diamond status members and above.

Guests will sail to 57 destinations that are new to the cruise line, with highlights including Casablanca, Morocco, Greenland, and Simizu, Japan, to see Mount Fuji.

Royal Caribbean International president and CEO Michael Bayley said: “This is the world cruise of world cruises. Now more than ever, people have resolved to travel the world and make up for the lost time.

“Royal Caribbean is making that a reality with the ultimate holiday that welcomes those seeking adventure and exploration to taste, dance and dream with us around the world. To travellers asking themselves where they should go next, we say everywhere.”

Following its departure from Miami, Serenade of the Seas will visit a range of Caribbean destinations before heading to Antarctica and Cape Horn.

The ship will then travel to Central and South America, finishing the Americas and Antarctica expedition portion of the world tour.

From 11 February to 9 May 2024, Serenade of the Seas will continue its tour in Asia and the Pacific, visiting the Hawaiian Islands, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Bali, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, Tokyo and more.

The Middle East and the Mediterranean portion of the cruise will feature calls in Dubai, Egypt, Turkey, Rome, Greece, Split, Croatia and France, from 9 May to 10 July 2024.

The voyage will end with Serenade of the Seas visiting Barcelona, Morocco, Russia, Norway, Iceland and New York before the ship heads back to Miami.

Vestas wins new orders for wind turbines in the US, Canada, France, The Netherlands, Italy, Japan and Vietnam

V117-4.2 MW®

Vestas has received an order for 278 MW of V150-4.2 MW turbines for a 302 MW project in the US including previously purchased 4 MW components. The order includes supply and commissioning of the turbines as well as a 10-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreement, designed to ensure optimised performance for the lifetime of the project. Turbine delivery will begin the second quarter of 2021 with commissioning scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2021. The project and customer are undisclosed.

In Canada, Vestas has received a 151 MW order of V136-3.45 MW turbines delivered in 3.6 MW Power Optimised Mode from Capital Power for the 97 MW Whitla Wind 2 and 54 MW Whitla Wind 3 projects in Alberta, Canada. The order includes supply and commissioning of the turbines as well as a 10-year service agreement, designed to ensure optimised performance for the lifetime of the project. Turbine delivery and commissioning are scheduled for 2021.

Whitla Wind 2 and 3 expand on the 202 MW Whitla Wind 1 Project, installed in 2019 and featuring the same turbine type.  Whitla Wind 1 was selected as one of four projects by the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) in Alberta’s first renewable energy auction, a competition that attracted global participation.

Alberta plans to add up to 5,000 MW of renewable energy to the grid by 2030. The province is the third-largest wind market in Canada, which ranks 9th in the world for installed capacity. The wind has been the number one source of new electricity generation in Canada for more than a decade.

In France, international renewable energy developer Valeco has placed a 42 MW order for three wind projects, consisting of the supply and installation of eight V100-2.0 MW wind turbines delivered in 2.2 MW Power Optimised Mode and eight V117-3.45 MW wind turbines in 3.0 MW operating mode, as well as Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreements, designed to maximise energy production for the sites.

The name and location of the projects are undisclosed. Turbine delivery and commissioning are scheduled for the first half of 2021.

Vestas has over 5.1 GW capacity installed and over 2,300 wind turbines in France. These numbers place the company as the main contributor to the expansion of wind energy in France, where last year the company had a 40 per cent market share.

Also in France, Elicio has placed a 32 MW order for the Le Haut Plateau wind project, consisting of the supply and installation of nine V136-3.45 MW wind turbines delivered in 3.6 Power Optimised Mode, as well as an Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreement for at least the next 20 years.

Turbine delivery will begin in the third quarter of 2021, with commissioning scheduled for the fourth quarter of the same year.

Vestas to deliver 46MW Dutch delight - reNews - Renewable Energy News

In The Netherlands, Vestas has won a 36 MW repowering order with Vattenfall for the Jaap Rodenburg II project. The wind project will be installed in the Province Flevoland, near Almere and will feature ten V117-3.45 MW turbines with 91.5-metre towers delivered in 3.6 MW Power Optimised Mode to maximise energy production in the site’s medium to high wind conditions, while meeting the local tip height requirements. This repowering project will replace the 10 V66 turbines and will more than double the installed capacity at the location.

The project will feature a VestasOnline Business SCADA solution, lowering turbine downtime and thus optimising the energy output. The contract further includes supply, installation and commissioning of the wind turbines, as well as a 10-years Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreement.

Deliveries are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2021, while commissioning is planned for the second quarter of 2021.

In Italy, the company has received a 49 MW order for two projects located in the Campania region, consisting of six V110-2.0 MW wind turbines delivered in 2.2 MW Power Optimised Mode and ten V117-3.45 MW wind turbines in 3.6 MW operating mode.

The supply and installation contract also includes a 5-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreement.

Turbine delivery and commissioning are planned for the first half of 2021. The names of the wind parks are undisclosed as per customer request.

With a 70 per cent market share in 2019 and with over 4.3 GW total capacity installed, Vestas leads the market as the main contributor to the expansion of wind energy in Italy.

In Japan, Vestas is working with Tokyu Land Corporation and Japan Wind Development, having secured a 76 MW order for Chitose Wind Farm and Noheji Mutsuwan Wind Farm in the Aomori prefecture.

Due to the typhoon and earthquake-prone environment of the region, an extended collaboration between all project partners was required when designing a turbine solution to maximise wind capture in the sites’ challenging wind and weather conditions.

The order includes the supply and supervision of four V117-3.45 MW and six V105-3.45 MW turbines that are all delivered in 3.6 MW Power Optimised Mode at Chitose Wind Farm, as well as eleven V105-3.45 MW turbines in 3.6 MW Power Optimised Mode at Noheji Mutsuwan Wind Farm.

With a robust design for tough wind sites, the turbine variants are well-suited for the sites’ challenging climatic conditions and all turbines will feature customised 94m towers to accommodate seismic loads, high turbulence and extreme wind speeds.

Vestas will also provide multi-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreements for both wind farms. With an energy-based availability guarantee, the agreement will ensure optimised performance and long-term business certainty.

Delivery of Vestas’ turbines will begin in the first quarter of 2021 with commissioning scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2021.

MHI Vestas Secures Order in Japan for 139 MW Offshore Wind Projects

Vestas installed its first turbines in Japan in 1995 and has since then installed a total of 650 MW, making Vestas the leading wind energy provider in the Japanese market.

In Vietnam, Vestas has won an 84 MW order to supply, transport, install and commission a total of 20 V150-4.2 MW wind turbines, in which it worked closely with the customer to customise a solution featuring V150-4.2 MW turbines at a hub height of 145 metres to help optimise the wind energy production for the project.

The order takes Vestas’ firm order intake for the V150-4.2 MW in Vietnam to over 600 MW since its first order win in March of last year, underlining the turbine variant’s excellent fit to deliver high and efficient energy production in Vietnam’s low to medium wind speeds.

The project and customer are undisclosed, but the construction of the project is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2021, ahead of the current wind feed-in tariff deadline in Vietnam.